Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe  is another one that was featured on the Food Network's "Healthy Every Week" page, under the Healthy Chicken Recipes link.

Asian cuisine is something that I could arguably eat every night. I love Chinese food, I love Japanese food (especially sushi), I love Thai food... need I go on? As much as I enjoy eating out it can become a very expensive habit. 

Over the years I have tried number Asian recipes, in attempt to duplicate and more recently tried to improve the overall "health-iness". One of the big downfalls of eating Asian food, especially Americanized Chinese food, is how unhealthy it is for you. Not only are many dished fried, but can also include astronomic amounts of sodium and occasionally MSG. Even knowing how bad some dished are for me... I still have problems restraining my cravings.

Luckily, earlier this week I found this new favorite! A healthy twist on sweet and sour chicken! I have honestly tried about 5-8 different sweet and sour chicken recipes and the sauce is always missing something. Healthier variations of this classic Chinese dish have consistently come up short and often time bland. I was ecstatic, just after the first two bites it was like a revelation, this recipe actually had great flavor! I gave this recipe four out of four forks! Not only was it super tasty the first time, but it kept well and was great for lunches the next day! Enjoy!!
 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Source: Foodnetwork.com 
Servings: 4
Calories 238; Total Fat 6g (Sat Fat 1 g, Mono Fat 2g, Poly Fat 2g) ; Protein 23g; Carb 23g; Fiber 4g; Cholesterol 49mg; Sodium 329mg 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons peanut oil
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint small, sweet mixed peppers, quartered, or 2 mixed bell peppers, cut into 1-inch strips *I used one red and one orange bell pepper instead
• 6 scallions, whites cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, greens cut into 1-inch pieces and thinly sliced vertically into thin strips
• 8 ounces snow peas, trimmed
• Serving suggestion, cooked brown rice
• Chopped peanuts for sprinkling, optional *I used sliced almonds
• 1 cup brown rice for four people- about 1/2 cup cooked per-person.

Directions: 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, chili-garlic sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice and cornstarch; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, coat the chicken with 2 teaspoons oil and heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally with a wooden spoon, 2 minutes. Transfer the partially-cooked chicken to a plate. Reserve the pan.
3. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the pan; add the peppers, scallion whites, and snow peas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. 
4. Stir in the reserved chicken; whisk the sauce again and add it to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is tender, 1 to 2 minutes. 
5. Serve over rice and sprinkle with the scallion greens and peanuts (or sliced almonds), if using.