Sweet and Sour Chicken Frittata or What I Had for Dinner Last Night Fritatta

It's my day to launch new series... This post is all about me giving permission...

Let me explain.  When I first started to learn to cook (actually, before I started to start to learn to cook, when I knew nothing about cooking... but I digress...), when I first started cooking, I treated recipes like they were from Moses on the mountain. I carefully measured and timed cooking to the second.  The first time I was out of an ingredient and needed to ponder a substitute I felt like all my efforts were doomed to failure.

Well, cut to a few years down the road of cooking 3 squares a day and blogging the results I realized a few truths...

Among them, you do not need to ask permission...  Literally and figuratively.  If you have an idea, give it a shot.  Who knows, you may start a trend.  At the least you will be making meals that are personal to you... Food you want to eat.

Of course, there are a few basics that it helps for you to know.  In this case, a basic Italian Omelette, the Frittata!  I have done a couple of posts on making a Fritatta... A basic, sort of Fritatta 101, and a Tomato Frittata (see the photo).  They are basically the same and I worked hard on the details so that indeed, "Anyone can cook" these if they read over the blog post.  The Fritatta really is the easiest of all the omelette recipes to make.  No vigorous shaking (the French), no Folding (This might be an American invention, certainly popularized in American cuisine).

Well, making a Frittata has become a way of life for me.  Aside from the two blog posts mentioned above, I stopped even looking at a recipe *they are simple, eggs, a little cream, butter for the pan and whatever extra you want to use).  The technique is important, so do take a look at the Frittata 101 post to see what I am talking about.  I stopped asking permission to change the recipe long ago.  Mostly I make fritattas from whatever I had for dinner last night.  Fish, beef, pork, vegetables, cheese, salami... Everything but soup.

So, here's my new series... Once a week for a year I am going to give you permission to try something yourself... The Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta!

So, what I had for dinner last night was Chinese Take out.  Jackie and I almost always order the same thing... A pint of Sesame Chicken, a Pint of Sweet and Sour Chicken and Fried Rice.  And we always have left overs.

Not really enough for a meal for two... but more than enough for a Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta!

It really was simple enough...

4 Eggs
1 TBS Heavy Cream
1 Cup Leftover chicken from a Sweet and Sour Take out Meal
1/2 Cup Left Over Fried Rice from a Take Out Meal
1/4 Cup Left over Sweet and Sour Sauce from a Take Out Meal

1. Dice up the chicken (just the Chicken from the sweet and sour chicken... There is plenty for two Fritattas).
2. Preheat the oven to Broil setting
3. In a Non Stick oven safe saute Pan, over medium high heat melt a TBS of Butter
4. Whisk together 4 Eggs and a TBS of Heavy Cream (sure,milk will work)
5. Add the chicken and 1/2 cup of leftover Rice to the butter and saute to heat
6. Add the eggs gently over the chicken and rice
7. heat for 4 minutes on the stove top, until the eggs around the edge are set but the center is still jiggly wet.
8. Move the pan to the oven and broil for 2 minutes.  Check to see if the top is set and is just starting to brown.
9. Repeat if needed
10. Flip the fritatta onto a preheated plate.  This may take practice, but by the time you do a couple of weeks' worth you will have it down perfect, place a plate upside down over the saute pan, hold the bottom of the plate (now n top) solidly with the palm of your hand and holding the handle of the pan, quickly and smoothly, FLIP
11. Drizzle leftover Sweet and Sour sauce over the fritatta
12. Serve HOT and ENJOY!  Serves two.

Now, what's your idea for a Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta?