Mandarin Chicken

msboogie's Note:

This is very similar to the Mandarin chicken served in the malls, except I use white meat chicken. Boneless chicken thighs are what the restaurant uses. It's quick, easy and delicious. Sometimes I'll make this, then a quick trip to the local Chinese take-out for vegetable lo mein and eggrolls for a cheap, tasty Chinese meal that's almost homemade. You'll be amazed at how authentic this tastes! *Note: I have adjusted the amount of sugar to reflect comments written in reviews. If you like it sweet, use the full 2/3 cup.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast , cut into 4 equal pieces (1lb)
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2⁄3; cup sugar (or less, according to taste)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup water
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Spray chicken breasts with vegetable oil spray.
2. Grill chicken breasts 4-6 minutes per side or until done (chicken should be brown in spots).
3. Chop chicken into bite size pieces, set aside.
4. Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan.
5. Heat over medium until sugar is dissolved, stirring often.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Combine cornstarch and water.
8. Add to sauce pan, stirring often.
9. Reduce heat and simmer 4-6 minutes or until sauce thickens.
10. Pour chicken into a large frying pan over medium heat.
11. Heat until chicken sizzles, then reduce heat and pour sauce over the chicken.
12. Heat through.
13. Serve over white rice.

Reviews

[raquor]

Delicious! This was a cinch to make with ingredients I actually had in the house! As other commenters suggested, I only used 1/3 cup of sugar and that was plenty. I'm just sad that there won't be leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)

[SloppyJoe]

This made a great and fast weeknight dinner. Not having ever eaten Mandarin Chicken I wasn't sure how it should taste but I knew the ingredients list was something we'd enjoy. Not having time to grill the chicken I diced and stir fried with just a touch of Sesame Oil (about 1 teaspoon) just to give it some additional flavor. I removed the chicken and dumped in the rest of the ingredients to the pan. I started low on the sugar, 1/3 cup and after tasting knew I wanted a little more sweetness. Next time I make this I may switch the lemon juice for orange juice and add some red pepper and possibly onion just for some texture. It's a keeper. :-)

[ITRIEDIT]

I tried it and this was fantastic! Took the advice of the other reviewers and used 1/3 cup of sugar. Perfect amount. I used Sesame Oil and left out the lemon juice as I didn't have any. Simply great! Thanks for posting.