Sweet and Sour Chicken

When it comes to food I try to keep an open mind and an impartial palate. I've dined on delicacies as diverse as fish eyes, alligator tail, sea urchin, squid ink, ostrich steak and duck tongue. And while it's important to explore the unfamiliar it seems I've overlooked preparing some basics along the way, something as elementary as sweet & sour chicken. Honestly, it might have been a tiny bit intentional: I tend to shy away from sweet entrees because in my mind they should be savory. When it comes to Chinese food I've settled into a comfortable rut with old favorites like cashew chicken and broccoli beef. But maybe my biggest and most revealing excuse is that I tried it once, didn't like it and never tried it again! What am I, five? Time to give it a second chance, Shel.

Normally (and when I say normally, I mean in Chinese take out kitchens in the U.S.) sweet & sour chicken is deep fried, slathered in sauce and served with bell peppers, onions and pineapple. In my version I avoid the deep fry, cook the chicken with the veggies and sauce in the crock pot and serve it over white rice. Ta-da!  A healthier version of my new favorite Chinese dish that you can make at home and avoid take out altogether. Another reason to love this recipe is there are very few "specialized" ingredients required (meaning you won't be in the Chinese aisle of the grocery store searching for and purchasing some obscure item you will never use again).  The sauce is the perfect combo of sweet and sour (hence the name) with brown sugar, ketchup, orange juice, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce.  If you already like sweet and sour chicken I guarantee this will satisfy your craving and if you're like me and you've never tried it or think you won't like it, well, I say where's your sense of adventure? It's only dinner after all. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken (adapted from myrecipes.com)

1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. ketchup
1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 c. white rice, cooked according to package directions (for serving)

Combine the brown sugar, ketchup, orange juice, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and ginger in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Place the onion, chicken, pineapple and bell peppers in a 6 qt. crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray then pour the sauce on top. Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Serve over prepared white rice.

6 servings (494 calories each serving including rice) according to my calculator on loseit.com