*REPOST FROM THE OLD BLOG* But in honor of my husband’s birthday today, here is one of his all-time favorite family recipes from his mom!

After going completely gluten free, I realized that a lot of Asian take-out food was no longer an option for me. Besides the soy sauce issue, MSG (aka gluten) is a common preservative, and flour is used as a thickener for most sauce-y dishes. I didn’t necessarily grow up with a lot of Asian food so I didn’t think this was much of an issue but boy was I missing out!

When I had this dish for the first time with Nick’s family, I was floored.

With only potato starch as the coating for the chicken, the only modification Laura (Nick’s mom) had make was substituting soy sauce for tamari. Easy peasy!

All I can say is that this recipe is a sure-fire win with almost anyone.

It’s sweet, it’s sour, it stays true to the traditional fried consistency, and it’s downright addicting.

Another major plus? It’s great for a dinner party. You can cook the chicken in the morning and wait to pop it in the oven with the sauce right until you are ready to eat. I love a good recipe that you can prep before hosting a crowd then still serve hot when it’s time to eat.

I plated it over a large bed of steamed rice and carrots but anything works as a side!

Pro Tip: This is a great dish for a large party! Double or triple the recipe and you can cook the chicken through the frying process earlier in the day. Refrigerate the chicken until you’re ready to make the sauce, bake and eat.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Chicken Breast

1 Egg

½ cup Potato Starch (or “Katakuriko” in Japanese)

Oil of choice

For the Sauce —

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

¾ cup Sugar

¼ cup Water

¼ cup Tamari Soy Sauce

¼ cup Ketchup

Serving Size: 4

INSTRUCTIONS

• Begin by preparing the chicken – clean the chicken breast and slice into small strips or chunks.
• Once all the chicken is cut, set up a dipping station. Beat the egg in a small bowl and spread the potato starch in another bowl or plate.
• One by one, dip the chicken in the egg wash then coat with the potato starch.
• Meanwhile, heat a thin layer of oil on high in a large skillet.
• Once the skillet is hot, place the coated chicken in the skillet. Be careful to not overstuff the pan, you can always cook in batches.
• Cook the chicken until lightly brown, approx. 3-4 minutes per side depending on how hot the pan is.
• Note: The chicken will not be completely cooked through yet so don’t taste!
• Set the semi-cooked chicken in a deep baking dish and set aside.
• Now it’s time to make the sauce and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a boil then immediately turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir continuously.
• Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken (approx. 5-6 minutes).
• Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish. Gently stir the sauce so it’s coating all the chicken.
• Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F, gently mixing the chicken and sauce halfway through.
• Remove and let sit for 5 minutes to cool down.
• Enjoy!