At-home Chinese take-out

No matter how much I love to cook, there are always days when I am eager to have someone else cook for me. However, as was mentioned in the lentil soup post, those take-out favorites can cost a bundle and fill you full of sodium, and who knows what else. 

I tried simple recipes with jarred sauces, but the flavors were not the same and the preservatives and additives were still there. A friend introduced me to this easy way to make homemade sweet & sour sauce. Add some chicken and fresh veggies and you've got a one-pot alternative to take-out.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1 Tbsp. oil

2 boneless chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb.) cut into strips

salt & pepper

1 small red pepper cut into thin strips

1 small green pepper cut into strips

1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 small can pineapple chunks, drained with 1/2 cup reserved juice

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup chicken stock

4 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 4 teaspoons water

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add to pan, making sure not to overcrowd (cook in batches if necessary).  Brown chicken and remove to medium bowl.  

Add red and green pepper, stirring while cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove to bowl with chicken.  Add juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and chicken stock. Simmer until sauce begins to reduce. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring liquid to a simmer. Add in chicken, peppers, pineapple chunks and water chestnuts.  Stir until well combined and warmed through, about 5 minutes. 

Serve over rice, couscous, or quinoa. 

Obviously this is not any kind of authentic Chinese cuisine. However, it gives me the flavors inspired by the Chinese take-out I love. Also, it doesn't call for any strange, hard to find, or expensive ingredients that come with many authentic recipes. The rice wine vinegar is the only thing probably not in your pantry, and its easy to find and inexpensive.

Substitutions/alterations:

• You can reduce the brown sugar by 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp. without changing the taste/texture too much. However, you need some for the "sweet" part of the recipe. 
• If you don't have chicken stock, feel free to use water. 
• I am sure you could add other veggies such as broccoli or those little canned corn cobs when adding the chicken back in at the end, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.