Sweet and Sour Heaven
I'm not what you would call a foodie. I like sweet stuff {which you already know from THIS post}, and I like to cook and bake. . . but I'm no gourmet chef or connoisseur of yumminess. However, every now and again I stumble across a recipe that lights the dark sky of mediocrity and dazzles us all.
And when that happens, it gets a fervent "10+" star rating from the Hubster and I usually end up getting a promotion. From what and to what remains to be seen. . . but I usually get promoted. It's very special. :)
And when all that happens, it would be just rude not to share it with you. And so, without further ado, I give you. . .
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken and Fried Rice.
From heaven.
{photo source}
. . . .
I found this particular recipe over at "Life in the Lofthouse" HERE shortly after finding one for "Orange Chicken" someplace else. . .
Apparently, I was on a Chinese food kick for this month's meal plan because I added them both. The Orange Chicken was. . . um. . . NOT a "10.5" and so it shall not be shared. Imagine eating orange peel for dinner. With some rice.
It didn't take me to my happy place.
The glorious recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken, on the other hand, made me want to lick my plate. . . which is impressive because I actually totally messed it up. But I'll get to that part in a minute.
First, I want to let ya'll know that I didn't use a full 1 cup of cornstarch when coating my chicken chunks. I figured that I'd start with less than the full cup and add more if I ran out. Because, let's face it, you can always dump more cornstarch into your bowl if you run out, but you can't put leftover cornstarch back in the container after it's been loved-on by some raw chicken. Definitely not recommended. :)
I also didn't have a fancy bag of frozen carrots and peas conveniently defrosted and waiting to be added to the rice, but I DID have some still-frozen peas and some fresh carrots. I just chopped up the carrots into itty-bitty little chunks and tossed in some peas and called it good. Seemed to work out marvelously. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I added more than 1 cup, although I didn't actually measure. I cooked 3-4 servings of rice {or 1 cup uncooked rice} and it was more than enough. Oh, and speaking of the rice, I would recommend waiting to add much salt and pepper until after you stir in your soy sauce. Then you can make sure it won't be too salty.
. . .
Aaaand one last word of caution. . .
You see, I was so concerned about getting the rice to be done at the same time as the chicken that I kinda totally forgot to mix the sweet and sour sauce to pour over the chicken before baking it. It was 97% done baking before I thought, "Gee wiz. This chicken doesn't look anything like the picture. And, come to think of it, it won't have any flavor." Then the light bulb
Other than being runny since it didn't have time to bake into the chicken, it was still AMAZING. Oh my goodness. Yum.
So, yeah. Don't do what I did. Make sure your brain is fully functioning before popping your chicken in the oven. :)
. . . .
Sweet and Sour Chicken
3-4 boneless chicken breasts {or tenders}
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 - 1 cup cornstarch
2 - 3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. canola oil
{Sweet and Sour Sauce}:
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat, then dip into the eggs.
Heat 1/4 c. oil in a large skillet and pan-fry chicken pieces just until slightly browned but not cooked through. Place chicken in a 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish.
Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Pour evenly over the chicken and stir to coat. Bake chicken for 45 minutes - 1 hour, uncovered. During the baking process, you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.
. . .
Fried Rice
3 cups cooked white rice {day old or leftover rice works best!}
3 Tablespoons sesame oil {or any oil will work}
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 small onion, chopped {or just use dry minced onion}
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
On medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion, and garlic. Stir fry until tender.
Lower the heat to medium-low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour eggs ont he other side of skillet. Stir fry until scrambled.
Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated.
I hope you all enjoy this delicious meal thanks to Holly over at "Life In the Lofthouse"! I passionately pinky promise that you won't regret the little extra time and effort it takes to prepare.
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