Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pineapple, and Peppers

It might not seem it from a quick glance at the cooking directions but today's recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken was one of the most labor-intensive Crock-Pot Thursday Lunches ever. The hard work paid off in the end, as the result was absolutely delicious. Check out today's video to see how these ingredients and a lot of hard work came together to make a truly unique lunch that the team enjoyed.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pineapple, and Peppers

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Breading

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds), cut in bite-size pieces)**
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice from 20 oz. pineapple tidbits can listed below
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Vegetables/Pineapple

• 1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup carrots sliced as THINLY as possible (2-3 carrots)

DIRECTIONS

1. Add "Sweet and Sour Sauce" ingredients to a medium/large saucepan, stir and bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer while you prepare the chicken and dice the vegetables, stirring occasionally (turn off if longer than 20 minutes). Note, the sauce will not thicken, simmering is to soften the onions and blend flavors.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl, set aside. Add 1/2 cup flour to a large freezer bag; set aside next to eggs. Whisk cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, pepper, ginger powder and onion powder in medium bowl; set aside next to flour.
4. Add chicken to eggs and coat, then remove, allowing excess to drip off, then add to freezer bag with flour. Toss until evenly coated then discard any extra flour. Add cornstarch/spices to the chicken in the freezer bag and shake until evenly coated.
5. Over high heat, heat enough oil (any kind) to generously cover the bottom of a large skillet until hot and rippling. Add chicken and cook 1-2 minutes per side, or until browned but not cooked through. (You may need to cook in 2 batches depending on size of your skillet). Transfer chicken to prepared 9x13 baking dish.
6. Add carrots pineapple and peppers to the sweet and sauce and mix until well combined. Pour sauce over chicken and stir until sauce/chicken/vegetables are evenly combined. Cook, uncovered for 50 minutes or until sauce, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Carlsbad Cravings.

Broccoli with Sesame Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli spears
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook broccoli according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine oil, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar; heat on medium until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot.
3. Drain broccoli; place in a serving bowl.
4. Drizzle with soy sauce mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.