Sweet N Sour Chicken

I'm a sucker for good Chinese food.  My favorite is Orange Chicken.  Luckily were I am from, there are a few good Chinese places nearby.  Yes, there is a Panda's.  No, it is not one of my favorites.  Panda's is where I go if I'm in a hurry or need a quick fix for a Chinese food craving.

My sister and I are fans of cream cheese wontons.  We have made it a few times, but we have a hard time making a decent sweet and sour sauce.  Life with cravings is hard.

I have taken up cooking with the crock pot to save me time and money on lunches.  I usually eat in between classes on campus, so it can be a real temptation to just buy something at a cafe.  A friend of mine usually has something she brought from home that was made in a crockpot, and we (mostly she) have traded ideas.  She saved me from my search for a good sweet and sour sauce.  And since I haven't seen it online, I'm going to share it here for you!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1-2 lb. chicken, cubed
1 16-oz. bottle Russian salad dressing (I could only find Wish Bone brand Russian dressing)
1 pint of preserves (my friend uses plum, I used apricot.  You can pick a flavor)

Stir together the dressing and preserves in a crockpot.  Stir in the chicken.

You can also add fruits and vegetables for color, flavor, and texture.  I added baby corn and canned and drained pineapple chunks.  You could add bell pepper, red onion, cabbage, etc.  Just be sure to add them in at a time that they won't overcook. (bad experience with cabbage and asparagus cooked the same amount of time as a pork roast.  Thecabbage and asparagus turned out mushy and off-color.  Yuck!)

Cook in the crockpot until the chicken is cooked all the way through.  Serve over rice (I used jasmine). This recipe made about 8 cups of sweet and sour chicken.  I served it with 6 cups of cooked rice.

What an easy, inexpensive, delicious recipe!  The sauce really is good.  This recipe is a keeper!!!