Sweet & Sour Chicken

When I think of Chinese food, the first thing that comes to mind is sweet & sour chicken. I judge all Chinese restaurants based on this dish. This determines whether I'd return or not. But when I can't get to a restaurant fast enough to satisfy my craving, I love making it. It's so simply and calls for ingredients you probably already have at home.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken breasts (cut into pieces as small or as large as you like- I like mine bite size)
Grind seasoning
1/2 cup corn starch
2 eggs
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (canned is perfectly fine)
2 to 3 chopped chilis
1/4 cup portabello mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
Oil for frying and sautéing

Method:
Chicken:
1. Pour oil about 1/2 inch of oil in a sauce pan & turn on the heat.
2. Beat eggs in bowl.
3. Season chicken & make sure that all liquid is drained.
4. Coat chicken in corn starch.
5. Dip coated chicken in eggs.
6. Fry in oil (on low heat) until golden brown (takes about 5 mins total)


Sauce:
1. Sauté onions and mushrooms in about 1 tbsp of oil until soft.
2. Add chilis and garlic and sauté.
3. Add cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
4. Add pineapple chunks and stir until they're softened.
5. Add cooked chicken & make sure that every piece is coated with the sauce.
6. When sauce starts to simmer, turn off heat.
7. Serve with white rice, fried rice, noodles or on its own! :)


Tips:
1. You can add any veggies you'd like.
2. A good indication of when to turn off the heat is when the sauce is thicker than it was when you added the chicken.
3. If it still isn't as thick as you'd like, mix 1 tsp of corn starch with 1 tsp of water, add to sauce & stir.