PDQ&E Sweet and Sour Chicken

I received an email newsletter from Allrecipes.com which featured a this sweet and sour sauce.  The ingredients are simple and ones we typically have on hand, so combined with the fact that we enjoy sweet and sour when we eat out, this recipe immediately caught my eye.

Yum, this was good!   The sauce is piquant, almost too sharp with the sweet and sour flavor (it makes me sneeze, smiles), but I know it's one that we'll be using often.

The recipe is for the sauce only, so how you use it, is up to you.  We often have bits of fresh vegetable left over, and, so this was an delicious way to use them up, plus give them a new interest; what you add and how much is left up to you.

For the sweet and sour chicken, I used two breasts, cut into generous bite-sized pieces, breaded.  Using a pan large enough that will eventually  hold the vegetables, chicken, and sauce, pan fry the chicken over medium heat until golden. Remove chicken from pan and set  chicken aside.

Wipe out the pan, place over heat, and add a little bit of oil.  Add your vegetables and cook until onions are translucent and peppers are crisp-tender.  I had half a green pepper,  half a red pepper, and half an onion. Carrots or celery cut on the diagonal might have been a nice addition, too.  I had some pineapple chunks, added those, too.

Add the chicken back to the vegetables, pour the prepared sauce over, and let it come to a gentle simmer for 3 or 4 minutes.  Serve hot.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Put all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture has thickened. If the sauce seems a little too thick, add more water. 

Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

This would be a terrific sauce for sweet and sour meatballs.