Sweet & Spicy Chicken

I originally got this recipe off the Betty Crocker website, but I changed it quite a bit, mostly just changing the veggies for more preferable ones around here, I doubled the sauce, and originally it called for shrimp and not chicken. If you would like the original recipe for Sweet and Spicy Shrimp you can click here to get it. :-) My husband and I REALLY liked this recipe. I liked it so much, I made it twice in one week. It does have a bit of a bite to it, so reduce your red pepper flakes if you don't care for a lot of heat or totally leave them out. We don't like extremely hot, and we didn't think this was too much, but for someone with a more sensitive palate, you may want to cut down.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup soy sauce (watch for allergens in your brand)
-1 tsp sesame oil
-4 tsp sugar
-1 tsp red pepper flakes (cut back or totally leave out if you prefer less spicy)
-2-4 tsp cornstarch (it gets pretty thick if you use the 4, and so I tried it with only 2 the second time I made it, and thought it was good either way, not a lot of difference)
-1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
-1 tbsp dried minced onion (or 1/2 small fresh onion if you prefer)
-2 - 3 medium carrots (thinly sliced or grated)
- 2 celery stalks (thinly sliced or grated... I sliced my veggies the 1st time, and the 2nd time I made it, I grated the carrots and celery on my cheese grater, and I liked this better, felt it was a little easier and the veggies cooked faster)
-1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained (cut water chestnuts in half if desired)
-1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite size piecesDirections
1. Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch and set aside.
2. Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir fry carrots, celery, and water chestnuts until crisp-tender (if you prefer to use fresh onion, stir fry this as well).
3. Add chicken breasts and dried minced onion and stir fry until chicken is just cooked through. Pour soy sauce mixture over top and stir fry additional 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Serve over hot rice if you like, and hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Tip: This is pretty salty if you don't serve it over a bed of rice. If you want to reduce the salty flavor some, use 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup chicken broth.