Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork

Whenever I eat at a Chinese restaurant I usually end up getting Sweet and Sour Chicken, at least at the buffet's or restaurants of questionable quality. It's usually safe (at least I think so) and most people can get it so it at least tastes pretty good. I've experimented with making sweet and sour chicken before and I've come up with some pretty good variations but never anything that was just amazing, especially with the sauce.


I was browsing through the food blogging world and came across a recipe that looked like a winner from a blog called Recipe Indulgence and since we had a large chunk of pork in the freezer I decided to give it a shot. What I liked about it was that it quickly fry's the chicken first and then finishes it off in the oven. I liked this because the key to a good sweet and sour chicken is to have it nice and tender and not overcooked. I thought the baking would help ensure that it didn't overcook, especially because you cook it right in the sauce.

This was probably one of my favorites for sweet and sour that I have ever had and although I think it would be even better with chicken, the pork turned out very nicely too. I don't know what it is but I just like the texture of chicken better when it is cubed and cooked like this.

I did double the recipe for her sauce and would definitely keep it in the proportions I give below. You can never have too much sauce and it's great on the rice. I also recommend cubing your chicken or pork when it is slightly frozen. It helps keep a nice shape and you can get more consistent sizes when you do it that way. I'll definitely be using this recipe again, the kids even asked for it the next night (I did tell them they were chicken nuggets, so that helped).

Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork
adapted from Recipe Indulgence

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and Pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups sugar

8 tbsp ketchup

1 cup vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1.  Cut chicken into chunks and season with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in cornstarch and then egg.

2.  Fry chicken in oil until brown, but not cooked through.

3.  Place in a single layer in a baking dish.

4.  Mix sauce ingredients and pour over chicken.

5.  Bake for one hour at 325 F, turning chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated.  Serve over rice.