I love the idea of getting the “restaurant” food I’m craving without having to spend a fortune to get it. Now, mind you, I know Chinese take out doesn’t exactly break the bank but that’s not the point! In our house, its money we could put towards something else a little more important (like the holy cow when are we going to get a dishwasher fund). Not to mention, making your own take out food is SO much better for you and last but not least…This tastes better! 🙂
This recipe was given to me by a friend of mine several years ago. We’ve adapted the recipe to suit our tastes, but couldn’t tell you where the original recipe came from! Either way, it is delicious and should be tried as soon as you can get your hands on some chopsticks (or a fork, I won’t tell).

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Serves 3-4

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( you could also use thighs)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups corn starch
4 large eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups Canola Oil (or vegetable oil)

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Turn broiler on low
Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl, set aside.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. ( I used to use a Wok, but found that my chicken never stayed crispy!)
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Test the oil to make sure that it is ready to fry and then fry all chicken in several batches. In my pan it took about 3 large batches. Turn the chicken frequently to prevent burning. Chicken should be golden brown ( about 3 minutes total, each stove is different). After each batch of chicken is fried, put on a large sheet pan and put it on the bottom rack of the oven to keep crispy and warm while the other batches are being fried. You could also do this entire step in a deep fryer, transferring to the oven as each batch is done.

Once all chicken is fried, clean out all the extra oil from the skillet. Add the chicken back to the pan and add the sauce, but only start with half of it. You will make it soggy if you put it all at once. Do not be alarmed at the strong smell of the sauce! You are smelling the vinegar and it is really strong but that is the sour in sweet and sour! Don’t worry though, it will taste heavenly. Continue to toss on a high heat until the chicken starts to become slightly dark and sticky. Add the remaining sauce to your liking. Serve over white rice.

Enjoy!