If you’ve never made Chinese food, or in this case Americanized Chinese food, no longer fear, this recipe will make you feel like you can bravely take on any of this cuisine’s recipes. This weekend I made sweet and sour chicken–always one of my staple orders when eating out at a Chinese restaurant. This version is mainly baked after a quick flash-fry in the wok and can be reheated the next day in a frypan.

Make sure your wok or frypan is very hot before you put the chicken in or else it won’t get crispy. The sauce was so simple and quick and smelled just like it does in a Chinese restaurant. It turned out crispy but didn’t taste as battered as it sometimes does when you eat out, which made it seem a little bit healthier. The sauce was absolutely perfect and there was no need to make additional as turning the chicken once during baking, and once again when plating it, left every piece perfectly coated. I sprinkled some white sesame seeds on top and served it with udon-style noodles and steamed snow peas and broccoli.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves: 2-3

From: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 large egg, beaten

Sauce:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate.

4. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.

5. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish.

6. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce.