Sweet and Sour Chicken is a typical dish you’ll find at Chinese-American restaurants. I love the crispy, tangy flavor of this sweet and sour chicken recipe! It’s best served with white rice, vegetables, and my homemade sweet and sour chicken sauce. There’s always room for an indulgent, fried dish around here, especially when it’s filled with so much flavor!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
This sweet and sour chicken recipe is crispy, tangy, and delicious, and I’m going to show you how to make sweet and sour chicken sauce too!
Sweet and Sour Chicken is a staple at Chinese-American restaurants. It’s crispy, fried, and full of flavor! Start with some crab rangoon bites or egg rolls as an appetizer, then dig into this delicious chicken.
This is the kind of dish I dream about. The sweet and sour chicken sauce is the perfect mix, the chicken is fried in the most delicious sweet and sour chicken batter, and it’s all served on top of white rice along with vegetables. It’s just like getting Chinese takeout to eat at home…but better! There’s none of that stickiness to deal with, just fresh chicken straight out off the stove top.
Learn how to make Sweet and Sour Chicken at home, along with a homemade sweet and sour chicken sauce!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Sauce
So let’s talk about this Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce. This is the highlight really, because you can’t have a sweet and sour chicken recipe without the sauce!
This Sweet and Sour Sauce was surprisingly easy to make, which I love. Just mix the ingredients together in a sauce pan, heat it up, and you’re done. You can use it to make this recipe and store any extra in the refrigerator.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Batter
The batter is an important part of this dish. It’s what makes the chicken so crispy and flavorful! Just combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt & Pepper
- Water
- Peanut Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
Once the sweet and sour chicken batter is prepared, just put the chicken in the batter to coat.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
Instead of ordering takeout tonight, learn how to make sweet and sour chicken at home! It’s pretty easy to make and it tastes SO good when it’s all done. I’m showing you how to make the batter, how to make your very own sweet and sour chicken sauce, and how to put it all together.
Just check the recipe card for the full instructions!
If you want a slow cooker version, use this Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken.
What vegetables do you put in sweet and sour chicken?
For this sweet and sour chicken recipe, we’re adding in red bell peppers, scallions, and fresh pineapple. The pineapple brings the sweet to the sour, and is a great balance to the rest of the flavors.
Where does sweet and sour chicken come from?
Sweet and Sour Chicken is known as being a classic Chinese dish for us Americans, but it’s actually more of a western dish. Sweet and Sour sauce has been used in traditional Chinese cooking, but it’s more often used on fish or pork. The version of this chicken dish we know as sweet and sour chicken is best categorized as Chinese-American rather than simply Chinese.
You guys have to try this crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe the next time you’re craving a Chinese takeout. It’s pretty simple to make, but it tastes sooooo good. And the fresh peppers and pineapple really bring this dish together.
See the recipe card below for details on How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken. Enjoy!
If you liked this recipe, try some of these other Asian-inspired dishes:
- Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
- Beef Lo Mein
- Orange Chicken
- Super Easy Chicken Teriyaki
- Beef Stir Fry
- Mongolian Beef and Broccoli
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Sesame Baked Wings
- Sweet and Spicy Bourbon Chicken
- Easy Chicken Piccata
- Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Special tools:
- Food thermometer
- Kitchen Spider Skimmer not necessary but very helpful
For the sauce
- 1 1/4 cup Sweet and Sour Sauce (store bought or click for recipe)
For the Chicken & Vegetables:
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless skinless
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil plus 3 tablespoons for the batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups water
- 2 red bell peppers stem and seeds removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 scallions cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 slices fresh pineapple cut into 1-inch wedges
For Serving:
- White rice cooked per package directions.
Instructions
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- Prepare sauce according to directions (click recipe link above)1 1/4 cup Sweet and Sour Sauce
For the Chicken & Vegetables:
- Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and cut them into small pieces.1 pound chicken breasts
- Pat dry with another paper towel. Patting them dry helps in sticking seasoning on them.
- Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper
- Pour 2 quarts oil (or enough to measure about 1½-inches deep) in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Bring the oil to 350 degrees.2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil plus 3 tablespoons for the batter
- While the oil heats, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil; whisk until smooth.Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1¼ cups water
- Place the chicken cubes in the batter and stir to completely coat.
- Once the oil reaches 350°F, use a fork to carefully drop each battered chicken cube into the hot oil. (Have a second fork ready to use to release the chicken into the oil, if necessary.)Food thermometer
- Check the oil temperature frequently and adjust the heat, up or down, to keep the temperature between 350-375 degrees F.
- Use a spider skimmer to stir the chicken pieces gently to prevent them from sticking together. Cook until chicken is golden, 2-3 minutes each batch. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined half of the prepared rack.Repeat process until all the battered chicken is fried.Kitchen Spider Skimmer
- When all the chicken has been cooked, remove the pan from the heat and, very carefully, pour all, except 1-2 tablespoons oil, into a heatproof bowl.
- Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the red pepper, half the cut scallions and all the pineapple chunks. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the red pepper is crisp-tender.2 red bell peppers, 6 scallions, 4 slices fresh pineapple
- Add 1-cup sauce(we prepared at first step) to the vegetable mixture and cook until sauce is heated through, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and stir gently to coat the chicken. Cook just enough to heat the chicken through and serve immediately over cooked white rice and with the remaining sweet and sour sauce.White rice cooked per package directions.
- Garnish with the remaining half of cut scallions.
Video
Becky's Tips
- Make sure to cut chicken in equal bite-size pieces so they cook evenly together.
- Cook the sauce until slightly thick consistency, since we cook more after adding fried chicken bites, so it gets thicker.
- If you like spicy, feel free to add some red chili peppers.
- I use fresh bell peppers and fresh pineapple here, but you can add canned pineapple as well. Make sure to drain well before adding in the sauce. I won’t suggest to use canned bell peppers though.
- Instead of chicken breasts you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I prefer to use boneless chicken in Asian inspired recipes.
- If you like garlicky sauce, feel free to add 1 tsp minced garlic along with veggies.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
The pictures look fantastic. Instruction #2 needs clarification. I’m assuming that we are to cut the chicken into 1″ cubes. Can’t wait to try it.
One inch works!
Thank you! I’m glad to find this post. I agree with your opinion, I’m sure your ideas will be successful in the future!
OMG this is awesome! It looks so absolutely delicious and I totally need to try that homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Thanks Danielle!
We love chicken and I’m sure I won’t miss this sweet and sour chicken. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hope you LOVE it! :)