Try Something New: Week Four

This week for our new recipe we tried Sweet and Sour Chicken from Mel's Kichen Cafe. 

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The chicken was pretty easy to prepare.

I used de-boned chicken thighs cut into pieces instead of chicken breasts.

The chicken pieces are coated in corn starch and then dipped in some beaten egg.

 The battered chicken pieces are then briefly fried in hot oil just until a crispy crust forms and then placed in a baking dish.

You mix together the sauce ingredients and pour the mixture over the chicken pieces.

The chicken is then cooked for an hour, stirring a couple of times to evenly coat with the sauce.

The nice thing about the hour long cooking time is that you have time to wash up most of the dinner dishes and make some brown rice while the chicken cooks.   :)

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield: Serves 4-6

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 cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken.

Ingredients

Chicken:
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs(preferably), or breasts (about 2 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola, vegetable or coconut 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. 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.
3. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot and rippling. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.
4. Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side until the crust is golden but the chicken is not all the way cooked through (this is where it's really important to have a hot skillet/oil). Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated/