Sweet and Sour Chicken

I started going through my chicken recipes that I saved in my google reader when I realized that we've been eating a huge amount of pasta lately.  I found this recipe for sweet and sour chicken that I saved from Brown Eyed Baker.  I've said before that I think chinese food  has been he most difficult cuisine for me to try to recreate at home.  This recipe looked so easy so I thought why not give it a try.  As I was preparing it I was a little overwhelmed by the smell of the ketchup.  Did not seem or smell very asian to me.  Luckily it turned out great!  I have to be honest, it didn't really taste very asian to me but it was a great dinner.  I think that maybe by adding a different type of sauce (maybe even a orange marmalade) in place of half of the ketchup will give it more of an asian flavor.  Any ideas?  I definitely recommend this recipe though.  It was excellent!

Brown Eyed Baker's Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 1 hour

For the Chicken:

3-4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

For the Sauce:

¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar (preferably rice or white)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in egg and then coat with the cornstarch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides are browned.

4. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9×13 baking dish.

5. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated.

6. Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.