Tasty Tuesday: Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is one of those few times when I don't have any pictures of the preparation of the food. Generally, I'll take pictures of every step as the kids or I do them. Measuring? Check. Dumping? Check. Mixing? Check.

But not this time.

I pulled chicken out of the freezer for dinner, but hadn't decided what to do with it. While I love our chicken fried chicken and pulled bbq chicken and salsa chicken and chicken parmigiana, nothing seemed right. I wanted something different, something new. 

Then I remembered that I pinned a chicken recipe that I really, really wanted to try: sweet and sour chicken. A quick check assured that I had all the ingredients and Chinese cuisine it was. 

Wow.

Double wow.

Even though I wasn't prepared with pictures for a post, this is one of those this-is-so-good-I-have-to-get-it-on-the-blog-now recipes. With just a simple snapshot I took after we tasted it.

Don't just take my word for it though. Jake said, "This is so good, I want to eat the whole pan!" I agree, because I ate way too much myself. I made this a couple days ago, and even now as I type, Alyssa looked at the picture and said, "I wish we still had some of that chicken. That chicken makes me want to eat more of it. I really like it. Can you make some more of it?" Jake declared it as his "very favorite way to eat chicken."

See what I mean? You have to try it for yourself.

Trust me.

Next time I'll add chunks of onion, green pepper, and pineapple. Mmm, I think I see more Chinese food on the menu soon.
 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:   
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/3 cup vinegar (apple cider or white distilled)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  (I use our electric skillet.)  

2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Place the flour and chicken in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and toss to coat. 

4. Dip the flour-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden, but not all the way cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish.

5. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake at 325° for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce.

*Note: If you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients – pour half over the chicken and follow the recipe instructions; pour the other half in a small saucepan and simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens.

recipe adapted from mel's kitchen cafe