Sweet and Sour Chicken with crispy chicken, pineapple, and bell peppers tastes just like takeout without the food coloring. Try this today!
Sweet and Sour Pork and Sweet and Sour Chicken are classic Chinese takeout options many of us are too afraid to make at home. Cooking with woks can be intimidating, but my recipe will prove it is much easier to make than you would think!
Sabrina’s Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
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 , cut into 1-inch 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 on medium-high heat.
- Add the cornstarch to a large ziplock bag then add chicken pieces and shake until well coated.
- Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, then into the flour before adding to the hot oil. Add 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, then add peppers, onion, and pineapple. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp-tender.
- Add the chicken pieces and sauce, and stir until the sauce is thickened and bubbling.
- Serve immediately, with optional garnishes of sesame seeds or green onions.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
When I first started this blog, of all the Chinese Recipes that people asked for, the absolute top requested was 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 sauce to dip everything into it.
Chef’s Note
A word of advice: I don’t put the fried chicken on a paper towel to drain. While it may work to soak up the excess oil, it also causes it to steam and the batter on the chicken gets soft voiding our goal of crispy chicken pieces. You can use a paper towel to wipe off any oil from the cooking sheet after you’ve added them back to the wok.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Pounds Chicken Breasts: Cut into 1-inch chunks. You can use chicken thighs too.
- ½ Cup Cornstarch: This is used to create a base for the egg wash and flour to attach to.
- 2 Eggs and ¼ Cup Flour: These are the coating for the chicken.
- 1 Cup Pineapple Chunks: This is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe! Fresh or a can of drained pineapples both work.
- Vegetable Oil: This is used for frying. You can use a neutral oil like canola or sunflower oil.
- Vegetables: Red and green bell peppers, both cut into 1-inch chunks, add vibrant color and a mix of sweet and slightly bitter flavors. These can be substituted with other peppers or zucchini for a different texture. The onion, also cut into 1-inch chunks, provides aromatic flavor and slight sharpness; red onion or shallots are good alternatives.
- Sweet and Sour Sauce: White and brown sugar bring the sweet base with a hint of molasses; either dark or light brown sugar or coconut sugar can also be used. Apple Cider Vinegar is absolutely critical for bringing the sour flavor. Rice vinegar is a suitable substitute. Ketchup adds the base tomato flavor and natural red color. You can also use equal parts tomato paste. Soy Sauce can be substituted with tamari or coconut aminos which are also gluten-free. Garlic can be substituted with 2 teaspoons of garlic powder if fresh garlic is unavailable.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Wok: Great for high heat, and quick cooking. A wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
- Large Frying Pan: I use a Cuisinart for most of my non-cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All-Clad.
- Frying Spider Strainer: A 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.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
This dish is best served fresh. If it isn’t served immediately the coating will soften and become soggy. You can easily store a batch in the fridge for up to 3 days before reheating and serving. Just keep in mind the breading won’t be crispy. The sauce can be kept in the fridge separately from any cooked chicken for up to a week.
How to Store
- Storing: Place the leftovers in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. The chicken will stay fresh for up to 3 days, while the sauce and vegetables can last up to 4 days.
- Reheating: For the best results, reheat the chicken in an air fryer or oven to restore its crispiness. Warm the sauce and vegetables in the microwave or on the stovetop, then combine just before serving.
- Freezing: Freeze the chicken and sauce separately in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Coat chicken pieces as usual with cornstarch, egg, and flour. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket, spray lightly with oil, and cook for 10-12 minutes, shaking halfway through. Air fry the vegetables and pineapple after the chicken. Make the sauce on the stovetop, toss the chicken and veggies into the heated sweet and sour sauce, and serve immediately.
Frequent Questions
For this recipe you want to keep the breading super crispy and light, which cornstarch will help you achieve. I have experimented with coating the chicken in 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.
You can reduce the sugar in half for less sweetness. For less tanginess, cut the vinegar from ½ to ¼ cup of vinegar.
Variations
- Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu: Replace chicken with firm tofu, patting with with a paper towel it to remove excess moisture before frying. Use soy sauce or tamari for the sauce.
- Garlicky: If you’d really like to add some extra flavor to the flour, season with salt and black pepper and add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic or 1 tablespoon of powdered garlic to the chicken while frying. Add an extra tablespoon to the sauce when mixing.
Related Posts
More Sweet and Sour Recipes
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
This recipe is very good described and presented here.
I made it today and it was absolute succes. Turned out very delicious and my kids and my wife loved it.
Thank you for sharing it.
Love this recipe, it was so easy to make and delicious. Thank you
Made this recipe it turned out amazing my family loved it
This was absolutely delicious. Made it exactly as written and paired it with my husband’s amazing fried rice-to die for!! Great flavor, don’t change a thing-this is far better than take out!!!
Thank you, Danielle! Glad to hear it!
