Sweet and Sour Chicken

It doesn't matter if we go out for Thai or Chinese- Corey always picks a sweet and sour dish to add to our mix. Over the years at home I have tried different prepared sauces and homemade recipes-all just O.K. in his opinion. My latest trial has taken 1st Place! No need to try out any other recipes. Found on Mel's Kitchen Cafe web site. It's a keeper!!

INGREDIENTS

Chicken:
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
3. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce.  Serve over hot, steamed rice.
4. **I added sauted onion, bell peppers, and pineapple

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe)

This recipe is definitely a KEEPER! I had all of the ingredients on hand, so it was a quick and easy meal! The chicken is so tender and the sauce has just the right amount of zing! I think you could get creative by adding onion, green onions, pineapple, peppers... but it's delicious by itself as well. Make it tonight, it's DELICIOUS! :)

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in cornstarch. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced – about 6-8 minutes.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Today's warm weather put me in the mood for a light and delicious salad. This is one of my favorites - quick to put together and definitely a crowd pleaser.

1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
8 chicken tenders - cooked and diced, sliced or shredded... whatever you prefer (I marinated the frozen tenders in olive oil and soy sauce)
4 green onions, diced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup crunch noodles (or ramen, or anything else crunchy and delicious you'd like to add)
(toast the almonds, sesame seeds and noodles in the oven until lightly browned)
mandarin oranges (optional)

Dressing:
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste