Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

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Homemade sweet and sour chicken with fresh pineapples, bell peppers, red onions and juicy crispy chicken. It’s tossed in a sweet and savory sauce then served over rice. No need for Chinese takeout when you can make it fresh in the comfort of your home. 

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CLASSIC SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Sweet and sour chicken is one of those epic takeout meals that everyone loves. But what is it about it that people love? Is it the crispy breaded chicken or the tangy Chinese sweet and sour sauce, or a combo of both that makes it so enjoyable.

I love the tangy flavors of  the sauce. The sauce is still the star of the dish even if you omit the chicken and additional veggies like broccoli or mushrooms. 

I’ve been craving Chinese takeout lately but it can get expensive.  So what’s a girl to do? Make it of course.  This Chinese sweet and sour chicken is so delicious and addictive. My family loves it.

My picky 6 year old, who’s palate only consists of hamburgers, pizza, chicken nuggets, noodles and fries even loves it. I make a similar dish called orange but the recipe requires more prep than this sweet and sour chicken. I’m in the process of simplifying it. Once it’s done, I’ll be sure to post the recipe! 

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

You can make your favorite  takeout in the comfort of your home without all the food coloring, extra additives and grease, plus you’ll know exactly what your eating.

The thick sweet and sour sauce clings to the chicken just like the one at your favorite takeout restaurant. 

This sweet and sour chicken recipe is made with mostly fresh fruit and vegetables. I used fresh pineapple and canned pineapple juice. 

You don’t have to worry about making a mess with batter. The flour and cornstarch mixture in this recipe does the job just fine. 

You can find all the ingredients the grocery store. 

Sweet and sour chicken can be easily adapted. Add crushed peppers and red pepper if you like a spicier sweet and sour sauce. Eliminate the pineapple pieces if you don’t need them.

Turn this dish into a stir fry which eliminates the need to fry the chicken. I love broccoli, so sometimes I’ll toss them into this dish too. 

 This recipe makes a big batch of chicken. Perfect for big families or if you want leftovers. It’s great for hungry kids after school. They can pop it into the microwave as soon as they get home from school. 

HOW TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN 

My sweet and sour chicken recipe consists of  bell peppers, pineapples, onions, and  chicken thighs and a combo of cornstarch and flour.  The sauce ingredients include, pineapple juice, ketchup, brown and white sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and a chicken base for even more flavor.

It’ll take some time to prep the ingredients but after that, the steps will move much faster. 

• To prep – Cut the vegetables and fruit into 1 inch pieces. Set the grated ginger and garlic to the side. Add all of the sweet and sour chicken sauce ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix well.To make the slurry which will thicken the sauce, take 4 tbsp of the sauce and pour it into a small bowl then add 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the same bowl.Mix well until the clumps are gone.Set to the side.  Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces as well. Place the chicken into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of onion powder. Crack two eggs into the bowl with the chicken. Stir to coat all the chicken with the eggs. Cover and place the chicken into the fridge. (pic 1-2)
   
• Chicken – Set up the dredging station. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready. Add cornstarch and flour to a ziplock bag or large enough bowl. Add 1/8 tsp salt to the mixture. Mix to combine. Stir the the chicken to coat with the egg. Add a couple pieces of chicken into the ziplock or bowl to dredge.  Place the coated chicken on the parchment lined baking sheet to rest. Continue to dredge the rest of the chicken.  (pic 3)
    
• Fry the chicken – Add oil to a large skillet. Just enough to barely cover the chicken, about 1 1/2 – 2 inches of oil. Once the oil heats up to 350 F add the chicken to the oil. You can add several pieces at a one time.Using a heat proof spoon or spatula, spread the chicken out so it’s not touching. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Once the chicken is done, place the chicken on the parchment lined baking sheet. Remove all but a tablespoon and a half of oil from the skillet. (pic 4)
     
• Vegetables – In the skillet with the oil over medium high heat, saute the vegetables until softened to your preference.  (pic 5)

• To make the sauce – Pour the sauce into the skillet with the vegetables. Let it come to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling add the slurry. Mix well.  (pic 6)
    
• Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. At this point you can add cayenne pepper or crushed red peppers if you want a more spicier sauce. Serve over rice. (pic 7-8)

SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THIS SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN HEALTHY

You can also enjoy sweet and sour chicken in a healthier way. Swap out a few ingredients for healthier options. 

• Substitute chicken thighs for chicken breast or shrimp.
• Grill the chicken instead of frying in oil. I haven’t tried this yet, but some people said they’ve had good results with air fried chicken.
• Use a sugar substitute, such as honey, stevia or a different sweetener
• Substitute avocado, coconut or grapeseed oil for the vegetable oil. 

TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, this sweet n sour chicken takes some time to prep. To make things easy it’s BEST to prep EVERYTHING first. Get all the ingredients out, dice the veggies, grate the ginger, dice the pineapples and so on.

If you don’t like pineapples or if you’re allergic to them, you can substitute the pineapple for mangoes.

For more variety, you can use shredded carrots or broccoli. 

FYI, I  seasoned the chicken with 1 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. I also added about 1/8 tsp of salt to the flour mixture then mixed to combine. 

