Sweet and sour chicken.

As promised - a homemade, from scratch, sweet and sour chicken recipe.

And I've got to be honest here - I have cooked a couple dozen recipes from Nourishing Traditions, thus far, and I've got to hand it to 'ol Sally...they've been pretty dang good. All of 'em. 

There have been a couple chicken recipes to-die-for!

As usual, I am over-exaggerating.

I would not die for chicken.

A well made, hand crafted, London Fog? Perhaps. But poultry? Surely not. None-the-less, it was delicious. So here we are.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
From Nourishing Traditions

You will need:
 - 4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs, or heck, whatever arrangement of cuts you prefer. I used thighs because I love 'em.
 - 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
 - 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
 - 1/2 cup vinegar
 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
 - 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled and minced
 - 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
 - 1 cup chicken stock
*This recipe serves 3-4. Double, or triple at will!

Step One: Mix the orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Then, let it cool.

 

Step Two: If you are using chicken breasts, pound them with a mallet so that they are nice and thin. If you are using thighs, don't do anything to them - they are God's perfect cut of meat. Then, place your meat in the cooled sauce and marinade overnight. Or at least for a few good hours.

 

Step Three: One the meat is finished marinading, remove the meat from the marinade (reserve this for later!) and bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the juices run clean. I even broiled my chicken on high for a few minutes at the end to really get it nice and browned on the outside. Because that's how I like it! And the best part about being a cook is that you get to cook it how you like it! Muah ha ha!

Step Four: While the chicken is baking, place the reserved marinade on the stove with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and allow the sauce to simmer - until reduced by half. 

 

Step Five: Serve the chicken on a bed of brown rice and then drizzle with the sauce. Mmm. Or, you could also serve it on a bed of buttered quinoa. Or, whichever grain you prefer! It is your meal, after all.

 

While the marinading does take a little forethought, it is hardly more work. I loved being able to just pull it out of the fridge and have it all ready to go! Super easy. Truly. I'm not even just saying that. Feel free to jazz it up - add some nice, fresh pineapple chunks! Or maybe some sliced red pepper! Or maybe some fresh snow peas or broccoli!

I rounded of mine with a nice, fresh carrot and cabbage salad. Notice the salad is in a separate bowl. Cold salad is not allowed to touch warm rice and chicken on our homestead. It's just a thing, call it an idiosyncrasy if you will, but certain foods are not allowed to touch. Mashed potatoes and chicken? Sure. Rice and beans? Sure. Spaghetti and salad? Oh, heck no. Cold cannot touch warm. 

As previously noted multiple times, I need professional help.

Good day.

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

From Nourishing Traditions

• 4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, peeled and minced
• ¼ tsp red chili flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken stock

1. Mix the orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Then, let it cool.

2. If you are using chicken breasts, pound them with a mallet so that they are nice and thin. If you are using thighs, don't do anything to them – they are God's perfect cut of meat. Then, place your meat in the cooled sauce and marinade overnight. Or at least for a few good hours.

3. One the meat is finished marinading, remove the meat from the marinade (reserve this for later!) and bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the juices run clean. I even broiled my chicken on high for a few minutes at the end to really get it nice and browned on the outside. Because that's how I like it! And the best part about being a cook is that you get to cook it how you like it! Muah ha ha!

4. While the chicken is baking, place the reserved marinade on the stove with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and allow the sauce to simmer – until reduced by half. 

5. Serve the chicken on a bed of brown rice and then drizzle with the sauce. Mmm. Or, you could also serve it on a bed of buttered quinoa. Or, whichever grain you prefer! It is your meal, after all.