Hello Coping with Frugality readers! I’m April Harris and I share inspiration, tips and trends for anyone who loves food, cooking, entertaining, fashion, travel and the finer things in life at my blog The 21st Century Housewife. I specialize in easy and delicious recipes like the one I’m sharing today. I am really excited to be guest posting for Amanda while she is on maternity leave.
Love Sweet and Sour Chicken? I do too, but I don’t like the bright day-glow color of the sauce and the artificial flavorings in store bought and take away versions are often just too intense.
My Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken is different. Much milder but still incredibly flavorful, this version is better for you than ready made. It takes a bit more effort than your average stir-fry, but preparation is still only about half an hour if you get everything organized first.
A couple of tips:
Keep peeled root ginger in your freezer so you can grate it from frozen at a moment’s notice. In a pinch you can use half a teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
Raw cashews are better for you, but if all you have on hand is the roasted, salted variety, you can use those instead.
Be sure to use pasture raised, organic or other ethically sourced chicken breasts for the tastiest and healthiest results.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1½ cups long grain rice
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (sesame or mild olive work best)
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced
- 1 cup baby corn
- 1 cup snow peas
- ½ cup sliced scallions (spring onions)
- ½ cup cashews
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Break the egg into a bowl and beat lightly. In another bowl, stir together the flour, paprika and pepper.
- Dip each chicken breast in the beaten egg and then in the flour mixture. Lay the floured chicken breasts on the foil lined baking sheet and bake for half an hour, without turning, until an internal temperature of at least 165°F is reached or until no pink remains inside.
- Cook the rice according to package directions.
- Mix together the jam, cider vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. I like to shake these ingredients together in a clean jam jar. Set aside.
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and carefully slice it into bite size pieces. Keep warm.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium to high heat. Stir fry the carrots, red peppers and baby corn for about four minutes.
- Add the snow peas and scallions to the vegetable mixture in the frying pan or wok and stir fry for a further two to three minutes. Add the cooked chicken, most of the cashews (reserve a few for garnish) and the sauce. Stir to warm through.
- Serve the Sweet and Sour Chicken on a bed of rice. Garnish with the remaining cashews.
About Amanda
Twitter: apriljharris
says:
Thank you so much for the opportunity to guest post on your lovely blog!
My husband would love this! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m always wanting to try something new!