Hey everyone, today I want to share a recipe that is very near and dear to me. When I was little, my grandma lived with us. She had always made this delicious meal that I now make for my family–Sweet and Sour Chicken. The origins of sweet and sour chicken date back to the 18th century or possibly even earlier in China. Luckily for all of us, immigrants brought their recipes with them when they came to the United States. It is now one of the most popular Chinese dishes in the U.S. I prefer sweet and sour chicken over sweet and sour pork because chicken is so much more tender. Pork tends to get hard and dried out, which has been my experience when trying the pork version in most Chinese restaurants. The great thing about this dish is that it’s easy to make and you can easily feed a huge group or just a small family. It can be prepped ahead of time and finished off in the oven, which makes it great for parties.
Now growing up, I would come home from school and as I walked through the door I would get hit in the face with the wonderfully sweet vinegar scent of sweet and sour. It is one of my favorite memories growing up. I am not sure where my grandma got the original recipe–probably either the Joy of Cooking cookbook or the Better Homes cookbook. Either way, this recipe is so amazing. She always used wings or thighs, but I personally like to use chicken tenders. They don’t take as long to cook and you don’t have to bother with the bones. The coating for the chicken is not what you’d expect! You dredge the chicken in egg and then in seasoned corn starch. Seems a bit odd, but it gives a great crunch factor to the chicken as well as thickening the sauce as the dish cooks in the oven. My grandma’s original recipe doesn’t call for veggies, but I like to add onions, bell peppers, and pineapple to make the dish more like what you’d get at your favorite Chinese restaurant. She would always serve it with this special rice, curry rice, which I will cover in my next post. But for now, I hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe as much as my family and I have for decades!
