We hardly ever get Chinese take-out. But when we do, I always lean towards the sweeter meals, like Sweet & Sour Chicken. It’s so much cheaper to make this at home than it is to order take-out. It is much healthier too, I’m sure. While it is still not low-fat by any means, it is still better than the fried version from the restaurant.
My family inhaled this meal! The chicken is cut into small, bite sized pieces and is perfectly moist and exploding with flavor. It is not too sweet. I have made versions of this meal in the past that is just too sweet. This meal, has just the right amount of sweetness but it wasn’t too tart and sour for my little kids. They thought it was great! The dish was cleared of the chicken in no time! Please don’t think this meal is too difficult to make at home. While it may have several steps, they are quite easy. Your family will be amazed at how you can make Chinese take-out at home!
- 3-4 boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 large ones)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons ketchup
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- cooked rice, for serving
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut the chicken breasts into small, bite-sized cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a pie plate or similarly shallow bowl, add cornstarch. In another pie plate, add the beaten eggs.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the cornstarch and then dip into the eggs. Set aside.
- In a large pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken, in batches as needed. Brown the chicken. You are only browning, not cooking the chicken.
- Place chicken in a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt. Stir to combine and pour over the chicken evenly.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring ever 15 minutes.
- Serve over rice
Recipe Source: Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous
Linked to: Chef-in-Training, Buns in my Oven, Weekend Potluck and Mom on Timeout
Does anyone have any idea how much sugar this recipe calls for? It mention it is not too sweet or not sweet enough a sin perfectly balanced, but no sugar is even listed. I tried email inquiry but no reply yet.
Oops! Thanks for catching that! I have updated the recipe to show the amount of sugar, 3/4 cup.