The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapples
Easy 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.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Chicken & Prep
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2.5 cups pineapple, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2.5 cups bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/4 cup red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar +2tbsp
- 2 inch piece grated ginger
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp red pepper
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
For the chicken dredge
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Slurry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce Take 2 tbsp from the sauce you made
Instructions
Prep the Chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl.Season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.Add the eggs and mix until all of the chicken is evenly coated.Cover and refrigerate while preparing the other ingredients.Prep the Vegetables & Sauce
Cut the pineapple, bell peppers, and onions into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.In a medium bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside.Make the Slurry
In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce.Mix until smooth and no clumps remain. Set aside.Dredge the Chicken
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a zip-top bag or bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, and salt.Add a few pieces of chicken at a time and dredge to coat.Shake off excess and place on the baking sheet.Repeat with the remaining chicken.Fry The Chicken
Add oil to a large skillet, about 1 1/2–2 inches deep.Heat oil to 350°F.Fry the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet.Cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden and cooked through.Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.Remove all but about 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil from the skillet.Cook The Vegetables
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the vegetables until softened to your liking.To make the sauce
Pour the sauce into the skillet with the vegetables.Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.Add the slurry and mix well.Cook until the sauce thickens.Combine and Serve
Add the cooked chicken to the sauce.Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat.Add cayenne or crushed red pepper if desired.Serve over rice.
Notes
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
As I mentioned earlier in the post, this homemade 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 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 the 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 at a time, but don't overcrowd the skillet. Using a heatproof strainer or spoon, spread the chicken out so it's not touching one 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 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 frozen ones. Feel free to use canned pineapple if you like as well.