Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sorry this is so long, but it's just cut and paste from my recipe file. It's really good and cooks really fast. Just make sure that you have all of your ingredients out and ready to go. Did I mention that it's also pretty healthy and really tasty???

**Note** This recipe is printed exactly how it was in the Idaho Statesman. Instead of 2 pounds of meat, I just used either 3 pork chops (1" thick) or 3 chicken breasts.

Sweet & Sour Pork
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Makes 6 servings

2 medium carrot, cut into thick oblongs
4 Tbsp cornstarch, divided
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds lean pork chops, fat trimmed and cut into bite-sized cubes
4 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided
1 large onion, cubed
1 each green and red pepper, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup pineapple chunks
Sauce:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Place the carrots in a medium saucepan. Ad 1/2 inch of water, cover and set aside.

In a large plastic ziploc bag, combine 3 Tbsp of cornstarch and the black pepper. Add the pork cubes, close the bag and shake to coat evenly. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp sesame oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork, in batches if necessary, and saute, turning frequently, until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Return the skillet to the heat and add remaining oil, then the onion and both peppers. Saute until tender, about 6 minutes.

While the onions and peppers cook, bring the saucepan with carrots to a boil over high heat. Once they reach a boil, turn off the heat and set aside, covered.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger and 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Add the sauce to the skillet and heat, stirring often, until it thickens, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add the pork, carrots and pineapple and toss to coat. Simmer until heated through.

Serve over warm rice.

I have THE BEST recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken. It is not the traditional sweet and sour with the red sauce, but I promise that you will not be disappointed! I have shared this recipe with many of my friends and have recieved many "Wow that was good!" phone calls. You should really try it!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1 ½ green bell peppers, diced
¼ c. soy sauce
1 c. chopped celery
½ c. vinegar
1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts
¾ c. brown sugar
1 ½ lb. cooked chicken, cut into strips
¼ c. flour

Drain pineapple, and reserve juice. In a large saucepan over medium low heat, blend reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Mix in flour and stir until thickened. Stir in bell peppers, celery, and drained water chestnuts into the saucepan. Mix in chicken. Cook and stir until heated through. Stir in the pineapple chunks before serving.
* The last time I made this I also added about 1/2 c. of shredded carrots. They were a great addition.

So simple, but my family really eats it up. I cube 3-4 chicken breasts, and cut up an onion and green pepper. I coat the chicken in flour then cook it in a little oil until done, then add the onion and green pepper. Let that cook for a minute or two to desired tenderness (you can really add whatever veggies you prefer). The sauce is the simple part:

1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup ketchup

Thats it. mix the 3 together then stir into the chicken along with a can of drained pineapple chunks and allow to cook for a minute then serve over rice. Double the sauce if you prefer lots. It's just basic, but it's so easy to throw together at the last minute. It's usually done before the rice is finished cooking. With 2 little ones, there's not always a lot of time for cooking. Good Luck!

This one isn't fancy, but it's quick and tasty. Put two jars of sweet and sour sauce and some cubed chicken (I buy already cubed chicken - about one pound) in a crock pot and cook it `till it's done. Serve over rice. Like I said, nothing fancy, but it's easy and tastes good.