Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have been holding onto this recipe for a long, long time but just never made it.  I guess I had that thickly-breaded and deep-fried clumps of questionable chicken drowned in a grossly artificially-colored too-sweet sauce found in most Chinese restaurants.  But I had held onto for some reason and, looking for a quick and easy dinner to make for myself last night, decided to take the plunge and give it a try.

What a mistake to wait this long!!!!  This is delicious.  And it really is quite easy, not messy, and much, much healthier than most you would find outside of your own kitchen.

A Note:  If you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients.  Pour half over the chicken and follow the recipe instructions; pour the other half in a small saucepan and cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens.  Serve it on the side of the chicken.

SWEET and SOUR CHICKEN (Serves 4-5)

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
S&P
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Cooked rice

Preheat oven to 325F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1" pieces.  Season with S&P.  Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag.  Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken.  Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie pan.  Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.  Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through.  Place in a single layer in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish.  Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce.  Serve over hot, steamed rice.