Sweet and Sour Chicken
July 30th, 2007
Once again, friends, I must apologize for the lapse between posts. After blogging for well over a year now, I’m finding that I’m not making much that I haven’t already posted before! So, bear with me, keep checking in, I shall endeavor to do more experimenting in the kitchen! I plan to try making sesame sticks later this week and another version of granola bars.
My sister Sue asked recently if I’ve ever made my own pita chips for dipping and snacking - the answer is no. I do like Pita chips bought from the store and I do find them too expensive, so I don’t buy them regularly. I think making them yourself would be similar to making croûtons - lots of oil or butter, your favorite seasonings - (can anyone say garlic?!) - and a slow toasting in the oven. (Oops - I just realized I have never taught you how to make your own salad croûtons, there I have a post for tomorrow already!) However, the difference is that I would have to buy pita bread or figure out how to make it, in order to make pita chips. On the other hand, to make croûtons, all I have to do is save regular old bread heels. Unfortunately, I cannot dip my croûtons in hummus, cheese dip, salsa, etc. — so you might have something there, Sue.
For today’s recipe - we’ll do a little Chinese stir-fry idea that I whipped up yesterday following church.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
3 c. leftover cooked rice
2 chicken breast halves
2 T. cornstarch
1 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can baby corn
1 c. pineapple chunks
1/2 c. green pepper
Sweet and Sour sauce - just buy a bottle from the store.
There are a few things to note here: One, the rice will fry up much better if it is leftover. Fresh rice is not sticky enough. I cooked the rice in the morning before church, refrigerated it for 2-3 hours, and used it for lunch. That worked just fine, or it can be 2-3 days old, too. Two, if you have a choosy family, you can keep all of the components of this meal separate, and let everyone decide how much of each part they want on their plate. I have at least one child who doesn’t like rice, one who doesn’t like some types of meat, and a couple who wish vegetables would vanish off the face of the earth. Three, tossing the chicken with cornstarch helps keep the chicken tender and juicy and you can use this method anytime you are frying small bits of chicken breast.
Okay, for the instructions. Pour a liberal amount of oil in the bottom of a skillet and heat on medium-high. Cut the chicken into small ‘nuggets’, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt and cornstarch. Toss. Next, once the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir it around a bit. If it’s sticking, add more oil. While the chicken cooks, do the same with the vegetables (skip the cornstarch and salt bit, though.) Saute the veggies in oil. I usually start with the carrots, as they take the longest to cook, then add them in one at a time, depending on how long they will take to soften. Carrots, celery, pepper and onion, peas, then the canned items. By the way, use whatever vegetables you like here. My recipe yesterday didn’t even include the pineapple, which is a classic sweet and sour ingredient, because my husband doesn’t like cooked pineapple.
Ooh - I am getting rather long-winded here. Let me finish up. Okay, so your chicken should be browning nicely, and the vegetables are somewhere between soft and crisp. Add a little bit of the sweet and sour sauce to the vegetables, give them a stir, and remove to a serving bowl. Add a tiny bit of oil to that skillet and add the rice. Stir and Fry. Stir. Fry. Get it? Ha! Anyway, the idea here is to add a little flavor and to heat up your rice. Remove the chicken and drain on a paper towel, place the rice in a serving bowl, and you are good to go.
Or, toss it all together in a super large bowl and holler for the troops to come to the table.
EnJOY!
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