Sweet & Sour Chicken
A couple of weeks ago we ordered Chinese carry out and as delicious as it was, it didn’t even take an hour after eating it for me to feel bloated and bleh. I thought, there has to be a way for me to enjoy this without feeling so depleted after (that’s intuition my friends)! I know everyone loves orange chicken but I was always more of a sweet and sour girl, it gives me such nostalgia thinking back to my families favorite Chinese restaurant in my hometown, Hunans. We celebrated many birthdays there, and celebrations aside I seriously think there was a point in time that we were going about once a week. If I could eat it all the time still and not feel terrible then I probably would, but here we are. Honestly I liked my homemade version better and I know I say this all the time, but I seriously think I’m going to make this quite often. It also feels like the perfect meal to make going into the first week of the New Year - so head to the grocery and eat up!
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 3.5 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp. EVOO
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- Optional - 1 tsp. arrowroot powder*
Instructions
- Mix gluten free flour, garlic powder, and a dash of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pat chicken with a paper towel to remove excess water and cut into ~1" cubes.
- In a deep skillet melt 3 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and place in the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. I did this in 2 separate batches as to not overcrowd the pan, adding an additional 1/2 tbsp. of butter to the skillet between batches. Once the chicken is cooked place it on a paper towel lined plate and sit aside for later use.
- Chop the onion into 1" chunks, and slice the bell pepper. Add the EVOO to the same skillet and place the veggies in the skillet over medium heat, let them cook about 4 minutes.
- Place ketchup, red wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, and coconut sugar in a small bowl. Whisk together and then pour on top of the veggies. Let simmer about 2 minutes.
- If you choose to add the arrowroot powder (see notes) mix it in a small bowl with 1 tsp. warm water and then pour into skillet and let simmer about 2 more minutes. If you don't want to add it, go ahead and add the chicken back to the skillet. Mix well making sure everything is coated and remove from heat. Serve with white rice or rice of choice!
Notes:
*You can choose to add arrowroot powder or not for this recipe. I added it because I like sauces a little bit thicker, however if you want it more runny like a traditional sweet and sour sauce you can leave it out. This will not affect the taste at all.