Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

Prep time: 30-40 min.
Cook time: 1 hour @ 325 degrees



Ingredients:

 Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

 Chicken coating:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Rinse chicken in water and then cut into cubes.  Salt and pepper to desired amount.  Heat 1/4 cup of oil in pan.  Coat chicken with cornstarch then dredge in egg.  Cook the chicken until lightly brown but not all the way cooked.  Place in a greased 9x13 pan.  Whisk all sauce ingredients together and pour evenly over the chicken.  Place in oven and cook for 1 hour, flipping the chicken every 15 minutes.

****Fried rice is on a separate entry****




My mom made this sweet and sour chicken growing up.  We didn't have it often because it takes awhile to prep and cook, but it was such a treat when we did. I also love that it is a healthier alternative to deep frying but still has great flavor.  Plus, it brings the restaurant style food to our table at a fraction of the cost it would be to go out.  That's what I call a win win!

Sauce!  Mine is clumpy because I didn't have a whisk.  My daughter likes to play with them and today she decided to take both.  :)

Get your dredge on.  Don't forget to salt and pepper the chicken first!  I usually always forget that
step.

Cooking in the pan.  I like to cook on the outside so they cook at an even rate since the ones in the middle cook the fastest.

Pour your sauce all over the chicken.  There is very little sauce left in the bottom when it is done cooking.  If extra sauce is desired for plain white rice I would make some in a small sauce pan on the stove or put the extra in with the chicken. 

1 hour and 3 flips later you have delicious sweet and sour chicken.  Yum!

The dish isn't hard to make, but it is time consuming.  I usually like things that you pop in the oven once and then the timer goes off and they are done, but this needs work every 15 minutes.  Kind of a bummer, but worth it.  My moms recipe does not flip the chicken, but after having this one I will always flip them. It really makes the chicken absorb all that sweet and sour flavor.  This is such a great meal so remember to tip the cook!  Dish washing is my preferred method of payment.  :)





 (Recipe source: http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html)