Sweet-N-Sour Chicken
Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 30 minutes
SAUCE:
1 ¾ cups water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup distilled white vinegar
juice from an 8oz can of pineapple slices
¼ cup cornstarch
***optional food coloring for sauce***
drop of Wilton® Christmas Red concentrated icing color
drop of Wilton® Yellow concentrated icing color
BATTER:
2 ¼ cup flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 egg
4 chicken breasts (about 1 pound) cut into 1 inch chunks
RICE:
1 cup basmati rice
1 can chicken broth
FRUIT and VEGGIES:
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8oz can pineapple slices cut up
1 pineapple (***optional to be used as bowl ***)
- Prepare the sauce: Put 1 ½ cup water, sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice in a 2 quart pan. Bring to a boil. Mix together cornstarch and ¼ cup water. Slowly add to pan. Stir continuously until thick. Optional -- Add one drop of red and one drop of yellow food coloring.
- Prepare the batter: Combine flour, oil, cornstarch, salt, pepper, egg in large mixing bowl. Mix at a high speed until it looks like a batter. Add chicken chunks to the bowl. Mix on a low speed setting until pieces are covered. In a large frying pan, fill to about 1/2 inch with vegetable oil. Heat the oil on HIGH. When oil is HOT, drop in the battered chicken pieces. Turn frequently.
- Prepare the rice: Combine rice and chicken broth in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from burner and leave covered for 5 more minutes.
- Prepare the veggies and fruit: Chop peppers into small pieces. Put oil and peppers in pan and make sure the peppers are coated. Cook for about 2 minutes or until desired crunchiness. Cut up pineapple slices from canned pineapple. To prepare the pineapple bowl - cut a pineapple down the center (requires a very sharp knife). Cut out the pineapple using a knife and a spoon remove all pineapple, put it aside.
- Layer the rice, then peppers, then cut up pineapple slices, then battered chicken. Drizzle sauce on top.