Sweet 'n' Sour Baked Chicken - Sacha B

by Eileen Pierce

¼ cup butter or marg

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

(½ cup coarsley chopped red bell pepper) optional

½ cup coarsely chopped carrots

¾ cup ketchup

1 cup pineapple juice

2 T. vinegar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 T. soy sauce

½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Dash ginger

Dash red pepper flakes

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 whole chicken cut up/ or 2 to 3 lbs thighs/ or 1 to 2 lbs chicken breasts (chicken with skin and bones will make it tastier, but chicken breasts have less fat)

Cornstarch and cold water

4 cups cooked rice

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In medium skillet, heat butter until melted (or just skip the butter and spritz pan with non-stick spray). Add onion, green peppers, and carrots (other bell peppers are good too---especially red bell peppers!). Cook 5 minutes, stirring.

2) Stir in ketchup, pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic salt, salt, peppers and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Add pineapple chunks. Mix cold water with some cornstarch and add slowely to the mixture. Stir or whisk to incorporate. This will help thicken the sauce.

3) Arrange chicken pieces skin side up in 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Pour sweet and sour sauce over all. Bake 30 minutes for chicken with bones (or until chicken is cooked through). If using cut up chicken breasts, cook for much less time - until chicken is cooked through. Do not over cook, so check it often. I’ll add a specific time to this recipe next time I make this. You could also just put the chicken breasts (cut up) into the skillet and cook until done. Eat over rice.