baked sweet & sour chicken.

yes, that's right.  i actually made sweet & sour chicken.

don't let me lead you astray - it's baked.  but it's not healthy.  you totally pan fry it before baking it.  but that whole "baked" thing makes me feel better about it.

so let's keep calling it baked & then we can all make it.  because it's really good.  & making food that is fried is not bad every once in awhile.  enjoy your baked {but fried too} sweet & sour chicken & enjoy every single bite!

{did you like that very abbreviated version of my father's favorite moderation lecture?  as it turns out, maybe he had a good point.}

baked sweet & sour chicken

found on: pinterest

originally posted on: life as a lofthouse

{i followed the directions exactly, as i had no idea how to prior to reading this post}

chicken portion:

3 chicken breasts

salt & pepper

1 c cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c canola oil

sweet & sour sauce:

{did you have any idea you could just make sweet & sour sauce?

& that there are only 5 ingredients.

& that you probably have all 5 of them in your house??

life changing.}

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c ketchup

1/2 c white vinegar

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

1. rinse your chicken in water & cut into bite size pieces.  season with salt & pepper.  dip the chicken first into cornstarch to coat completely & second into dipped eggs.  this gets messy, by the way.  so if you are like me & have a dirty hands phobia, go with gloves!

2.  how to fry food:  heat the oil in a big skillet {or le creuset dutch oven!} over medium high heat.  make sure the oil is hot before you put the chicken in.  & definitely fry the chicken in batches!  you want some space between chicken bites.  so carefully drop the chicken bites in the hot oil & cook until browned but not cook through.  repeat this process until all of your chicken is browned.

3.  place all of that partially fried chicken on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.  mix all of your sweet & sour sauce ingredients & whisk until combined.  it's that easy!  pour the sauce over your chicken & stir until completely coated.  {by the way, if you are thinking you will want more sauce for your chicken after it's baked, you can make more.  but i bet you wont.  it's way good without extra sauce.}

4.  bake at 350 for about an hour, stirring in the chicken every 15 minutes.  {by the way, mine needed a little extra crisp after the hour, so i broiled it on low for a few minutes.}

we ate our "baked" sweet & sour chicken with a fried rice that kind of followed the recipe also on that site.  no eggs.  onions & carrots & celery for the veggies.  it's pretty delicious!  & we added sautéed spinach too.  evoo, garlic, spinach, & salt over medium heat for a few minutes.  yum!!  & greens make everything better.  fact.

blake is still talking about this chicken.  & i made it last week.  huge hit.  maybe it's good to try new things every once in awhile.

love love,

kjp.