Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken*

September is a good time to think about buying in bulk, not just to build up our food storage, but because no one enjoys running to the grocery store on a cold winter’s afternoon to pick up that one missing item needed to make dinner.  We are so lucky to have the convenience of refrigeration and freezers—it makes you appreciate our great grandmothers, who fed large families from food they grew and stored themselves, without the benefit of our modern appliances.  We have no excuse not to buy and store food we will need this winter—and beyond—taking advantage of good prices and stocking up on the things we know our families will use in the months ahead.

I promised last week to include my recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I was hoping for a great sale on Chicken Breasts to go along with it, but I guess this isn’t a good week for chicken.  No doubt good prices on chicken breast will appear soon, and I think this is a recipe you will enjoy trying.

-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut into chunks)

-2 cups Swanson Chicken Broth

-1 and 1/3 cups sugar

-4 Tablespoons Cornstarch

-4 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

-½ cup Pineapple Juice (drained from pineapple)

-4 rounded Tablespoons Ketchup

-4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

-20 oz can Dole Pineapple Chunks (drained & save juice)

-2 Green Peppers (cut into strips)

-2 bunches Green Onion Tops (slice about 5” down on each onion and discard the rest)

-2/3 cup halved Maraschino Cherries

-Extra Cornstarch

-3 to 4 eggs

-First get the vegetables and fruits ready and set aside.  When you drain the pineapple,   save ½ cup of juice for the sauce. 

-In a large saucepan, make the sauce by mixing the cornstarch into the sugar, then whisking this into the chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice--then whisk in ketchup.  Bring to a boil and simmer 2 or 3 minutes until thickened.  Set aside.

-To prepare the chicken, cut each breast into 6 or 8 large chunks.  Place about ¾ cup or so cornstarch into a shallow bowl.  Beat 3 eggs and place in a second shallow bowl (you may need another egg if you run out). 

-In a large electric fry pan or large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons or so of vegetable oil.  Place chicken, egg, and cornstarch nearby.  When the grease is ready, dip each chicken chunk into cornstarch, coating well, then immerse in beaten egg (you could do this with a wooden skewer or other sharp object, tongs, or a fork).  PLEASE NOTE that you do the Cornstarch, THEN the egg.  This may seem backwards, but it’s right.  Place pieces one at a time immediately in hot oil.  If it isn’t hot enough, wait a minute before adding more chicken.  Get the pieces into the pan as quickly as you can, stopping after you are about half done if your pan is getting too full or if you need to start turning them.  Add a bit more oil if you need.  While the chicken is cooking, lightly salt and pepper, and shake the pan about to make sure the chicken isn’t sticking or the coating will fall off.  Go under it with a spatula if needed, but be careful not to break off the coating.  The pan has to be the right temp, and you have to start moving the chicken about so that it will not stick and will be easy to turn.  Once everything seems OK, add the rest of the chicken to the pan. Brown on all sides well, but it doesn’t have to be cooked completely through.  If there is any excess oil when you are done, drain off.

-In the same pan with the chicken, pour the sauce and add the green peppers.  Put lid on and simmer in sauce about 15 or 20 minutes until you are sure the chicken is fully cooked and the peppers are done.  Don’t stir unless you need to—you don’t want the chicken coating to fall off.   Cook at low heat as it will burn easily because of the sugar.  Then add the pineapple and cherries, sprinkling green onions on top.  Cover again for five minutes to heat the fruit and onion.  Serve over white rice.

Serves 6 to 8

About rice:  If you have a rice cooker hidden away in a cupboard somewhere that you’ve never used, this would be an excellent time to try it.  I have come to depend on mine for perfect rice every time that I can just turn on and forget about.  Of course you can make it the old fashioned way as well—I just really enjoy using my cooker for consistent results.

Also note—If you are tempted to leave the cherries (or other things) out of this recipe because you don’t think your family will like it, I urge you to use them anyway.  Those beautifully colored cherries really add a lot to the recipe and even if you think it seems weird, I think you’ll like them in this dish.  The components of the recipe look so lovely together and make a delicious combination, so try to use everything, and really fussy people can always pick things out if they must.

*Originally distributed September 2013