Sweet and Sour Chicken

I've been making this recipe for over a year now and it is by far my favorite sweet n sour chicken recipe - it beats out Wanchai Ferry and any packet you may buy (trust me I've tried quite a few varieties) and it is super easy!! I am linking up (a day late!) with the Tuesday Lineup of Bloggers: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table! Thanks to all of you for hosting!

Here's what you'll need to get started:

Cut up chicken (this is about 1.5lbs), 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 egg white. All you'll need to do here is mix the cornstarch and egg white (also can add a little salt here but I always forget) and pour it over the chicken, mix it in well and then let the mix rest for 15 minutes.



Next, gather the rest of the ingredients:

Ketchup (1/4 cup), ginger (1 tsp), cooking oil, vinegar (1/4 cup), brown sugar (2 TBS), pineapple (recipe calls for 10 oz jar but I always just use a full jar and munch on the extra while cooking), some frozen bell pepper strips (I just grab a handful or two) and the chicken mixture.

While the chicken is resting (it's tired), go ahead and mix the 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup pineapple juice with the 2 TBS brown sugar:

Congratulations, you just made sweet and sour sauce. Didn't know it was that easy did you? Me either, but now that you know you can make it all the time!!! I actually made this twice last night, once for the recipe and then as you'll see later more for egg roll dipping sauce.

Since I know that didn't take you 15 minutes, let's continue gathering so that when cooking begins we have it all nice and ready to go. Grab a paper plate or paper towel and put your bell peppers, pineapple (however much you want of either of these, honestly), and get the ginger ready as well:

Now you are ready to cook this, and quick too I might add. Unless you forgot about your rice, and then you'll be sorry, we've had this discussion before!!! Get the rice on (before you even mess with the chicken, rice takes forever for me!!)

So get the oil hot in your pan or wok, and pour the chicken mixture in:

Do not touch it, please. Just let it brown. I always mess with it, but I am trying desperately hard not to so that you can see the correct way to do things and not my way of doing things! ;)

Now, if you want a dipping sauce for egg rolls, or for picky eaters, go ahead and throw the extra sweet and sour mixture you made in a small pot, turn the heat on med-low and add some cornstarch, whisk it together and it'll thicken while you make dinner:

Now if you've left the chicken alone it should be nice and brown on one side and you can flip it now without feeling guilty. I almost waited long enough this time, but most of the time I don't bother (I'm too impatient!!):

Once chicken is browned on both sides, remove it to a plate or bowl and keep the pan hot:

Add just a little oil if the pan needs it and then add the fruit and veggies as well as the ginger (which you had sitting out ready and waiting to make this that much easier on you):

Take a nice big whiff, this smells SO WONDERFUL!!! After frying for about a minute, pour in the sweet and sour mixture you made earlier and bring to a boil:

Once it's boiling add the chicken back in:

And don't forget about the extra sauce you were making, mine got a little out of control but still turned out okay!

Continue cooking the chicken until it's cooked through and everything is nice and hot, and then serve it on top of rice with egg rolls:

This is my very favorite "Asian-y" meal, my boys love Asian food, and I do enjoy it, but this is so yummy. I think it's the pineapple. And it sure pales in comparison to the fried up chunks you get from the China take out place down the street!!

Let me know if you try this!

Love and Luck to you,

The Packet Queen