Holiday Recipe Exchange: Sweet & Sour Chicken

I am so excited to participate in Pretty Mommy's Holiday Recipe Exchange.

(What a bevy of brilliant bloggers she's corralled!)

There have been ravenous recipes, I must admit, and today it is my turn to step up to the skillet.

I've decided to sway from the conventional holiday cuisine,

 and share my rendition of Sweet & Sour Chicken.
 (Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Foods.)

I actually made this while I was back home over Thanksgiving weekend.

We were craving a dinner as far away from Plymouth Rock as you could get!

*Chef's Notes

I've included the original recipe; but I changed some components and I've listed my rendition in the notes below.

• My sous-chef (Dad) and I served diced chicken breast instead of wings, cooking the chicken on the stove rather than baking it in the oven. This significantly reduces your prep-time and had a lot to do with the fact that I was eager to use chopsticks, a skill I've developed way too late in life. This is a big game-changer, but I felt it really made the dish more of a dinner, than an appetizer or 'game food.'
• We decided to throw in a couple of orange peels into the sauce as it simmered- this smelled great!
•  We were rather generous when measuring the honey. We probably put about 3/4 cups into the sauce.
• We served the diced chicken over rice and green beans (leftover green beans from Thanksgiving dinner- score!)

Sweet & Sour Chicken

-Serves 4-

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup clover or wildflower honey
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 pounds chicken wings or (4 chicken breasts)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoons chopped fresh chives (optional)

1. Preheat over to 475. In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and reduces by half; about 30 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. You should have 2/3 cup sauce.

2. Meanwhile, arrange chicken wings in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, crisp, and cooked through; about 35 minutes. Drain fat from sheet and with tongs, transfer wings to the bowl of sauce. Toss until wings are coated and most of sauce is absorbed; about 3 minutes. To serve, sprinkle sesame seeds and chives, if desired.



Be sure to check back at Pretty Mommy for

a continuous list of holiday delights throughout the month.

Enjoy!

xo