Sweet Fire Chicken

I have found that Chinese food is a ton of work, but it's worth it! This recipe is a healthier version that doesn't involve deep frying the chicken. Instead, it is baked in the oven and still tastes delicious. Normally the recipe calls for a red bell pepper; however, I only had a green and I was too lazy to go buy a red one so that's what I used. I also served this with some shrimp fried rice found on Jessie's blog.

Sweet Fire Chicken

Chicken:
2 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/8 tsp. each salt and black pepper
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup eggs, beaten


Sauce:
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 T white vinegar
1/5 T cornstarch
2 T cold water


Extras:
1 (20oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced (I used green, b/c thats all I had)
1/2 white onion, julienned (I used green onions)
1 T canola oil


Directions:
For the chicken - 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Place chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Top with egg and toss to coat.
3. Put flour in wide bowl. One at a time, shake nuggets to remove excess egg and coat with flour. Evenly lay on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.


For the sauce - 
1. In a sauce pan combine red pepper flakes, garlic, sugar, 1/2 cup water, and vinegar. Heat until boiling.
2. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 2 T water and whisk into boiling sauce until thickened. Reduce temperature to low and stir in the chicken.


For the extras - 
1. In a saute pan, saute the bell pepper and onions for about 3 minutes. Add pineapples and then combine with the chicken in the sauce. Toss everything together until well coated and heated through. Serve over rice.

Adapted from ChefinTraining.