Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Holiday Recipe Exchange: Sweet & Sour Chicken

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

5 comments:

  1. If I didn't already have plans for dinner tonight, and tomorrow- this would be IT. Love that you and your dad cooked it together, and switched it up a bit- using leftovers too! (my kind of cooking:).

    I will definitely make this, because it's simple and healthy (what we need in our house right about now)! ...hopefully Friday.

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  2. Let me know how it turns out Torrie; thanks for stopping by! x

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  3. this looks delish. i ADORE the holidays but i'm already over the standard holiday fare! thanks for sharing. i will most definitely be trying this soon!

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  4. putting this on my grocery list - looks amazing!!

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