Sweet Fire Chicken

I really don't like to eat out much. Since I love to cook, I find myself at restaurants thinking, "I could make this at home and it would probably taste just as good." So we don't eat out that much. I guess that's what happens when you love to cook! I would prefer to spend a couple hours in the kitchen creating a fabulous meal, rather than get dressed and head out to order something that I'm not even sure if I'm going to like. I had found a recipe on Pinterest for sweet fire chicken. I LOVE the sweet fire chicken at Panda Express, so I just knew I had to try this recipe. I looked forward to it all day. I could tell by the smell of the sauce cooking, that I was going to love this. I sure did. That's 2 Asian dinners this week that we have loved. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Recipe Source: http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/01/sweet-fire-chicken.html

For the chicken:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
salt/ pepper to taste
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
⅔ cup corn starch
1 Tbsp oil

 Place eggs in a bowl and whisk. Place flour in another bowl, and corn starch in yet another bowl. Season the chopped chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Toss about a half a cup of  the chicken pieces at a time, in the whisked egg bowl, then remove and toss in the flour bowl, then remove and toss in the corn starch bowl. Repeat with all chicken pieces until all are coated well. Set aside  on a plate. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan or non stick skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally.  Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until all chicken pieces are cooked through, browned, and slightly crispy. Place in a bowl or on a a  plate and set aside.

 For the sauce:

2 tsp garlic, chopped
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t want it really spicy)
⅔ cup sugar
1 cup water
2 Tbsp sweet red chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy brand)
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold water + 3 tablespoons corn starch

1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ white onion, chopped
1 (15 oz) ounce cans pineapple chunks, packed in pineapple  juice, drained

In a large sauce pan, combine first 6 sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. In a small bowl whisk together cold water and corn starch. When sauce comes to a boil, add corn starch mixture and continue to stir until sauce thickens. Reduce the heat. Add peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks to pan  and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes until onions start to turn translucent. Add the chicken to the sauce and stir. Cook until chicken is reheated all the way through. Serve hot with coconut rice.