You know that mental list that pops into your head when you have absolutely NO IDEA what to cook for dinner?? I call it my "weeknight dinner 'go-to' list". For the most part I try to avoid having to GO TO it (for fear of it being horribly overused), but sometimes you find yourself facing an "hangry mob" [han-gry: Adj. - an anger induced by hunger] and desperation starts to set in.
When that happens...there are a few dinner ideas that I can "go-to" to save the day. "Breakfast for Dinner" has always been a life-saver in these situations...as has this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken. We actually had it TWICE this week. Once because I was faced with the "hangry mob" and the second time because No. 2 son requested it. It's simple, it's fairly quick, (it's naturally gluten-free), and I can ALMOST guarantee you have all the ingredients on hand right now.
I have to give a "shout-out" to my friend Jan Wurtz who gave me this recipe a couple of years ago. I remember asking her for the recipe after she'd mentioned it on Facebook. I made it several times and was RAVING about it myself on FB when she let me in on the secret of this recipe. She actually found it in a children's magazine, called "The Friend", many years ago, and thought it sounded easy, so she made it. lol. I love that story because it just goes to show that really GOOD recipes can come from the most unlikely sources. A lesson to all of us to always be open to the possibilities that life has to offer.
How do you like that? I managed to wax philosophical about Sweet and Sour Chicken! I'm better at this blogging thing than I thought..... ;-)
I hope you're hungry (not hangry!)...because this is a definite "must try" recipe.
Sweet and Sour Chicken - Jan Wurtz
6 boneless,skinless chicken breast halves (I cut mine up into "tenders" pieces)
2 eggs, beaten
cornstarch (naturally gluten-free) or flour
oil
Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 T soy sauce or worchestershire sauce
1/2 t. garlic powder (I used minced garlic from a jar)
Mix together in a bowl and set aside.
Dip chicken breasts in egg, then roll in cornstarch.
In a small amount of oil, fry the chicken until just browned on both sides.
Optional: put a layer of thinly sliced fresh lemon on the bottom of a lined baking sheet.
(This step isn't part of the original recipe, but something I started doing after
seeing it done when roasting SHRIMP. It gives it a little more tartness...which I love!)
Then placed the browned chicken on top of the lemon slices. Pour sauce over.
Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 50 minutes.
Turn the chicken pieces over once halfway through the cooking process
to ensure they are nice and covered in the sauce!
We like to serve it simply with white rice (but fried rice would be excellent as well!)
Sweet and Sour Chicken that's faster and healthier than take-out is today's.....
MMMmm this looks delicious! I use pineapple juice in my sweet and sour sauce recipes, Im definately going to give this one a go :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks good but I have a question. You say you put the chicken pieces on top of lemon slices because it gives "even MORE lemon flavor". More than what? I don't see any lemon in the recipe at all. Can you clarify this?
ReplyDeleteahhhh....you got me! I must have been thinking of my lemon chicken recipe when I wrote that. (which is very similar to this one). :-) Thanks for pointing this out. I updated the post above. I think what I was TRYING to say was that the lemon slices give it a bit more TART taste...which I am a major fan of! :-)
ReplyDeletePlease share your lemon chicken recipe:). Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so yummy... Though what kind of vinegar do you use... There are sooo many to choose from!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious. I wonder if you can use truvia or splenda in place of the sugar. To me, truvia has a citrus undertone, which might work well.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this, it looks absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try it. I am always looking for easy and quick chicken recipes with no unusual ingredients. All I would need to buy for this is a lemon!
ReplyDeleteHey! I just wanted to let you know, that if you substitute the ketchup for hot wing sauce, it tastes absolutely amazing! (:
ReplyDeletei just made the sauce and it is to die for. I love sweet and sour sauce and this one is perfect. i am putting it over pork chops and cooking in the oven. i didn't have any eggs or oil, so we are substituting. i cant wait until they are done.
ReplyDeleteI just made this and it turned out great. I was working today, had breaded chicken fingers in the freezer to use up. Made the sauce, used the lemons, rice in the rice-cooker and viola supper :)
ReplyDeleteWow...some more great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteKarenOT...I will dig out the Lemon chicken recipe just for you. :-)
ReplyDeletethriftynut...I used regular white vinegar...but I have also used Red Wine vinegar which is excellent in this. :-)
Made this tonight and it was a big hit.....thanks:)
ReplyDeleteHi Jill! When you say you substituted garlic powder for minced garlic, did you still use 1/2 tespoon of the minced garlic? I've always been told they aren't created equal, so I'm just making sure! Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteKarenOT...wonderful! you are welcome! (I haven't forgotten about the Lemon Chicken recipe!) :-)
ReplyDeleteAnony...good question....I probably used about 1 tsp (maybe a little more) of the minced stuff from the jar. It's not as concentrated as the powder. :-)
I made these yesterday..Awesome! I added sesame seeds to the sauce..skipped the lemon,didnt have any on hand. The grandkids loved too! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteJust made this for dinner. My family LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteI made this yesterday for dinner and my gosh! it was super tasty! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with me(us) lol. Had my mother in law "stumped" with the flavor of the sauce LOL
ReplyDelete