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!
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.
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.
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.