younger kelly LOVED herself some sweet and sour chicken.
i mean in reality, is there an american adolescent that doesn’t love it!? it’s essentially chicken nuggets swimming in a sticky sauce! kids LOVE sticky stuff!
plus, another allure of the dish was that the sauce was pink.
pink sticky food that you can eat with sticks!?
sign my seven-year-old {who was most likely rocking purple velvet GAP overalls} self up!
although as i grew up, i started to become more interested in the more spicy options on the menu {like beef pepper steak, extra spicy, please! which by the way will be coming to the blog soon!}, sweet and sour chicken has never left my take-out heart.
since it’s definitely a nostalgic dish for me, my fingers ran to pinterest to find a copycat recipe!
because i just knew a grown-up take-out fake-out version had to live in the recipe archives here at kellys ambitious kitchen!
this version is SO delicious guys.
it was one of those kitchen moments that after i was done snapchatting {follow @kellymaurine} and photographing, i took one huge bite + instantly smiled ear to ear!
even i surprised me! it tasted JUST like the sticky + sweet chicken morsels i know + love so well!
the coolest part? i didn’t even miss the fried exterior that usually wraps around the dish. .
this dish totally faked me out! you got to try it! i promise it will fake you out too!
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ½ white or yellow onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water
- add all of the ingredients up to the cornstarch + water into a sauce pan. stir to combine.
- bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
- in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch + cold water until fully dissolved.
- once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch mixture {it’s called a slurry!} into the sauce pan. stir to combine + lower the heat to a simmer to thicken.
- heat a medium skillet over high heat. once hot, add in the oil.
- add the chicken pieces + corn starch to a ziplock bag {or any container with a lid!}, seal + shake to coat chicken.
- once the oil is hot in the pan, add the cornstarch-coated chicken + saute for 5 minutes.
- then, add the peppers + onions. continue to cook over medium heat until chicken is browned + cooked through.
- lastly, pour the sauce over the chicken + veggies, stir to coat well + serve hot over white rice {or whatever grain of choice!}. enjoy!
bell peppers of any color will work wonderfully in this recipe, so use whatever you have on hand! i would also suggest to try adding pineapple chunks, just like most restaurants do! you could even get crazy + add some cashews!
does chicken bore you? well, pork, shrimp or even tofu would make for an awesome protein swap!
while we do drop the calories from the original versions of this dish by pan-cooking the meat instead of deep frying, this dish is still pretty high in sugar. i’d love to hear in the comments what kind of drops you make to meet dietary restrictions!
i like to serve this sweet and sour chicken with a classic side of white rice, but any grain will do!
chinese food is the king of the leftover world! simply store in an airtight container + enjoy any time of the day!
big props to the super amazing blog, creme de la crumb, for the recipe! mine above is very slightly adapted from hers!
i made this recipe on my snap chat! check out the video below!
{and check out my snap chat account @kellymaurine for real-time recipe videos!}
join along as kelly posts, pins + peruses for inspiration in her ambitious kitchen!
yummmmmmmm…..looks delish!!!! can’t wait to try this!!!!