Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken

Lean bite sized pieces of chicken breast are quickly pan fried in an egg wash and then baked in a delicious sweet and sour sauce that beats takeout !

This Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken is a staple in our house now.  I think I’ve made it a few dozen times now.  It is a bit of a time consuming dinner to prepare depending on how much chicken you want to cook.  I make enough to fill a 9×13 baking dish because I know how much my family loves it and leftovers are always welcome.

This requires cooking the chicken in batches, however.  Even though the chicken is not completely cooked through in the pan, it still requires some time to get through it all.

• Put the cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag and shake the chicken in it to coat it
• Dip the chicken in the beaten egg.  I use a huge slotted spoon to pick up all the chicken and bang it on the bowl a few times.  If you try to pick it up piece by piece, it will take forever.
• I flip the chicken using a SPATULA – again, doing each piece separately with a fork or tongs would take forever.  You want this step to be quick.  Then I use the edge of my spatula kind of like a knife.  I cut the chicken in half or separate them since they can be bound together by the eggs.
• Put a paper towel in your 9×13 pan and place the chicken on that while you move on to your next batch.  Then when it’s time to put the new hot chicken in the pan, just push the cooled chicken over to the side.  This will help absorb any leftover oil.

• In order for this Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken to come out finger licking good the key is to not overcook the chicken while on the stove.
• You want that pan really hot, but not smoking.  If it starts to smoke, take it off the heat for a minute.
• Use GOOD quality olive oil, not cheap refined oil like Canola or Vegetable oils.
• Cook it just until it’s brown, but still raw in the middle.

I also took this recipe a step further and sautéd some roughly chopped onions, zucchini and carrots in a little EVOO just until crisp. Then I put it all over my Chinese Fried Rice!.

I’m telling you …. the combination between the crispiness of this chicken along with the fried rice is beyond delicious.  It even wowed me and I’m hard to wow!

This blows away ANY take out ANY day !!!!!!

Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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Description

Lean bite sized chicken nuggets that have been pan seared are baked in a sweet and sour sauce and served over fried rice and vegetables for a delicous alternative to Chinese take out

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Ingredients

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FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces
• 1 Cup (more or less) Cornstarch (you won’t use all of it)
• 2–3 Large Eggs, whisked with a little milk
• Olive Oil (for frying)

FOR THE SAUCE:

•  1 /3 Cup Ketchup
• 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari (type of soy sauce w no MSG)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
3. Place about ¼ cup of cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag or a shallow dish and create an assembly line of cornstarch in one bowl, egg in another.
4. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet until hot (you want the pan very hot, but not smoking)
5. In batches, place some chicken in the cornstarch bag and shake, then dip in the egg and put into the pan.
6. Cook for about a minute on each side, just until browned.
7. Place the chicken in a 9×13 baking dish (I place a paper towel in the pan to absorb any excess oil)
8. Repeat until all chicken is browned.
9. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  45 minutes may seem like a long time, but that’s what is needed for the sauce to completely thicken.
10. Serve over brown rice or Chinese fried rice.

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