Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

This recipe is one that we use often at our house.  It is fairly healthy and a nice change to every day meals.  Prep and cook time for this one is a little more intensive though, so if you decide to try it, be sure you can devote your attention to it.  Otherwise, you will be like me and it will take 3 hours to get it done!  ;)

It is wonderful though and definitely worth the extra work!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:                                            The sweet and sour sauce:               3-4 boneless chicken breasts                                  3/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper                                                    4 tbs ketchup
1 cup cornstarch                                                  1/2 cup vinegar
2 eggs, beaten                                                     1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil                                                 1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. 
Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through.  Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish.
Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken.  Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes. 

Fried Rice                                                                                            
3 cups cooked white rice
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. 
Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender.
Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled.
Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!  

**You could really play around with this rice too!  Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :)  

**For our family, I use 3 lbs of chicken breasts and then double the sweet and sour sauce recipe.  I follow all of the other directions, but we like to have the extra sauce!  It really is wonderful!

Enjoy!