Sweet and Sour Chicken with crispy chicken, pineapple and bell peppers just like your favorite takeout place without the food coloring.
Sweet and Sour Chicken, A Classic
Sweet and Sour Chicken is a classic Chinese takeout option most of us are too afraid to make at home. Something about woks and cooking with pineapple make it intimidating for most, but it is so much easier to make than you would think.
Of the classic Chinese Recipes that most people ask for on my blog the one I hear about the absolute most is sweet and sour chicken. I totally get it, it isn’t even just the recipe, but THAT SAUCE. When I was a teenager and I made this sauce for the first time I also actually started learning how to use chopsticks. So for a solid month (I kid you not, my mom was not thrilled with this), I used chopsticks for every meal and had a tiny little bowl of Sweet and Sour Chicken Sauce to dip everything into it.
How to make Sweet and Sour Chicken
When it comes to making a good Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe there are a few tips I love to give out.
- Keep the breading super crispy and light. I have experimented with this recipe both in a tempura batter and a straight cornstarch coating. I prefer cornstarch for ease of use, but either way, you don’t want something doughy that will absorb your sauce like a sponge.
- Make sure you’re using GOOD pineapple chunks. I like either a super sweet fresh pineapple or the frozen chunks you get at Costco. They always have high quality frozen pineapple I’ve never been disappointed with.
- Don’t skip the onions. I know people may have aversions to them, but the onions and the bell peppers play an important role in balancing the flavors of the dish. Without them, you would have a completely sweet entree with only a sour punch from the pineapple. Adding a bit of bitter from the peppers and onions helps cut through the sweetness. Trust me, you’ll be trying to snag extra onion pieces (assuming you don’t already really hate onions).
Want more Chinese Food Recipes?
- Honey Orange Firecracker Shrimp
- Cheesecake Factory Mandarin Cashew Chicken
- PF Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken
- California Pizza Kitchen’s Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
- Many more Chinese food options…
Tools used in this Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe:
- Wok: Great for high heat, quick cooking. This wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
- Large Frying Pan: I use this Cuisinart for most of my non cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All Clad.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce: I find regular soy sauce much too salty, remember you can always add salt but you can’t subtract it. Starting with low sodium allows you to alter to your tastes if necessary.
- Frying Spider Strainer: This frying spider strainer is the quickest and easiest way to scoop out items that are fried without wasting too much time or getting too much oil out of the pan. You won’t have pieces burning like you would with a smaller strainer, plus it is SO inexpensive. I use it for almost all of my small fried items.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 4 pieces) cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs , beaten
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 yellow onion cut into 1-inch chunks
- vegetable oil for frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 4 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- To make the sauce, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic into a small bowl.
- Pour enough vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or frying pan so that comes up from the bottom about an inch and a half.
- Preheat the oil on medium-high heat; you’re looking for the chicken to cook and brown in about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch to a large ziplock bag.
- Add the chicken pieces to the large ziplock bag and shake until all the pieces are well coated.
- Dip the pieces into the egg, then into the flour before adding to the hot oil. Add chicken in batches so as not to have more than a single layer of it in the oil at a time.
- Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through and crispy.
- Remove to a cookie sheet (no paper towels!) and continue cooking the remaining batches of chicken.
- When done cooking remove all but a tablespoon of the oil.
- Add the bell peppers, onion and pineapple and cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp-tender.
- Add the sauce back in and stir to coat the pieces and cook for 30 seconds to help the garlic warm through.
- Add the chicken pieces back in and stir until the sauce has thickened and bubbling.
- Serve immediately, with optional garnishes of sesame seeds or green onions.
Notes
- Change Serving Size: Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Conversion: To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
- Kitchen Timer: Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 1082mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 1385IU | Vitamin C: 79.5mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2.4mg
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This was by far the best recipe for sweet and sour chicken I’ve ever made!!! Thank you so very much for sharing your recipe. I’m looking forward to trying more.
So glad you enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Chicken April and thanks for the five star review.
Can I use a wok for this recipe
Absolutely!
This was my second attempt at sweet and sour chicken. The first time was with another site’s recipe. Hubster wanted S&S chicken for dinner so I did some more online looking and found yours. I made it and my husband raved about how good it was. My son, who is not a real Chinese fan, even said it was good. It was a lot of work, but the result was worth it. I will make this again.
Glad to hear the recipe worked for your family and thanks for the five star review, Chris.
I added carrots fresh veggies from garden. Yummy
I made this with roasted chicken thstvI had on hand. I used the sauce exactly as written but added fresh carrots, onion and green pepper. The taste was still really good. Nice and sweet.
Amazing! .we all loved it. My 16 year old said “PLEASE, please make this again”.
Best compliment ever when the teen like it! Thank you Penny.