This recipe was perfect! The local oriental food restaurant has nothing on this. I used thighs instead of breasts and paired it with homemade udon!
Thanks Niki!
I changed up recipe a little and omitted the sugar and used the pineapple juice instead of wasting it. I didn’t understand why is wasn’t used in this recipe if you use canned pineapple. I really liked how the chicken turned out.
Thank you for trying my recipe! I’m glad you liked it!
Just made this sweet and sour chicken recipe. It was banging, we tore it down. Recommended!!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband loves sweet and sour chicken, pork etc. I made your recipe and he rated it an 8 just because we’re diabetic and none of the diabetic versions taste good.
I was skeptical about this recipe at first because I had made sweet and sour so many times and my husband loved my previous recipe. He does not want me to change it but I fallowed your recipe step by step and my husband and I loved it. Thank you for sharing. I fallow you all the time.
Thank you, Rebecca. So glad to hear it!
I must agree with a few others regarding the recipe being a bit confusing as to what pans to use. Then it also states to add the sauce back to the pan. I never had it in the pan to begin with til I added it to the vegetables. So I kept having to reread that over again making sure I didn’t miss anything. I have yet to try it however I will update my review once I have. Also I cooked my chicken in the Dutch oven as you stated in the recipe however all the batter from the chicken kept sticking to the bottom. That was a total waste of all the dipping of the batter to get crispy chicken.
I’m having the same issue as you. I made this recipe for sweet and sour pork the other day and it was perfect.. the instructions aren’t confusing and it doesn’t use egg or flower just a double dredge of corn flower. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work perfectly for chicken as well
Can I add pineapple juice and less sugar? If yes, what is the quantity?
Really good!
First time I’ve made this. I substituted 1/3 cup of sugar free honey for 1/2 cup sugar ( diabetic husband) Amazing! I also used egg whites instead of whole eggs, because of dairy allergy, Amazing!
I didn’t have enough canola oil, I used vegetable oil, Amazing!
A+ for this recipe!
Look no further: Love this recipe and the best one I’ve tried. Easy to follow and simple ingredients. Taste is great and looks great as well. Transferred this recipe in my book right away for safe keeping.
Thank you for your support!
I made this and didn’t have any pineapple so I used crushed mango and it was amazing!!!! I love it
Loved Loved Loved this recipe!!! Will definitely make it again!
love to hear this!
Are you suppose to use any pineapple juice?
Yes, use about 1/8th cup helps sugar content.
This recipe was great! I added a 4 ounce jar of Hot Pepper Jelly to add some spice. Will be making this more often. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this recipe! I have made it at least 5 times . The only thing I change was to double the sauce part of this recipe. We love the sauce! I keep the chicken in the oven at 175 degrees to keep the.chicken warm. (It does not dry out the chicken.)
I made this recipe tonight. I only had canned pineapple tidbits. So I used them. I also added drained petite canned tomatoes with chili’s for color. This was the only change I made to the recipe. The recipe was perfect. Thank you, I will add it to my menu to make again!
Yum! Made this it was very good perfect amount of tang! Will make again and again its a keeper! Have made a few of your asian recipes so far. Been making your pad thai since atleast a year now. Thanks?
We loved it. Used a can of sliced pineapple and just cut worked great.
can i use air fryer instead of oil to cook chicken
I’m not entirely sure because it’s using a wet batter and I haven’t tried air frying a wet batter. Maybe a reader can hop in after me who may have tried this?
Excellent recipe for authentic flavour .. only thing I found was the sauce was too liquidy .. I think you have to spit the steps up .. first boil the sauce in a separate saucepan till it reduces to 1/2 .. then stir fry the veggies in a wok .. add the sauce back in along with chicken.. this won’t make the stir fried veggies overcook.. don’t try to reduce the sauce ingredients coz its actually has the correct tang.. just a suggestion
You can just add some cornstarch if the sauce is too thin for your liking. Takes only 30 seconds and don’t have to reduce it.
Excellent recipe for authentic flavour .. only thing I found was the sauce was too liquidy .. I think you have to spit the steps up .. first boil the sauce in a separate saucepan till it reduces to 1/2 .. then stir fry the veggies in a wok .. add the sauce back in along with chicken.. this won’t make the stir fried veggies overcook.. don’t try to reduce the sauce ingredients coz its actually has the correct tang.. just a suggestion
Made this recipe for my husband tonight. I substituted the apple cider vinegar with white vinegar. Added about 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice and 4 tbsp of hoisin sauce. He loved it. We will definitely have this again.
So good to hear!
Wonderful recipe it was very good had all the ingredients except pineapples or sesame oil it still came out good. Thanks for sharing will make this again soon with all the ingredients ????
So Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Sabrina I made this recipe and it came wonderful. Some family members tried it after I finished it and thought it was wonderful although I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand such as green bell pepper, pineapples, sesame oil; I used red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, onions it came good but the next time I make it I will have all the ingredients on hand this is a great recipe. I had a stroke and is somewhat limited to what I can make but this recipe was quite easy next time I will cut veggies and onions ahead of time cause I don’t move as fast now so it took me a little longer time wise. Thank you and look forward to more recipes from you glad I found you
I’m so glad you found me too! I appreciate you leaving a review after trying it!
hello Sabrina, I made this recipe and o my goodness it was a hit some family members said that it tasted like they were at a Chinese Restaurant although I did not have some of the ingredients like no green pepper but had orange yellow and red so I used those instead no pineapples no sesame oil but nevertheless it turned out great and was hit with everyone the onions were great in it also. Next time I make I will double recipe because it got gone so fast, I was told to make this recipe for our next potluck dinner will be glad to because this a great and easy recipe Thank you for sharing will be looking forward to more
This is the tastiest sweet and sour chicken dish we’ve ever enjoyed. I once tried to substitute bottled sweet and sour sauce, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the sauce in the recipe. It doesn’t take much longer to make the homemade sauce and it’s much thicker and tastier than anything off the shelf. It even presents well with the colorful vegetables and pineapple.
Wow! Thank you so much for the glowing review!
The recipe was nice, but took a long time for a not-so-good cook as myself, and the vinegar ended up being a bit overpowering. Would halve if I ever try again
I agree; the sauce is too vinegar-y. I’ll try this one again, though, with a few modifications to the sauce. 😉
I made this recently and WOW! I was so shocked I was able to make something so wonderful as this and on my first try! My family was super impressed and loved each and every bite. I cant wait to make it again.. I doubled the sauce because its the best ever. I even bought one of those strainers through Amazon for the next time I make this.. Thank you Sabrina for sharing this with us.. Amazing!
You’re welcome, Cheryl. I’m glad you decided to give this a try.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! This was a smash hit! We substituted GF 1 to 1 flour so our kids could finally enjoy this meal and it came out great.
Yay!!
I found it a but confusing because of the amount of times I had to take out the chicken and cook and cook and cook! But overall taste was fantastic
Excellent!!!! Just like restaurant entree!! Chicken was crispy and delicious!! Thank you!!
Really great! Will never buy a jar again!! I added seasoning to the flour and corn starch and soy sauce to the egg mix. Also added carrots and zucchini for extra vegetables! My family including 3 teenage sons and Husband loved it!
This recipe came out fantastic for me! My chicken was still very slightly frozen when I added it to the skillet. I think that was a good thing because I had to cook it longer than the recommended time to get it golden. My oil probably should have been a little hotter. Luckily, it came out perfect, nice and tender, not extremely golden but it was crispy and crispy and looked beautiful when I got it in the sauce. I used fresh pineapple and it was fantastic. Although I did have apple cider vinegar, I decided to use my rice wine vinegar that I also had. Thank you so much for this recipe. It really didn’t take that long to make, and it was restaurant quality. Most of all, it is a very inexpensive dish to make, and I already had all the ingredients on hand.
I’m glad you decided to give it a try, Donna.
I made the sweet and sour chicken on Tuesday of this week and it was delicious my brother fell in love with it and said this is the dish to bring to family potlucks I didn’t have any pineapples or green bell pepper but I had the yellow red and orange bell peppers with the onions boy was it yummy I will probably double the recipe next time because it got gone so dang on fast glad I found this recipe will be looking for more Thank You
I have 3 kids that are insanely picky!! I have even started a recipe book to add in food all 3 will eat. This is the first recipe I can add! This is delicious!
I’m honored to be the first, Rachel. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Its absolutely stunning recipe, though i find it so simple yet it rock the table ….
Too much vinegar it’s over powering
Thanks to this recipe have our new favorite Chinese place. I’m calling it Trish’s Kitchen.
I am definitely going to look for other recipes by Sabrina!
Haha, I love it!
This was amazing!!!!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Skylar.
I completely forgot the eggs and this was still very good.
Thank you for this experience. It was a little work but the results were worth it. My with and I loved it and the recipe will be on the top of our make again list.
The best sweet and sour chicken ever !! We loved it! Thanks
Excellent (and healthier) if you do the chicken in an air fryer instead.
It says in the list of pans used that you used a frying pan and a wok. Which step used which pan?
This recipe I used a dutch oven or large frying pan for it all. I was just listing some other pans that are useful. Sorry if it was confusing. Enjoy!
Going to try
This was absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar, but even with substituting white wine vinegar the taste was fantastic. My only issue is with the prep and cook time, but being more of a novice than some may account for the extra time it took me. Then again, had I known what it was going to involve I might not have attempted it, so it’s all good. 😉
This is a fabulous recipe for Sweet Sour Chicken and the BEST sauce ever!
Wow, thanks!!