Chinese sweet sour chicken recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Chinese sweet sour chicken recipe

Stir frying the snow peas separately and using them to ring the chicken makes a very nice presentation for dinner parties. For a family meal, you can return the peas to the pan just after the oranges and mix them in.

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch dice (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons dry sherry
3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
4 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
¼ pound snow peas, ends snapped off and strings removed, cut on the diagonal into ½ inch pieces
2 to 4 dried chilies, seeds removed (see page 12)
1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
2 slices unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch each
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

1. Place the chicken in a bowl, stir in the sherry and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and orange juice concentrate and mix well. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or stir-fry pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Test by dipping the end of a piece of snow pea in the oil; it should sizzle. Add the snow peas and stir just until they turn a darker green, about 30 seconds. Transfer the snow peas to a large serving platter and spread them out. Do not pile up the snow peas, but spread them out so they will not overcook in their own heat.

3. In the same pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil with the chili peppers over medium heat. As the oil heats up, the peppers will turn dark brown and become very fragrant. Discard the chilies when they are almost black but not burned. Add the garlic and gingerroot and stir around the pan a few times until they begin to sizzle.

4. Increase the heat to high, stir up the chicken again, and add it. Stir for about 1 minute, add the orange sauce, and continue stirring another minute or two. When the chicken is almost done, discard the garlic and gingerroot. Add the mandarin oranges and stir gently to heat the oranges and finish cooking the chicken – not more than 1 minute or the oranges will fall apart.

5. Arrange the snow peas in a ring around the edge of the platter and spoon the chicken and oranges into the center. Serve hot.