Restaurant Style Sweet and Sour Chicken

So sweet and sour chicken is my husbands absolute favorite chinese food meal He loves it and its the dish that he orders to judge the quality of any chinese food joint. There is this place back home in Lincoln Nebraska that is the best chinese food we both have ever had. And every new place we try is measured against them. Well, my husband said this meal brought him back to Fortune Palace and he wants me to make it once a month.

I found the premise for this recipe on AllRecipes. But I made so many changes that I felt I had to blog it .
This recipe isn't difficult, but it does take a little bit of time. I would recommend setting aside about a hour to really complete it.

You could easily substitute the veggies for a bag of stir fry mix to cut down on some prep time. Just steam or cook as directed on the bag

You could easily do this with chunks of pork as well.

I suggest having a cooking rack over a baking sheet and keeping it in a 200 degree oven to place the chicken that has been fried so it stays warm and crisp. You can also put the veggies on a tray on the bottom to keep it warm as well.

Alternatively, you could fry this up earlier in the day (nap time, anyone?) and reheat on a rack over a cookie sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. They reheat very well. You can freeze any extras and do the same. The leftover chicken also makes EXCELLENT chicken nuggets for kids. Delish.

I suggest serving this with rice cooked in chicken broth. You could do some fried rice if you are feeling extra ambitious! 

I preferred to not use food coloring to give the sauce its signature orange pink look. It does result in a odd opaque white look, which may not be for everyone. Feel free to add a couple drops of orange food coloring if you desire. I might invest in some natural dyes or even try a slight pinch of turmeric. I actually think that would work very well. Not too much though.

I would add the sauce to each serving as its dished up so the chicken stays crisp. Also, you don't want to have the "eye is bigger than the stomach" syndrome and have a bunch of soggy leftovers.

With all that being said, lets begin. I really suggest reading the recipe in full before hand to get the steps in mind. Its a lot of steps, but its simple. And the results are worth it.

Restaurant Style Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

For the veggies:
2 green bell peppers, diced into 1 inch squares
1 large onion, diced into 1 inch squares
2 carrots, peeled and cut into very thin rings
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (optional. We had it to use up)

For the sauce:
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks and juice (remove chunks and set aside)
1/2 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cup water, divided
1/4 cup cornstarch
food coloring (if desired)

For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Batter:
2 1/4 cups self rising flour (or add 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour)
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil (of choice. coconut, olive, canola/veg)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (You can use water if you want. I think the broth added something)

Oil:
Enough to put 1 inch of oil in your pan. Use a smaller pan if needed, and do in batches. I used a jar of coconut oil. Maybe 14 oz or so? You can use peanut if you want, or even vegetable oil if you must (I'm not a fan, personally.) You can use coconut oil several times over if you strain it.

Instructions:
Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Pat dry and lay on  a platter. Salt and pepper liberally and then sprinkle with garlic and onion powder. Rub it around and make sure its well coated. Let sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to take the chill off and let the flavor meld.

Meanwhile,
For the veggies, steam in a pot for maybe 5 minutes, until softened. If you don't have a steamer insert, you can lightly boil, or even sauté for a few minutes. Keep warm in 200 degree oven while frying.

I would start the rice at this point if you are boiling up some rice.

In a saucepan over medium, stir together the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, and 1 1/2 cup water. Heat until boiling. While heating, whisk together the 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup cornstarch (and food coloring, if desired). Once boiling, turn off heat and add in the cornstarch mixture. Stir well until it thickens (it was very quick for me). Keep warm.

Start the oil in a frying pan on one notch above medium heat until it reaches 350-360 degrees or so. No thermometer? Use a wooden spoon.

While the oil is heating, whisk together the dry ingredients for the batter. Add the oil, egg, and water/broth. Mix, but don't over mix, until combined and like a thick pancake batter.

Add the chicken to that bowl and coat stir until well coated.

Carefully add bits of chicken to the pan. Don't over crowd the pan or do too many at once. This will be several batches. Cook a few minutes and flip with tongs. They cook fast, but it doesn't hurt to sacrifice one nugget to make sure the chicken is getting done in the middle, just to be safe. Put the cooked chicken on a rack in the oven to keep warm while you finish the rest.

To serve, dish up the rice, veggies, some of the reserved pineapple and chicken. Drizzle the sauce generously over it all and enjoy the amazing meal you pulled off.

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

I found myself with a limited grocery budget, a need to get creative with some pantry staples, and a desire to not heat up the kitchen. This was the result. With some frozen stock (or cans of cream of chicken/mushroom if you prefer), some frozen chicken and broccoli, and some rice, you are there.

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

3 chicken breasts (I had bone in and just saved the bone for stock later)
1 can of cream of mushroom (I LOVE this brand when I can't make my own)
1 can  cream of chicken (I always make my own, but you can use the above brand as well. Or Campbell's, of course.
1 pound (give or take) frozen broccoli(toss it in the fridge while the crockpot is going, if you remember)
3/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Rice:
2 cups dried rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt


Throw the chicken in the crock pot with the creams of soups. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6. If going for "low", and you have the time, put on high for 30ish minutes and turn to low. Just gets things going faster.

Once the time has past, remove the chicken to a plate. Cut/break the chicken into a few smaller pieces and let cool for for a few minutes until you can handle it. Turn crock pot on high and add the broccoli and sour cream/yogurt. Cover. Shred chicken and add back to crock pot. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through. Should be good by the time the rice is done

Cook rice in rice cooker or on stove per cooking instructions (Yes, I add less liquid. Its my preference. Do what you want there)

Dish up some rice and top with chicken and broccoli mixture. You could always sprinkle on some cheddar cheese if you desire.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Over Rice

Pretty much anything with bell peppers and onions makes me happy. Such a delicious combo and I just think about it for days before and after I make it. Yes, I am a foodie freak. I can't help it.

