Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of my 97 year old grandmother's favorite dishes is Sweet and Sour Chicken.  She's is wheelchair bound and lives alone.  She can't see very well and doesn't cook much for herself (thankfully, otherwise I fear she might burn down her house.)  I bring her leftovers nearly every week so she can still eat homemade meals.  She simply reheats them in her microwave.  She tells me how grateful she is to have the leftovers, but I feel that I should be doing more for her.  Luckily, she has many family members who live close to help her with laundry and shopping.  As far as I know, I'm the only one who brings her prepared homemade meals.

I love Sweet and Sour Chicken almost as much as my grandma so I make it often.  I discovered a low sodium recipe that I love.  I was surprised at how easy it is to make.  Even my 4 year old niece helps me sometimes when I'm babysitting her.

The sauce can be made by itself to be used later or with other dishes.  It does not freeze well, so you can't make it too far in advance of using it.

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons no salt ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1.     Brown chicken in oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add green bell pepper, red bell pepper and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.

2.     In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, whisk cornstarch and vinegar. Add oil, pineapple juice, ketchup, and brown sugar.  Whisk constantly until heated through.

3.     Add pineapple chunks and sauce to chicken and heat.  Serve with cooked rice.