Fake Out Take Out Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love Chinese food, however, I feel less than great after getting takeout, even if I ask for no MSG. So the only chance I have to enjoy comes from my own kitchen. I was searching for a stir fry recipe, but came across this one for Sweet and Sour Chicken. I've made that dish/different recipe several times, but something was always "off" with the sauce, so I decided to give Sweet and Sour Chicken one more chance, if it didn't work out, it's back to using the store bought bottle kind from now on.

Wow - this was great, I've found my favorite Sweet & Sour recipe. Now, granted it's not a "healthy" recipe, but neither is the kind from take out. I paired it with thinly sliced onions, red pepper, carrots and broccoli florets that were stir fried with some soy sauce, sesame oil and minced garlic, all served over rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
found on Cooking This and That, from My Kitchen Cafe

Makes 4 servings

Chicken:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:

¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stove top. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

* After about 55 minutes, I removed the lid, turned the broiler on, and cooked the chicken for 5 minutes, turning once. The sauce thickened, became a glaze and the chicken got slight crispy. It was perfect, I didn't need to cook any additional sauce.