weeknight supper

Mondays and Tuesdays are busy days for me, as I’m babysitting my seven-month-old grandson until the of June. Once the little guy is picked up around 3:30, grandma needs to get her second wind and get supper on the table.
 
My husband found a recipe from the website Joyous Apron for Sweet and Sour Chicken. The total time to prepare this recipe is 45 minutes, which is perfect for me. 

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​For the chicken portion of the recipe, you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, corn starch, flour, salt, an egg, vegetable oil, onions, bell peppers and pineapple pieces. The sweet and sour sauce is made with ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, fresh garlic and optional sesame oil.
 
The stir fry was very good. The balance of flavors in the sauce was perfect. From a presentation side, I should have opted for both red and green peppers to give more of a pop when taking the picture. Also, I cut the peppers into 1-inch, same as the chicken. Overall, perfect quick meal.

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​Sweet and Sour Chicken
Recipe by Joyous Apron
 
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 3 people
 
Ingredients
1 lbs. chicken breast boneless, skinless
1/3 cup corn starch*
1/3 cup flour*
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
vegetable oil
1 cup onions sliced*
1 cup bell peppers sliced*
1 cup pineapple pieces*
​Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp.  soy sauce
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sesame oil optional
 
Instructions

1. Cut chicken into ~1-inch pieces. Pat dry.
2. In a flat plate or bowl, combine flour, corn flour and salt. In a bowl, whisk egg.
3. Add chicken to egg mixture. Mix to coat well. Then coat each piece of chicken with flour mixture.
4. Heat up large skillet with vegetable oil. Make sure there is a thin layer of oil covering the entire surface of the skillet.
5. Once oil is heated up, add chicken pieces to skillet. Do not overlap or overcrowd skillet; cook in two (or three) batches if necessary. Cook under medium heat and cover if necessary,
6. Flip chicken over once one side is cooked. Cover again if necessary. Do not overcook chicken. Chicken is cooked once internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
7. If skillet has a lot of burned flour pieces from cooking the chicken, use a paper towel to remove/wipe it off before proceeding.
8. Heat skillet and add more vegetable oil if necessary (we don’t need a lot for this). Once oil is heated, add bell peppers and onions to skillet and stir fry for ~1 minute under medium heat. Do not overcook the vegetables. The goal is to slightly soften the vegetables so it is not completely raw. Remove promptly.
9. Add sauce ingredients to skillet, stir and let it come to a boil. Lower heat and let it simmer for a minute or so, or until sauce thickens slightly.
10. Bring cooked chicken, cooked bell peppers, cooked onions, and pineapple pieces back to skillet. Toss chicken and veggies with sauce. Remove from heat promptly.
11. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

 
Donna’s Notes:
 
I would suggest using ¼ cup of corn starch and flour as I found 1/3-cup of each was more than what was needed.
 
If you visit Joyous Apron’s website, you’ll see in the pictures posted that  both the vegetables and chicken we cut similarly into 1-inch pieces. Also, both red and green peppers makes for a prettier presentation.

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