Sweet and Sour Chicken

 I made Sweet and Sour chicken tonight, something of a variation since I used smoked and grilled chicken and grilled pineapple.  I also make a less sweet version of sweet and sour sauce that is more to my liking and closer to the Cantonese food I came to know when eating in Oakland, CA when I was a kid.  It is not shocking red or sickeningly sweet.  It also goes really good on fried rock cod.

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
    Chicken
    * 1-1/2 pound of boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
    * 3 tablespoons Bob's Asian Rub
    * 1 teaspoon cornstarch

    Sauce Ingredients
    * 1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
    * 1/4 cup white vinegar
    * 1/8 cup ketchup
    * 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
    * 1 tablespoon shoyu
    * 1 tablespoon hoisin
    * 5 large slices of ginger
    * 2 tablespoon grated garlic

    Veggies and Fruit
    * 1 10-ounce can pineapple slices (reserve juice)
    * 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
    * 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
    * 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

    Bob's Asian Rub
    * 3 parts 5 Spice powder
    * 2 parts Black Pepper
    * 2 parts Kosher Salt
    * 1/2 part Nutmeg
    * 1/2 part granulated garlic
    * 1/2 part dried orange peel

Method

1 In a bowl, combine the chicken with the corn starch and rub, allow to marinade for 20 minutes.. Also rub pineapple slices.

2 Place chicken on skewers or in grilling basket, place in smoker for 15 minutes at 225F. Remove and stoke fire up to 400F and grill chicken over high heat until cooked.

3 Place pineapple slices onto grill until nicely marked. Remove and set aside along with chicken.

4 In the meantime, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Reserve 1/8 cup sauce and mix with cornstarch.

5 Heat a large wok over high heat (normal stove) until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot.

6 Add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is heated.

7 Add the reserved 1/8 cup of sauce and allow to thicken over medium heat. Sauce will turn translucent when ready.