Recipe Wednesday {Sweet & Sour Chicken}

I never liked sweet & sour chicken at restaurants.  I always went with sesame chicken or General Tso's chicken.  Something about the sweet & sour sauce just wasn't right to me.

But one day I decided to try Tin Drum's sweet n sour chicken.  They actually make it with chunks of peppers and pineapples, something most Asian restaurants in America lacked.  Most just use the sauce.

I found this recipe online a few weeks ago and decided to try it.  Our market carries really nice peppers and pineapples.  And our store carries all the other ingredients!

This turned out to be the best sweet & sour chicken I've ever had.  At least, it seems like it is.  Could it be that I've forgotten what others taste like?  I miss restaurants terribly.

The only thing I don't like about this... it takes a long time to make.  I could probably make it quicker next time by doing several things at once, but it took me almost an hour.  And it annoys me when I work an hour on something that it only takes 5 minutes to devour.

With that said, I give you...

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Sweet & Sour Chicken

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

servings: 4

3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 c. rice flour (I used all-purpose and it worked fine)

1 c. cornstarch

1/3 c. canola oil

1/3 c. pineapple juice

1/3 c. ketchup

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white vinegar

1 c. pineapple chunks

1 onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

In large freezer bag, toss together the rice flour and cornstarch.  Cut chicken into cubes and put into bag.  Coat the chicken well.

Pour canola oil into a large saute pan and allow it to get hot.  Add the chicken in batches, shaking off the excess cornstarch mixture.

Allow the chicken to cook, untouched, for about 4 minutes before turning.  Repeat this process until all the chicken is cooked.  Set the chicken aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar.  Cook in a small pan on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce is cooking, cut onion and peppers into large chunks.  Saute with pineapple in a little butter until slightly tender.

Add the chicken and sauce to the pan and combine well, allowing to simmer for a few minutes.

Serve over rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked rice per serving).

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My input: to save time, start cooking your sauce while the chicken is cooking.  You can also have your veggies cut up before and start sauteing them when the chicken and sauce are almost done.  White rice is much better with it than brown rice.

Enjoy!

ps. I got those chopsticks when I was in China a few years ago!  I'm glad I shipped them :)