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.
I followed this recipe *almost* exactly, but based on reviews I cut the vinegar back to 1/3 cup and then I used juice from the can of pineapple chunks as a substitute for the rest of the 1/2 cup of liquid. Could probably have cut back on the sugar then, too, if I’d been thinking. Regarding the direction to “add the sauce back in”, just ignore the word “back”. Add the sauce you mixed in a bowl in step one. But, there is no thickener in it; I figured the author knew something I didn’t about the thickening power of those ingredients, but it stayed liquidy. I’d recommend adding a tablespoon of corn starch to the mix. It took about 90 minutes, from the time I started gathering ingredients to the time I dished up. The people who took 3 hours may have been dredging the chicken one piece at a time? You can dredge it by the handful and then just put it in the hot oil one at a time. Overall it wasn’t bad, but I found the ketchup a bit off-putting. I love ketchup with just about everything – mac n cheese, scrambled eggs, virtually any kind of meat – but evidently not in Chinese food. I ended up mixing in some bottled sweet and sour sauce to dilute it a bit but there’s still a strange undertone and aftertaste of ketchup. I’d recommend cutting back to maybe 1/4 cup. My kids (6 & 8) love my orange chicken and General Tso’s chicken (sans peppers), and they always get the sweet and sour sauce for their nuggets at McD so I thought this would be a home run, but they didn’t care for it either.
I followed this recipe *almost* exactly, but based on reviews I cut the vinegar back to 1/3 cup and then I used juice from the can of pineapple chunks as a substitute for the rest of the 1/2 cup of liquid. Could probably have cut back on the sugar then, too, if I’d been thinking. Regarding the direction to “add the sauce back in”, just ignore the word “back”. Add the sauce you mixed in a bowl in step one. But, there is no thickener in it; I figured the author knew something I didn’t about the thickening power of those ingredients, but it stayed liquidy. I’d recommend adding a tablespoon of corn starch to the mix. Overall it wasn’t bad, but I found the ketchup a bit off-putting. I love ketchup with just about everything – mac n cheese, scrambled eggs, virtually any kind of meat – but evidently not in Chinese food. I ended up mixing in some bottled sweet and sour sauce to dilute it a bit but there’s still a strange undertone and aftertaste of ketchup. I’d recommend cutting back to maybe 1/4 cup. My kids (6 & 8) love my orange chicken and General Tso’s chicken (sans peppers), and they always get the sweet and sour sauce for their nuggets at McD so I thought this would be a home run, but they didn’t care for it either.
This recipe was awesome. The chicken turned out to be so good.
This was an outstanding sweet and sour chicken recipe with a few modifications. As a couple of people commented that the details of how to cook the sauce were missing, and also some commented that the sauce was too vinegary. I reduced the apple cider vinegar down to 1/3 cup and added 1/8 cup of brown sugar to the sauce. Being that part of the sauce-cooking instructions are missing, I put the sauce ingredients in a saucepan on medium to medium-low and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to a slow boil and then I set it aside to thicken for a few minutes and resumed following the recipe…With these modifications the sauce was excellent… just like takeout!!
Good recipe and good instructions.
The problem I always have with the bagging of cornstarch then dipping into the egg is EVERY time I have done this the cornstarch comes off the chicken. When you dredge the meat in the flour the flour gets clotted up with the egg and the whole thing becomes a mess.
I have found it to be helpful to use a spoon to sprinkle the flour over the chicken rather than drag it through the flour and foul it all up.
Actually, the whole thing would be much faster,easier and better to just use a prepared tempura batter.
When did the sauce get introduced so Step 11 makes sense? How can add back in if it wasn’t in there to begin with?
11: Add the sauce back in and stir to coat the pieces and cook for 30 seconds to help the garlic warm through.
Left me totally confused. People need to get someone to proofread their stuff.
Oh. My. God. This was so easy and absolutely DELICIOUS. The only thing I did differently was use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Amazing.
Took me 40mins skipping the cornfllour and egg steps, 4 5 6, less calories!
Great recipe, thank you!!!
This does not take 25 minutes, more like 2 and a half hours
Prep time is way off. I started at six served at nine.
Most disorganized sweet n sour recipe ever, did not even have ingredients in order to put in AND it sucked. Simple recipes I’ve seen were way so much better then this .
My husband said it was the first recipe I got from the internet that he liked, and had three helpings! I will definitely make it again, but the 15 minute prep time is way off! Next time I will try to find an easier way to coat the chicken because it took forever.
Probably the best sweet and sour chicken that I have ever had. But it took me closer to 45+ minutes to make. But definitely worth it.
Seriously the BEST recipe ever!!! It’s even better as leftovers! I love it so much and so does my family!
This dish turned out perfect. Followed the recipe exactly as written and it didn’t disappoint. Hubby, who is a picky eater, loved it.
Excellent. You will need more than a quarter of a cup of flour. I made too much and have way too many leftovers for my small family. Can I freeze the rest of the fried chicken pieces? I did not put them all in the sauce because I didn’t want them to get mushy. Let me know if you can freeze the chicken pieces.
Make no substitutes to this recipe! It’s delicious! Prepping the veggies, sauce and chicken makes it easy and serve with Jasmine or Basmati rice…a keeper!
I made this Sweet and Sour chicken for dinner exactly as written except for substituting boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It is absolutely delicious! My family enjoyed it very much and said it is far superior to our only local Chinese restaurant’s! I will definitely make this again.
Perfect recipe. The result tasted just like restaurant quality.