This is a pretty simple recipe, and can be tweaked a few different ways depending on your tastes or what you have on hand. I have made this with kielbasa, Target chicken sausage with garlic and spinach (a fav around here) and with Aidells sweet italian chicken sausage. Really, any precooked sausage would work here. Go with what speaks to you. Or is on sale.

You could make this over quinoa instead of rice if you prefer.

I strongly recommend making the rice/quinoa with broth. It really adds flavor and nutrients for minimal effort. If you aren't making it yourself yet, you should try. Pretty easy and incredibly frugal.

I can make this meal with 1 package of sausage and 2 bell peppers and a onion. And it makes JUST enough for 1 meal for my family of 4. So I double it, so we can have seconds and some leftovers. This recipe is for my doubled version. It reheats well.

Feel free to morph this to your own tastes. Add basil if you want, or italian seasoning. Mince some garlic, or add some tomato paste. Whatever flies up your skirt, or compliments the sausage you have.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Over Rice

2 packages cooked sausage of choice, sliced into 1-1.5 inch rounds
4-5 bell peppers (whatever colors you want) sliced thinly
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp worchestershire
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a few shakes hot sauce
salt and pepper
1.5 cups chicken stock
parmesan for topping, if desired

Rice:
2.5 cups rice
3.75 cups broth (I prefer a ratio of 1:1.5 rice:liquid, but if you prefer 1:2, by all means, add more broth)
2 tsp salt (less if you use salted bought broth)

Cook in rice cooker or per bag instructions (I never make on the stove, so your guess is as good as mine, honestly)

Get your rice started.

While its cooking, heat a large skillet over medium. Add the butter and sausage. Cook until sausage is warmed up and butter is flavored. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate.

Add the peppers and onions to the butter and cook until softened. About 10 minutes. Add the sausage, worchestershire, balsamic, hot sauce, and stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more sauces if you desire. Simmer on med low until rice is done.

Dish up a bowl of rice and top with peppers and veggies and spoon sauce over rice.

One Pot Lasagna

This is a great weeknight dish with a lot of flavor and comfort. Enjoy!

One Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet italian sausage, crumbled (taken out of casings, if applicable)
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp italian seasonings (or a bit of onion and garlic powder, dried basil, parsley, oregano)
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1.5-2 cups broth (beef or chicken)
1 8oz package no boil lasagna noodles, broken up.
1.5 cup ricotta cheese

In a large skillet over medium, brown the sausage until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid.

Add onion and cook a couple minutes. Add bell peppers and seasonings. Cook 5 minutes or so.

Add the sausage back along with the crushed tomatoes. Add the noodles and stir around. Add enough broth to just cover the noodles. Simmer 10 minutes or so, until noodles are done. Add more broth if needed.

Check seasonings (salt) and serve with a few dollops of ricotta

Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Turkey Meatballs

I came across a similar recipe to this and have made it enough times I have tweaked it to become my own. They are DELICIOUS. Fast. You could very easily double or quadruple this recipe and freeze it. They are healthy with the turkey, and pair easily with a marinara, alfredo, vodka, or red bell pepper sauce over pasta. Or however else you eat desire to eat meatballs.

You could use other ground meats, or eliminate the spinach if you desire.

Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (I use panko)
1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan/asiago/romano or any combo thereof.
1 egg
4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, patted dry and diced.
1 tbsp sun dried tomato oil
1/2 cup frozen spinach (maybe 1/3rd of a package? I eyeballed it, sorry) thawed, drained, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp dried minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp fresh chopped or 1 tsp dried basil and/or parsley, if desired
3/4 lb ground turkey

Preheat oven to 350

Set the turkey aside and mix all the other ingredients well. Mix the turkey in with your hands and form into approximately 20 walnut sized meatballs. Place on a baking dish and cook 25-28 minutes, turning halfway.

Monterey Chicken

I have seen this meal pop up in conversation several times, so I decided to look it up and make it. Super easy pantry meal, super yummy, and very simple.

Monterey Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce (I have used home made or Sweet Baby Rays)
1 can rotel, drained (save the liquid)
1 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
4 slices crisp bacon, crumbed
3 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Take turns placing a breast in a freezer bag and hammer it out so its all the same thickness. It doesn't have to be super thin and flat, but just flatted the thickest parts so they are even with the rest and will cook evenly. I use a rolling pin.

If the bag is still usable, place all the chicken breasts in the bag and add 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, the rotel liquid, the dijon, and the worcestershire sauce. Seal with the air removed and smush around to evenly coat. Let marinade 1 hour at least, or overnight if possible. No more than 24 hours

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in a baking pan and cover with foil. Cook 30-40 minutes, until done.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix the remaining BBQ sauce and rotel pieces together. Top chicken with rotel mixture and cheese. Put back in oven for a couple minutes until melted. Top with bacon and green onions

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Husb and I were wanting to spice up our homemade pizza night and decided to go with a nod to spinach and artichoke dip. This turned out just as delicious as it sounds.  This time we took advantage of the grocery store bagged dough.

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough, par baked until just starting to lightly brown
olive oil
1 5- 6oz package of fresh baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion or large shallot, fine diced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 oz cream cheese
4 oz mozzarella pearls (or fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes)

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat up a large skillet over medium. Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom and add the onion and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the spinach and artichokes and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until wilted, stirring often, 3-4 minutes.

Drizzle par baked crust with olive oil and spread the spinach and artichoke mixture on the top. Pinch off pieces of cream cheese and distribute evenly along with the mozzarella cheese.

Place on a pizza stone or baking sheet and cook around 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.