Delicious!! Made it twice now and it was much better with some seasoning salt on the chicken before frying.
Sounds delicious Ed and thanks for the five star review.
Really good. A lot more time consuming than the written recipe says (which I knew when I read through it – cutting/chopping/double breading takes time!), but definitely worth the effort. Made it exactly as written in recipe. So much better than what you get out! A real hit in our house.
Could you substitute regular vinegar for the apple cider vinegar? Would it make a difference?
I’m not sure what “regular vinegar” you’re referring to. How about trying freshly squeezed lemon juice or pre-squeezed or bottled lemon juice as an easy substitute for apple cider vinegar as lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are both fruity and acidic. Use a 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to apple cider vinegar.
You’re a private chef of 10 years and don’t know what white vinegar is?
I do know what white vinegar is! The reader mentioned “Regular” and I wondered which vinegar was “regular” in her mind :). Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Apologize
Yummy!!!
It is more time consuming than what is stated on the recipe but every minute you spend assembling this dish is worth it. It is so DELICIOUS!
First time to cook this. I have always enjoyed it when my wife cooks, but I went for it today. It was ?
Best sweet and sour recipe I’ve come across, absolutely delicious!
Aw thanks Cherry. Thanks so much for the five star review!
I used pork loin and added some of my favorite veggies as I would love sweet n sour veggies. Keeper.
Alrighty then! So glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out great!
I do think the sauce is too vinegary and not salty enough. I doubled the soy sauce and added some fish sauce as well. Next time I would halve the vinegar.
Good feedback Yonatan and thanks for the 5 star review. Taste is so subjective. Glad you know your way around the kitchen!
Would air frying the chicken work for this recipe? The cholesterol content is too high for me.
I haven’t tested this receipe using an air fryer. Because this recipe is sticky and sweet, I definitely would recommend using a liner in your basket if you do try to cook in an air fryer. Let us know what you decided to do!
Loved this and so did my kids and husband. Instead of adding the white sugar, I subbed the juice from two oranges (gotta cut down on it for my kiddos) and it turned out sooo good! So glad to add this to my quick dinner list!
What a great Mom! Thank you Steph, for the five star review.
This was the first time I had ever cooked sweet and sour chicken. I chose to half the white and brown sugar, as we try and minimise sugar intake if we can, but the sauce still tasted great according to my family. While the cooking time took longer than expected, as I was cooking more chicken for 7 people, everyone loved the outcome. It’s a keeper!
This was by far one of the best homemade recipes we’ve made! Tasted better than sweet and sour from a Chinese restaurant. We’ll be making this again!
So good to hear Morgan and thanks for the five star review!
PERFECTION!! 5 STARS!! Made for my family of 4 and doubled the recipe so we’d have leftovers. My husband was scared by the amount of apply cider vinegar but he loved it too. YUM!!
I love hearing this. So glad everyone enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Chicken and thank you Deb for the five star review.
DELICIOUS. I added the chicken with no breading to save on carbs. Wonderful.
Good for you Misty and thank you for the five star review.
Really great!! I’ll tweak for family preferences over sugar and vinegar but a brilliant recipe! Thank you!
Delicious absolutely delicious. Made this recipe yesterday for a family meal and it went down a treat!
Would recommend!
Thank you Veronica! And thanks for the five star review. So glad your family enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Chicken. We’re fans as well!
Easy to make, Taste amazing!
My 1st attempt, followed the recipe to the letter, and couldn’t believe how tasty it was, don’t honestly think I’ve had better anywhere, thank-you.
You’re welcome Simon! Thanks so much for the kind words and 5 star review!
I never order sweet & sour in restaurants anymore because it’s almost alway soggy. This recipe was perfect! Crispy chicken with s perfect balance of sweet & sour. Thank you Sabrina!
You’re welcome Paula and thank you for the 5 star review!
The chicken was absolutely delicious. I did salt and pepper the chicken before the cornstarch and I did put a little in the flour as well. The sauce was okay and I don’t know if it’s just me but this was so vinegary. I added a little more sugar and believe it or not a little more soy sauce and that helped so next time I think it will just cut the vinegar in half and see if that makes a difference. I have made a lot of your other recipes and they are delicious too
Easy recipe and delicious
It was delicious.
Almost deserves a 5. Really good. I would season the chicken before cornstarch and season the the flour too. S&P and maybe a little cayenne.
I would love to see more of your recipes but object to having to download another’s app.
Download another’s app?
This was a great recipe. My son told me “it snaps!” That’s a good thing. I loved it. Perfect combination of all ingredients. I will definitely make it again.
Well “snap”!! So glad your family enjoyed it!
This is my Go To recipe every time.
I double the recipe
And I substitute 1/2 white wine for the apple cider vinegar to cut that vinegar flavor.
Easy to make.
Thanks for the recipe!