Sweet & Sour Chicken w/ Fried Rice

The post title says it all. I came across this recipe on Pinterest. It was pinned from Life as a Lofthouse. If you haven't visited Holly's blog you should! It is full of delicious looking recipes. I made this one a couple months ago. It was very good, but I thought I'd tweak it a bit to make it look and taste more like authentic Chinese take-out. Mission accomplished!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The extras:
1/2 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1 small onion, cut into large chunks
1 can pineapple chunks, drained

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

Juice from drained pineapple chunks. 

• Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Yes, only 325!!  

• Cut chicken into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip into the cornstarch to coat. Then dip into the eggs. (It will look kind of gross, but don't worry it'll taste great!)
• Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken into a well greased  9x13 baking dish. 
• Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. 
• Bake for 45 minutes. While it's baking turn the chicken every 15 minutes. 
• After 45 minutes mix in the "extras"; red pepper, onion and pineapple. Bake an additional 15 minutes. 

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

2 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs oil (I used canola.) 

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

4 - 5 green onions, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

• On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. 
• Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. 
• Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

*You could add any of your favorites to the fried rice; shrimp, ham, etc.

I am still amazed at how authentic this tastes. Everyone in our house, with the exception of Miss A, loved it! Miss E took some in her thermos for lunch the next day. The leftover chicken reheats very well, and it isn't soggy or slimy-ish. Yes, that's a real word. haha  Give this a try. It is much easier to prepare than you'd think. 

Happy cooking!! 

Sharing With:
How To Nest For Less
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Simply Klassic Home 
33 Shades of Green 
5 Days 5 Ways 
At The Picket Fence 
Serenity Now
Liz Marie Blog