Sweet and Sour Chicken

This sweet and sour dish is not your usual red hued fanfare. The sauce is made with something a little different, pepper jelly. I make my own pepper jelly from this recipe, but I use a low sugar pectin and reduce the sugar by half. I save moolah by making my own jelly and can control the heat by mixing the types of peppers but you can purchase your jelly as well. It can usually be found in the peanut butter and jelly aisle.

Served over a mix of rice and quinoa

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken breasts, cubed (can use pork as well)
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper and garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 can (20 ounce) pineapple chunks, drained, reserve 1/3 cup of juice
• 1 cup pepper jelly
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Mix 1/3 cup pineapple juice, pepper jelly, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a bowl, set aside.
In a small mixing bowl add chicken, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and seasonings. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated.
Heat oil in a medium to large pan over high heat (woks work great). Add meat and cook until lightly browned, separating the pieces as needed. Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the sauce, continue to cook until sauce thickens slightly.
Mix in the pineapple chunks and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes or until pineapple chunks warm through.

Yield: 4 large servings

A favorite mix of peppers for my homemade pepper jelly is jalapeno and habanero. The habaneros add a nice heat to the sweet and sour flavors. I use 3/4 pound of jalapenos and 10 habaneros for each batch. Pepper jelly is also awesome on baked brie with walnuts served with some toasty bread.