So you know that I cook for my Cross Point small group every Tuesday night. It’s one of my favorite things- I love trying new recipes and thanks to pinterest, it isn’t always so difficult to feed twelve consistently hungry girls.

A few weeks ago, I saw this recipe for Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken and I thought it sounded fun, albeit a little more intense in steps than I usually try to pull off for the girls, but I was feeling brave… so I went for it.

Here’s the first thing I learned: the process is a bit time intensive if you are cooking for twelve. For four people? Totes worth it. For twelve? A little much. Meaning: we ate an hour later than we usually do and I was flustered. 🙂

As you see in the directions below [taken from this blog… where she also has step by step pictures], this is a multistep meal that requires you to work a few different stations – the chicken dipping on the counter, the chicken browning on the stove, the chicken cooking in the oven. So prepare yourself for that.

But seriously- the girls LOVED this meal. I mean, LOVED it. See for yourself…

So many happy faces. Let’s just say that it doesn’t always go this well. Someday I’ll tell you the “Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot” story. Not successful.

So here’s my two thumbs up endorsement for this recipe [if you have a normal sized crowed to feed]. If your group is larger, you can totally feed them, no biggie, just allow for extra extra time.

Let me know if you try it and let me know what you think!

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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9×13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Then we put it over rice with Asian veggies. Like, beyond yummy.

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