Give the chicken in the bowl a good stir before you dredge it into the flour, or the egg may sink to the bottom of the bowl.  We want to make sure the there’s egg on all of the chicken. So every now and then stir.

Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes. You can fry several pieces of chicken at a time but don’t overcrowd the skillet. Using a heat proof strainer or spoon, spread the chicken out so it’s not touching.

Try not to overcook the chicken or the pieces may become tough and no one likes tough chicken.

The chicken is done when the temperature on a meat thermometer reads 165 F.  

Serve with basmati or jasmine rice. I served this dish with coconut rice. 

Shortcuts – Substitute store brand sweet chili sauce for the homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce. Sometimes I like to keep sweet chili sauce on hand to make easy Chinese takeout at home.

When I’m in a rush, I reach for the ginger in the tube, however I used 2 inches of fresh ginger in this recipe. You can also substitute fresh bell peppers for a bag of the frozen ones. Feel free to use canned Pineapple if you like as well. 

Tools used in this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe 

15 Inch Cast iron skillet

Chop sticks

Mixing bowls

Double burner griddle 

5 from 18 votes

Print

Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Homemade sweet and sour chicken that's tossed in a thick sweet and sour sauce. No need for Chinese takeout when you can make it fresh in the comfort of your home. 

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chinese sweet and sour chicken, chinese takeout recipe, sweet and sour chicken

Author: April

Ingredients

Prep

• 2.5 cups pineapple cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2.5 cups bell peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cup red onions cut into 1 inch pieces

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 inch grated ginger
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar plus an additional two tbsp
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/8 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

For the chicken dredge

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

Slurry

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of the sweet and sour sauce Take 2 tbsp from the sauce you made

Instructions

Prep

1. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces. Place chicken into a large bowl season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs mix well to combine eggs with the chicken. Cover and place the chicken into the fridge.

2. Cut the bell peppers, pineapple and onions into 1 inch pieces. Set them to the side separately. 

3. Add all of the sweet and sour sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix well. Set to the side 

Slurry

1. To make the slurry which will thicken the sauce, take 4 tbsp of the sauce and pour it into a small bowl then add 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the same bowl. Mix well until the clumps are gone. Set to the side. 

Chicken

1. Set up the dredging station. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready. Add cornstarch and flour to a ziplock bag or large enough bowl with 1/8 tsp of salt. Mix to combine. Stir to combine the chicken with the eggs.

2. Add a couple pieces of chicken into the ziploc or bowl and dredge. Shake of the excess flour mixture. Place the coated chicken on the parchment lined baking sheet to rest. Dredge the rest of the chicken. 

3. Add oil to a large skillet. Just enough to barely cover the chicken, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of oil. Once the oil heats up to 350 F add the chicken to the oil. You can add several pieces at one time. Using a heat proof spoon or spatula, spread the chicken out so it's not touching. 

4. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Once the chicken is done, place the chicken on the parchment lined baking sheet. Remove all but a tablespoon and a half of oil from the skillet. 

5. In the skillet with the oil, over medium high heat, saute the vegetables until softened to your preference. Keep the vegetables in the skillet.

To make the sauce

1. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the cooked vegetables. Let it come to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling add the slurry. Mix well.  Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. 

   At this point, you can add cayenne pepper or crushed red peppers if you want a more spicier sauce. Serve over rice. 

Recipe Notes

TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, this sweet n sour chicken takes some time to prep. To make things easy it's BEST to prep EVERYTHING first. Get all the ingredients out, dice the veggies, grate the ginger, dice the pineapples and so on.

 

 

If you don't like pineapples or if you're allergic to them, you can substitute the pineapple for mangoes.

 

For more variety, you can use shredded carrots or broccoli. 

 

FYI, I  seasoned the chicken with 1 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. I also added about 1/8 tsp of salt to the flour mixture then mixed to combine. 

 

Give the chicken in the bowl a good stir before you dredge it into the flour, or the egg may sink to the bottom of the bowl.  We want to make sure the there's egg on all of the chicken. So every now and then stir.

 

The dredge: When coating the chicken with the flour there's no need to worry about whether the chicken is coated enough. Just dredge the chicken one time shake off excess and place it on the baking sheet. If you dredge the chicken too much you may run out of the flour mixture. 

 

Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes. You can fry several pieces of chicken at a time but don't overcrowd the skillet. Using a heat proof strainer or spoon, spread the chicken out so it's not touching on another.

 

 

Try not to overcook the chicken or the pieces may become tough and no one likes tough chicken.

 

 

The chicken is done when the temperature on a meat thermometer reads 165 F.  Serve with basmati or jasmine rice. I made this dish with the coconut rice.

 

Shortcuts - Substitute store brand sweet chili sauce for the homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce. Sometimes I like to keep sweet chili sauce on hand to make easy Chinese takeout at home.

 

 

When I'm in a rush, I reach for the ginger in the tube, however I used 2 inches of fresh ginger in this recipe. You can also substitute fresh bell peppers for a bag of the frozen ones. Feel free to use canned Pineapple if you like as well. 

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