Sweet and Sour Chicken

This Sweet and Sour Chicken tastes just like it’s from a Chinese restaurant! The chicken is extra crispy with a flavorful sweet and sour sauce with bell peppers and pineapple. Serve this with rice for a takeout-style meal that your family will love!

Be sure to try my Egg Roll in a Bowl and Teriyaki Chicken recipes next!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My family absolutely loves it when I make this Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe. I have mastered the art of making extra crispy chicken that perfectly replicates what you’d get from Chinese takeout. 

My trick is to dip the chicken in eggs that have been vigorously whisked, then into cornstarch, and then briefly back into the eggs just before frying. Not only does this make the chicken extra crispy, but the cornstarch on the chicken thickens up the sauce during cooking, turning it into a shiny, flavorful glaze that is perfect with a side of rice! 

The bell peppers, onions, and pineapple are a must with this recipe. They don’t sound important, but they really compliment the flavor of the sauce and give you a real-deal takeout experience. 😉

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Season cubes of chicken with salt/pepper. Add the chicken to a bowl of whisked eggs and toss to coat. Dredge in cornstarch, then briefly dip the chicken back into the eggs just before frying.

Fry the chicken in 365° oil for 3-4 minutes per side, until brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to cooling racks.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet and add the diced onions, peppers, and pineapple. Toss to coat and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Add the sauce and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

Transfer to an oven-safe baking dish if needed. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove and spoon the sauce back over the chicken. Bake for 10 more minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken again. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice.

Pro Tips

• Make sure the oil is sufficiently heated before adding the chicken, the chicken should start frying immediately once it hits the oil. This ensures that the outer coating will stay on the chicken, making it nice and crisp.
• Peanut Oil can be used for frying as well, it adds a nice flavor that pairs well with this recipe.
• A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes and/or 2 teaspoons of hot sauce can be added to the sauce as well for an additional kick.
• This recipe is great with a side of rice. The notes section of the recipe card includes instructions for how I make perfectly cooked rice every time.
• Leftovers make a great pizza topping with some blue cheese or ranch dressing drizzled on top. Try it on some Naan Pizza!
• For a little bit more of a kick, try my Firecracker Chicken. For another takeout option, try my General Tso’s Chicken.

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Freeze:
  • Store the chicken and the rice separately, these are my preferred storage containers for each. 
• To Reheat:
  • The chicken can be reheated from a thawed state in the microwave or in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 15 minutes or so, or until heated through.
  • The rice can also be microwaved or reheated in a lightly greased foil packet in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

Tools For This Recipe

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• A wok works well for this recipe as well as a 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven.
• Deep Fryer– This can also be used.
• 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish
• Oil Thermometer– Having the correct oil temperature is important.
• Slotted Spoon– Perfect for handling the chicken during frying.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

5 from 13 ratings

Servings: 6 people

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This Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe tastes just like Chinese takeout. It has the most flavorful sauce with stir-fried bell peppers, pineapple, and extra crispy chicken!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

• ▢ 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
• ▢ Salt/Pepper
• ▢ 3 eggs, whisked
• ▢ ¾ cup cornstarch
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable oil

Sauce

• ▢ 1/3 cup sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1/3 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup ketchup
• ▢ ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Stir Fry

• ▢ 1 yellow onion, cut into cubes
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, cut into squares
• ▢ 1 orange bell pepper, cut into squares
• ▢ 1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved
• ▢ Green Onions, to garnish

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and pat completely dry. Season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk the eggs vigorously in a medium bowl, until small air pockets have developed and it’s very uniform in color. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
• Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a high-walled skillet or Dutch oven to 365 degrees. (Medium-high heat.) Just before frying, coat the first batch of chicken with cornstarch, then briefly dip each back into the whisked eggs.
• Fry the chicken in batches, leaving room around each to ensure the edges get crispy. Flip once the bottom of the chicken is light brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Make small adjustments to the heat (up or down) throughout cooking as needed.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the chicken and place on wire cooling racks so that the bottom stays crispy. Place wax or parchment paper underneath the racks to catch excess grease.
• Once all of the chicken has been fried, remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet and set heat to medium-high. Add the onions, peppers, and pineapple and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the sauce and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and carefully toss to coat.
• If your skillet isn’t oven safe, transfer it to a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Remove and gently toss to coat. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Remove and spoon more sauce on top. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice.

Notes

Pro Tips

• Make sure the oil is sufficiently heated before adding the chicken, the chicken should start frying immediately once it hits the oil. This ensures that the outer coating will stay on the chicken, making it nice and crisp.
• Peanut Oil can be used for frying as well, it adds a nice flavor that pairs well with this recipe.
• A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes and/or 2 teaspoons of hot sauce can be added to the sauce as well for an additional kick.
• For a little bit more of a kick, try my Firecracker Chicken. For another takeout option, try my General Tso's Chicken.

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Making Perfectly Cooked Rice:

I love serving this with 3 cups of white long grain rice. Here is how I make it:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
• Add 1 cup of rinsed white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
• Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
• This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
• Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.

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Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Freeze:
  • Store the chicken and the rice separately, these are my preferred storage containers for each. 
• To Reheat:
  • The chicken can be reheated from a thawed state in the microwave or in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20 minutes or so, or until heated through.
  • The rice can also be microwaved or reheated in a lightly greased foil packet in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

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• The nutritional facts include 3 whole whisked eggs, 3/4 cup cornstarch, and assume a whole cup of vegetable oil is used. It is likely that there is much less of each that is actually consumed. 
• Nutritional facts are per serving, there are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 699kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 42g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 154mg, Sodium: 470mg, Potassium: 694mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 1483IU, Vitamin C: 58mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 2mg

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese

Author: Stephanie