Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots

So, dinner from tonight. Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots is not a new recipe to our family; I've made it maybe 3-4 times per year since my good friend Rachel in Iowa originally made it for us in early 2012 when I was pregnant with #3 and having that annoying raw chicken cooking aversion. She brought it over for dinner one night and it was well received by all... definitely worthy of adding to the rotation. It has a really succulent cinnamon odor that smells amazing when cooking. It's pretty much called "Rachel Chicken" around here.

 

This recipe does call for a good bit of salt. I have to omit all of it, replacing some with Mrs Dash and otherwise boosting the other flavors -- cinnamon, pepper, garlic, etc. I also usually make it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in. It cooks faster and is easier to cut up and serve. Otherwise I follow everything else to a "T". Served over rice and alongside some raw carrots for the kids (they still aren't into the cooked variety) it's a good meal and makes good freezer leftovers too.

I'll let the big kids add their commentary to this post later when they're ready for bed... this may not be a FAVORITE for them but they both eat it without too much hemming and hawing. 

Gigi's 2 cents:

The chicken was good because it tasted like Regular. Chicken. The cinnamon is very interesting on the chicken. 

Owen's 2 cents:

It was bad. Too much cinnamon. Not something I would choose to have again.

Editor's Note: 

It will be had again. He usually likes it a tiny bit more each time.