Jamie Oliver's sweet and sour chicken recipe that's 'better than a takeaway'

Sweet and sour chicken - a staple of - can be easily and quickly prepared at home with recipe, saving calories and money.

Inspired by Olympic diver Tom Daley's confession that it's his go-to indulgence after competitions, Jamie shares his method for a healthier, homemade version. "Tom told me this is his guilty pleasure after a competition," Jamie writes on his website.

"So I wanted to show him just how fantastic it can be if you make it from scratch. The joy of cooking at home is that you can really own it – packed with fresh veg, and free from piles of added sugar and fat often found in takeaways, this firm favourite is a real winner."

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The dairy-free recipe serves four, cooks in 35 minutes, and features a variety of colourful vegetables, making it both nutritious and delicious.

To make Jamie's sweet and sour chicken, you will need:

• One 227g tin of pineapple in natural juice
• One 213g tin of peaches in natural juice
• One tablespoon of low-salt soy sauce
• One tablespoon fish sauce
• Two teaspoons cornflour
• Two 120g free-range chicken breasts, skin on
• Chinese five-spice
• One lime
• Two cloves of garlic
• One bunch of asparagus, (350g)
• 100g tenderstem broccoli
• One small onion
• Two fresh red chillies
• One red pepper
• One yellow pepper
• 7cm piece of ginger
• Groundnut oil
• 100g baby sweetcorn
• One teaspoon runny honey
• Half a bunch of fresh coriander, (15g)

Here's the recipe...

Drain the juices from the tinned fruit into a bowl, add the soy and fish sauces, then whisk in one teaspoon of cornflour until smooth. Chop the pineapple and peaches into bite-sized chunks and put aside.

Firstly, remove the skin from the chicken breasts and place it in a large, cold frying pan over low heat. Let it cook for a few minutes to render the fat, turning occasionally.

Once it turns golden, transfer the crispy skin to a plate and season with a pinch of sea salt and five-spice. Next, cut the chicken into 3cm pieces and put them in a bowl. Add one heaped teaspoon of five-spice, a pinch of salt, one teaspoon of cornflour and half the lime juice. Include one clove of peeled and finely chopped garlic and toss everything together to coat the chicken.

For the vegetables, trim and roughly slice the asparagus and broccoli at an angle, keeping the attractive tips intact. Quarter the onion, separate into petals, then peel the remaining garlic clove and finely slice along with the chillies. Deseed and roughly chop the peppers, then peel and julienne the ginger. Cook the chicken in a frying pan over high heat for about five to six minutes, turning halfway through. Once it's golden, reduce the heat to low.

Now, heat a wok on high and char the peppers and onion for around five minutes. Add one tablespoon of oil, followed by the peaches, pineapple, ginger, garlic, most of the chillies, the baby sweetcorn, asparagus and broccoli. Stir fry all the vegetables for approximately three minutes and add your sauce, ensuring the vegetables remain almost raw. If the sauce thickens too much, add some boiling water.

Head back to the chicken pan and pour in the honey, tossing and cooking on a high heat until it's caramelised. Dish up the veg and place the chicken on top. Sprinkle over the crispy chicken skin from earlier along with the remaining chilli and coriander leaves. Serve with fluffy rice and lime wedges.