Homemade Chinese Takeout

J and I love "exotic" foods (although probably Americanized versions of such). We love to try new foreign menu items (like Ethiopian on our honeymoon to DC last week) and we especially love Asian-inspired dishes.

We enjoy these foreign meals so much that we've been developing our own versions to make at home (like our Russian feast). We've made our own sushi and curries, and I think we've finally perfected our take Chinese takeout dish - sweet and sour chicken.

J's DIY California Roll Stogie

Jade Dragon is our go-to Chinese restaurant and we could easily spend $35 on a takeout order for the two us. Even though it is disturbingly delicious, I have absolutely no idea what is in our food other than the obvious (or alleged?) things listed in the title and description. My only assumption is that everything we usually order is either seared or deep fried in lots of oil; covered in equally oily, and salty sauces and the vegetables are cooked to near death. It's delicious, but not affordable for our wallets or our bodies.

This dish is just the opposite.

We've been on our honeymoon for the last week and of course, came home to an empty fridge; so we're trying to "make do" with our pantry and freezer stockpiles until we can get to the store. We do have a good stock of meats and vegetables in our freezers (we buy in bulk and freeze in appropriate portions) but nothing outlandish, and we were able to complete this whole meal without stopping at the market.

In addition to pinching some pennies, it also means, that for the most part (ketchup aside, probably), I know exactly what went into this dish and it contains very little oil - only enough for the initial sear, and no MSG. The dredged chicken is lightly browned in a small amount of vegetable oil, but the majority of the cooking is done in the oven which saves lots of calories. Also, this recipe makes for a ton of sauce - which would be the biggest calorie culprit - and you can easily use less and serve the sauce warmed on the side for dipping (FYI: dipping not pouring sauces, like salad dressing, onto dishes is a simple calorie saver. Humans are much too lazy to bother dipping each bite and will usually skip it).

I love the flavor profile of this dish. Unlike real takeout, which is doused in sauce to the point of not tasting the protein, you can taste all of the elements of this dish. It is sweet and it is sour, but it's also chicken and I appreciate being able to taste all of the parts in a beautiful union -not cloyingly sweet or super bitter. The browning adds a crispness that isn't hindered by the sauce and makes for a crunchy, but still saucy bite.

I will remind you that this is a takeout-based dish, so don't come looking for authentic Chinese cuisine. For starters, I have my doubts that "sweet and sour chicken" exists in traditional Chinese diets, and secondly, if it did, I'm sure it wouldn't involve ketchup or cornstarch. If you're looking for a true-to-China dish, check out Easy Chinese on the Cooking Channel. Ching-He Huan makes dishes that are legit, but she also takes the time to explain the history and visit restaurants, farms etc. that are keeping up the traditions.

Enjoy this recipe and I hope you're able to enjoy your own homemade takeout!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts (around 1 lb), cut into 1x1" pieces
salt & pepper
2 eggs, beaten
vegetable oil
3/4 c sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 c distilled white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 t garlic salt**

Method:

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a glass baking dish (I use a 9x9" pan, but it's all based on how big your diced pieces are, you want to be able to lay them all in a single layer).

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium/medium-high heat in frying pan. Dip chicken into cornstarch and then into eggs. Cook chicken pieces in pan until lightly brown on all sides, but not cooked through. Place browned chicken into prepared dish.

Mix sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt in a bowl with a whisk until sugar is dissolved. Then pour half of the mix evenly over the chicken. If you like a "wet" or saucy chicken, you can pour all of it, I prefer mine to be a bit stickier, so I gradually add more sauce throughout the cooking.

Bake for 30 minutes to an hour (until a meat thermometer in a large piece reads 160), flipping the chicken every 15 minutes (and re-evaluating sauce level, if needed). One pound usually takes around 45 minutes, but it depends on the cuts of the chicken and how crowded your pan is.

Serve with rice (homemade fried rice? yum!) and stir fried veggies.

**Note: I had a little flub today trying to throw this together (alliteration!) and used a tablespoon of minced garlic. Yes, that's a lot of garlic. And yes, it was delicious. If you love garlic, consider making this switch out. It's wonderful!