This chicken came out so good. It certainly looked like the picture. It was magazine worthy in flavor and looks. This recipe will stay among my staples from now on. My son cooks sometimes at his fraternity, and I sent him the recipe to try. So easy and flavorful. I am sure it will work out even with bagged popcorn chicken.
Really delicious and easy. I used 2 boneless thighs, broccoli and red onion because that was all I had! Had a bag if frozen mixed fruit and picked out the pineapple-accidentally got some mango in?. I halved everything except the egg and flour. I am a senior and live alone. Served over rice, this will make 3 yummy meals. Definitely will do again. Also, I used less than the suggested amount if canola when cooking the chicken… because I am cheap? Just took about 3 minutes on each side. I will definitely make this again!
This was delicious. I doubled the sauce recipe. You’ll also need more flour than is listed. I used spicy ketchup from whataburger and that was great.
This was so good! I used whataburger spicy ketchup instead of regular ketchup ?. I also doubled the sauce recipe. You’ll definitely need more flour than the recipe lists, too. But overall, awesome.
Great making it again!!! thank you.
Very good! Will make again.
This is the best sweet and sour chicken recipe EVER! So easy and sooooo tasty!
Turned out wonderfully! Thanks so much for sharing.
My daughter made this for me and it blew me out of the water! Beats any restaurant I’ve had this in! Keep posting more recipes!!
My first time trying to make Chinese! Super easy and so delicious! Easy to follow recipe.
Wow tried the steak and sweet and sour chicken. Dishes absolutely delicious and so easy
Went fast in our family. Tasted awesome with frozen fried rice mixed in
This came out so delicious! I am so glad I ran into this recipe! The house was delighted.
Added Zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms in place of the red and green peppers (still had the orange pepper). Turned out great, good way to use up extra veggies without spoiling the theme.
When you are “cooking” the chicken and the oil, I take it in the oven…what temp, how long please? Then you remove all but 1 tablespoon oil and you cook with the pepper, onion, pineapple. What is that temp? Same as before but what was it? Thanks. My first time doing anything like this. No mention of the cooking part in the directions that I can see. Thanks for answering.
Hi! For this recipe when I put ” cook the remaining chicken you are cooking it all in the oil, no oven needed at all for this recipe. The wording is a little confusing, sorry!
So very yummy. Sweet and sour chicken is a favorite of mine. I made this recipe with using chicken, and tonight I used shrimp …same process, just with shrimp. Worked out perfectly! I am allergic to pineapple, so I cubed up mango instead.
I’m not sure but I must have done something wrong by reading the other contents. I followed recipe but it was so strong of vinegar, it was terrible. So disappointed.
Really delicious and easy. I used 2 boneless thighs, broccoli and red onion because that was all I had! Had a bag if frozen mixed fruit and picked out the pineapple-accidentally got some mango in?. I halved everything except the egg and flour. I am a senior and live alone. Served over rice, this will make 3 yummy meals. Definitely will do again. Also, I used less than the suggested amount if canola when cooking the chicken… because I am cheap? Just took about 3 minutes on each side. I will definitely make this again!
Same thing happened to me- I thought maybe my apple cider vinegar was stronger than the normal or something like that because I followed all measurements correctly and it was SO vinegary and my whole house smells like vinegar now 🙁
I made the sweet n sour chicken for dinner tonight, is one of the Best recipes I’ve made. It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing
I will make more sauce next time, but this recipe on a bed of jasmine rice and an egg roll on the side was delish!! I did have to cook the chicken pieces way longer than stated. I had them in cornstarch for quite a while and they didnt brown for a very long time(5 to 8 mins) That could’ve been why?
The best recipe!
Add scallions after cooking for extra special flavor
Thank you very much the sweet and sour chicken it looks very nice I never cooked I will today for lunch for my Family please keep sending me your receipt also deserts, I like to cook
My Family said it’s the best sweet and sour chicken I have ever made! They even liked it better than the Hong Kong! The Only change I made is I added the Pineapple Juice from the canned pineapple chunks into the sauce. It’s a lot of work, but so worth it.
So glad you and your family enjoyed it!
How much pineapple juice?
This is my second time making this! It’s excellent! My husband also says it’s the best he’s ever had! It’s hard to eat takeout after making this!
Just sitting down to eat this with the family. Everyone loves it!
I made the sweet n sour chicken for dinner tonight, is one of the Best recipes I’ve made. It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Sharon!
Absolutely Delicious. Added a bit of jalapeno for a kicker. Wow!! 10 out of 10.
Are you supposed to cook the chicken in oven? Why transfer to a bakingnsheet?
Its just to be used in place of paper towels so you don’t soak out all the juices.
This is an excellent Sweet & Sour Chicken! We loved it, thought it was better than restaurant made, & it will definitely go into my recipe rotation.
My family just loves this!! No more takeout for us!!
Even though it took my chicken longer to get golden, I needn’t have worried. It was exceptionally tasty and tender, and my husband declared it the best he had ever had, including restaurants! The sauce was perfect! I served all this over rice, and it was absolutely delicious. Using fresh pineapple is a real plus!
Sweet and sour chicken ,,wow wow wow ,so easy and so good, better than the restaurant
So very delicious! It will be added to our favorites list.
Tasted better than any we’ve had as a takeaway, will be on our monthly meal planner thanks
I made this last night and it was excellent! I was wondering if it would be possible to cook the chicken in an air fryer instead of deep frying in so much oil?