Sweet and Sour Chicken

Published March 1, 2013

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

I love Sweet and Sour Chicken. OK, I like sweet and sour anything. Freaks me out a little to get it from a restaurant with a sauce that glows in the dark. I much prefer my own sweet and sour sauce. Once made it will keep for weeks and can be used whenever you get a taste for sweet and sour something. My version is pan fried, not deep fried and the chicken is rolled in cornstarch not coated in a thick batter. Play with the veggies you add to it. I added broccoli to the most recent batch I made.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 c. vinegar, I like cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

3 T. catsup

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. sherry

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. minced garlic

1-t. fresh grated ginger

Hot pepper flakes to taste

In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

1-2 lbs. boneless pork or chicken

1 egg

1 t. cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

1 t. soy sauce

Additional cornstarch for dredging

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1 sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice for sauce

1 recipe sweet and sour sauce (see note)

Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch, salt and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge.

When ready to cook, heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté onions on high until tender. Add carrots and stir fry 3 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove to bowl and stir in pineapple. Dredge the meat in additional cornstarch and sauté in remaining oil until browned and when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Return vegetables to pan with meat and pour over sauce to desired amount. Serve over rice or pasta. Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel) or make sauce just before using. You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.

Posted in Cooking