Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

My kids are always excited when we have Chinese food.  I like ordering for the simplicity of not having to cook for that night.   I am also a mom who does not like to spend extra funds for someone to make a meal when I can easily do it myself, at a fraction of the cost, especially with my large family.  Then there's the benefit of knowing exactly what is going into my meal.

Baked sweet and sour chicken is such an easy dish, you can have a complete meal in about an hour.  This version is absolutely delicious, and, as I mentioned....EASY.  I usually whip up a pan of fried rice as a side.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

From Food.com

For the Chicken

3 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks)

salt and pepper , to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

¼ cup canola oil or ¼ cup vegetable oil

For the Sauce

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

½ cup vinegar (preferably rice or white)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3.  Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat with the egg.

4.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides   

     are browned but not cooked through.

5.  Place the chicken in a single layer in a foil lined 9x13 inch baking dish.

6.  Wisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

7.  Pour sauce evenly over the chicken and turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated.

8.  Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.