Sweet and Sour Chicken
Summer is full of ripe fruits and vegetables. Yellow bell peppers are as bright as the sun. Orange peppers are brilliant in color, and sweet red peppers are deep in color while bursting with flavor. An abundance of sweet bell peppers are combined with juicy ripe pineapple for a light satisfying dinner. Inspiration from the far east, or at least the local American Chinese restaurant, brought me to create this recipe. I replaced the usually deep fried chicken, with sautéed boneless skinless chicken breasts. And then I added colorful sweet bell peppers to add to nutrition and flavor. The sweetness of the peppers and pineapples balances the slightly sour sauce beautifully. The sweet and sour sauce is also flavored with garlic and ginger, and contains less sugar than most recipes. I serve this over white rice that has been cooked in onions, garlic, and chicken stock.
Yield: serves 4
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
1 lb fresh pineapple
1 green Bell Pepper, chopped 1 inch size pieces
1 red pepper, chopped 1 inch size pieces
1 yellow pepper, chopped 1 inch size pieces
1 orange pepper, chopped 1 inch size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Cooked white or brown rice
For the sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves Garlic, grated
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup water
A few drops of red food dye, optional
Directions:
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Add salt and pepper. Then saute in olive oil. Cook all chicken until golden brown.
Add vegetables to the pan. Add the pineapple. Do not overcook the vegetables. Add the chicken stock to a separate sauce pan.
Then add the ketchup, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Let this simmer for 3 -5 minutes, and then add the dissolved cornstarch in water to the sauce. Stir and simmer until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken, peppers and pineapple.
Serve on cooked white or brown rice. Enjoy!