Introducing….. Imaginary Son! Sweet and Sour Chicken That Reminds Us Being Boiled in Oil is a Horrible Way to Die

Imaginary Mom has been keeping a pretty low profile these days. We had a bit of a falling out around the holidays, and I declared 2019 to be The Year of the Slacker (so far, so good). I was all set to order some Thai carryout for dinner this week when my son decided that he wanted to learn how to make sweet and sour chicken, one of his very favorite dishes and one that he doesn’t get often now that our local Pei Wei has closed. Sure, says I, before realizing that he’s never actually cooked a meal before and that this is going to require some assistance on my part. So much for a lazy Thursday dinner.

Really, he couldn’t have picked something a little easier?

I’d like to acknowledge that yes, there *are* easier versions out there on the interwebs. There are versions that aren’t breaded and fried (basically a stir-fry). There are versions you can bake. There are even version that use (shudder) pre-made sauces. But let’s be honest here – when you’re craving sweet and sour anything, you really want the kind that comes in a white Styrofoam container from your local Chinese carryout, the kind with the warm pineapple pieces and bell peppers and onions and the strange red sauce glopped over the top and an egg roll on the side. This version has everything you want and is so much tastier.  

This is the first time that John and I have ever really cooked together, unless you count his admittedly-fantastic skills at food arranging and napkin folding, and his lingering obsession with foods served in hollowed-out cucumber rounds. It ended up being one of the nicest nights I’ve had in a long time; I was every bit as patient and good at explaining as Imaginary Mom could hope for, and he was totally engaged from start to finish as only Imaginary Son could be (no distractions! no getting bored halfway through! no declaring something was not as much fun as expected!). I only stepped in to help with the actual frying and do a little bit of chopping. Since I decided that everyone in the house is going to take turns making dinner – seriously, I cook all day, why would I want to do more of it at home every single night? – this was an outstanding start.

You could definitely make this without the frying step; just saute your chicken pieces in a little oil for a few minutes before you add the veggies and sauce. And I’m sure it would be delicious, and it would save on calories and fat and time and mess. But then you wouldn’t have the fun/danger of standing over the stove with a 13-year-old boy who reminds you that being boiled in oil is a horrible way to die. Why is this a thing? Because he was reading all the sayings on a Lulelemon bag earlier this week and upon seeing “Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment,” promptly replied “Probably murdered.” And then spent the next 15 minutes all the ways he could think of to die. Suffice to say, John plans to have a very interesting and improbable life. I wish his biographers well.

Recipe found at https://dinnerthendessert.com/sweet-sour-chicken/, with only very minor adjustments made to some amounts based on our experience cooking. I'm looking forward to cooking more recipes from this site! 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ cup cornstarch
2-3 eggs, beaten
½ cup flour (we used a blend of rice flour and tapioca starch to keep it gluten-free)
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
Canola oil for frying

Make the sauce: Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic in a small bowl.

Pour about an inch and a half of oil into a frying pan or Dutch oven (or turn on the deep fryer, although you’re still going to end up dirtying a pan for this). The goal is to get the chicken pieces to cook in about 2-3 minutes, so the heat needs to be fairly high.

Put the cornstarch in a large Ziplock bag, add the chicken pieces, and shake to coat. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, let the excess drip off, and dredge in the flour before adding to the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pan – you want the oil to stay at temperature, so this is going to take multiple batches.

When the chicken is brown and crispy (or pale and crispy if you’re using GF flour, because nothing you do is going to compel it to brown up), remove the chicken to a baking sheet. (Don’t put paper towels under the chicken.)

When all the chicken is done cooking, pour off all but a tablespoon of the oil. Add the pineapple, peppers, and onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sauce and stir to coat the vegetables, then add the chicken pieces back in and stir until the sauce coats everything and is thick and bubbly. Serve with white rice.