Like any good Jew, I love Chinese food. There’s nothing better than feasting on salty, saucy takeout favorites like orange chicken, beef and broccoli, and lo mein. I wish that I could recreate these classic restaurant dishes in my own kitchen, but I have to be honest: Chinese food is one of the few things that I’m a little scared of tackling. I am usually quite adventurous when it comes to cooking and trying new recipes, but something about Chinese food still seems intimidating. The ingredient lists can be long and full of obscure ingredients. And the list of steps is usually even longer. Cutting up chicken into small pieces, breading the chicken, frying each piece, making the sauce, then cooking the chicken again in the sauce—that’s too much work for me when I can just as easily pick up the phone to order delicious takeout. Oops, I guess my love of cooking has failed me in the Chinese department.
That’s until I came up with an irresistible recipe for sweet and sour chicken that’s baked on the bone. No cutting, breading, or frying required. The chicken is baked in the oven and covered in the most delicious sweet and sour sauce. It’s tangy. It’s sticky. It’s dripping from every side of the chicken and I’m not apologizing. Toss in the classic pineapple, bell pepper, and onion, and you have yourself some classic Chinese fare bubbling away in your oven.
And since Christmas is on Shabbat this year, this Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is the perfect substitute for the practically-religious tradition of going for Chinese on Christmas. This recipe will definitely be the star of your Chinese-inspired Shabbat menu.