Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

Another dinner favorite. I usually follow this recipe pretty close, however, I recently found in the freezer section at Winco a frozen bag of “stir fry” it has onions and peppers already cut and ready to be sauteed. This makes this dish even faster to make!

Also, you’ll notice there are little cut up bits of hot dogs in there….yes, I said hot dogs! There is a sweet reason for that. Early in our marriage as I was trying to put meal plans together and discover what Kevin’s likes and dislikes were, he mentioned how his mom would make a sweet and sour stir fry, I thought it sounded good as well, so this is how I discovered this recipe, he would mention how his mother would cut up little hot dogs in it growing up and it was his favorite. I just laughed, but that sounded gross to me, so I didn’t take him seriously. As I have made this numerous of times, everytime he would take a bite he would mention how perfect this meal was but how it would be even yummier with little hot dogs because that is how his mother made it. I always forgot to buy hot dogs at the grocery store because I just don’t eat them. Well after the third or so time making this and hearing his comments I felt like I owed it to him, so I specifically made an effort to buy the hot dogs to cut up.

I remember in Young Women’s I had a leader who gave us some marriage advice. She said when you get married, it would be very thoughtful to sit down with your mother-in-law and ask her what your husband’s favorite meals were, to learn how to cook them, and make them for him. I always remembered that. Kevin’s mother passed away in 2008, I have not had the pleasure of meeting her, which makes me sad. Kevin keeps her alive through describing her and talking about her a lot. One way I have gotten to know Sherry is through her cookbook. She organized one that Kevin has and it is in our kitchen. Kevin tells me a lot of the things she would make for them as they grew up and it was very touching to watch his eyes light up as I finally made this meal the “right” way and we were able to have a great discussion about his mother and Kevin would share memories.

Ohh and yes this was served on a paper plate! Fancy! I am all about having a quick, hearty, simple meal!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry
Recipe by ourbestbites.com

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 8 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and juices reserved
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

3-4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
(you could also use pork tenderloin, or sliced boneless pork chops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cups broccoli florets
1 medium bell pepper, stemmed , seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch squares*
hot cooked white or brown rice

*In this post, I used half of the bell pepper, and added 1/2 of a diced onion as well

Instructions
Start cooking your rice so it will be ready.

Combine cornstarch and water in a medium sized bowl and stir to dissolve.  Add the reserved pineapple juice*, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine.

*If you’re using a stainless steel pan, save pineapple juice for de-glazing it

heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink, 3-4 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons oil to the pan and add the broccoli and bell pepper.  Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the pineapple chunks and sauce mixture.  Bring to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over the hot cooked rice.  If desired, top with sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Serves 4 (or more like 6 if you’ve got some kiddos in the mix)