Sweet, Sour and Hot Chicken with Fried Quinoa

Instead of preparing the usual steamed rice to go with sweet and sour chicken, I opted for a better alternative and high in fibre (as per the package)...quinoa. I fried it like I normally would rice. Now, I love my rice more than anything else, but the lightness of quinoa complimented the hot and saucy chicken very well. 

And instead of sweet and sour, it's actually sweet, sour and hot. We needed that extra kick.

SWEET, SOUR & HOT CHICKEN

||  Prep Time: 30 mins.  ||  Cook Time: 1 hour  ||  Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins.  ||  Yield: Serves 4  ||

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

14 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (each thigh cut into 3)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup spiced vinegar (with chilis) 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees F (in my case 170 degrees C).

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat with the egg. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides are browned.

4. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish.

5. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated.

6. Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Cooking This and That