Recipe Files: Sweet Fire Chicken (Panda Express knock off)

So I finally got myself back into the kitchen to try a new recipe last week, and despite the work (which was easy, just a little time consuming), it was really tasty!

My gal over at Damn Delicious still has yet to fail me. This is her recipe.

What You Need:

-1 lb chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces

(I got the thinner kind so they'd cook faster)

-1 Tbsp olive oil

-1 red bell pepper, chopped

-1 1/2 C. diced pineapple (I did canned)

-1/2 C Thai sweet chili sauce

-2 green onions, chopped *optional

-1/2 C vegetable oil

-1 C. all purpose flour

-2 large eggs, beaten

What You Do:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working one at a time, dredge the chicken through the flour, eggs, and then flour again.

2. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes).

(As you're waiting for these to crisp up, start working on the next "batch" of chicken. Push the crisping chicken to one side and add in the new chicken pieces. By the time you're done adding the second batch, the first round will be golden and crispy and ready to remove.)

3. Transfer the chicken to a plate that's lined with a paper towel, to soak up the extra oil.

4. Once the chicken is done, heat the olive oil in a skillet (I rinsed and used the same one) over medium heat, and add in the bell pepper and pineapple chunks. Stir occasionally and cook until tender (about 4 minutes)

5. Add the chicken to the pineapples and bell peppers, along with the Thai sweet chili sauce. Stir to coat, mixing well, for about 2 minutes.

6. Garnish with the green onions (if you're using them). Serve immediately. I put mine over brown rice and it was really tasty.

Despite the name, it's not spicy at all (the spice will depend on the sauce you get). 

The only part about making this recipe that I didn't like was the dredging of the chicken--it took much longer for me than the original recipe said (took about 45-50 minutes from start to finish) and was just a lot of work. If I made this dish again, I might try it with shrimp and skip the breading.

Happy eating!!