Skip takeout and make this sweet and sour chicken recipe at home! Made with crispy pan-fried chicken coated in a sweet, tangy sauce then baked. This family favorite is the perfect weeknight dinner.
You’ll also love my orange chicken recipe, chicken chow mein or honey sesame chicken recipe!
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Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
I am so excited to share this sweet and sour chicken recipe that is always a huge hit each time I make it. This takeout favorite is definitely one for your “recipe file” just like cashew chicken, crockpot beef and broccoli and baked teriyaki chicken.
The homemade sweet and sour sauce is what really takes this recipe over the top. If you’re in a hurry, you could always use store-bought too. But making it homemade makes it extra delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
For your sweet and sour chicken and sauce you will need this list of simple ingredients!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: You will need 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, pepper and garlic salt.
- Cornstarch: To help create a crispy coating.
- Eggs: Whisked eggs will also help create a crispier texture for the chicken.
- Canola oil: Vegetable oil or olive oil can also be used.
- Sweet and sour sauce ingredients: Granulated sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup, soy cause and garlic salt.
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe is perfect for when we’re craving Chinese restaurant takeout. I love that we can make it at home and it’s even more delicious.
- Type of chicken: I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast, but chicken thighs would also taste delicious.
- Vinegar: Distilled vinegar will work if you don’t have rice vinegar on hand.
- Add-ins: Add in extras like diced pineapple or vegetables like green bell pepper just like you may find at your local restaurant.
- Sauce swaps: You can use honey instead of sugar or apple cider vinegar instead of white. Love heat? Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or sriracha.
- Garnish: Add chopped green onions on top before serving. You could also sprinkle on some sesame seeds for a nice finishing touch!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Coat chicken: Add chicken pieces, corn starch, salt, pepper and garlic salt to the bag and shake until the chicken is evenly coated. This will be your ‘batter’.
- Pan fry chicken: Heat some of the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip chicken in the egg mixture and place into pan in an even layer. Fry both sides of the chicken. Dispose of the burnt oil and then heat up the rest of the oil to finish the chicken.
- Make sweet and sour sauce: In a medium size bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce.
- Bake chicken: Pour the sauce over the chicken or toss to coat and bake for 20 minutes. Flip chicken to evenly coat it with sauce and then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Expert Tips
In order to get the perfectly crispy chicken each time, follow these tips!
- Cut evenly. Dice the chicken into similar-sized pieces. You want them to be bite-sized, about an inch or so. This helps them cook evenly in the pan.
- Hot oil: test if the oil is hot enough, splash a little water on the oil. If it pops, it’s ready. Using a splatter guard can help with hot oil splatter and I advise to use tongs and an oven mitt.
- Cook in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan! This is an easy mistake to make, but makes a big difference. When frying the chicken, Icook it in two batches so that there’s enough room on the skillet.
- Fry, then bake. There’s two steps to make this recipe. After frying the meat in the breading, you’ll then bake the chicken in the oven with the sauce poured over top. The oven helps get the exterior crispy while the sauce is caramelized on top.
- Double the sauce: Double the sauce to have extra for dipping. You can always use any leftover sauce to make this sweet and sour meatballs recipe.
FAQs
Yes! Prep the chicken and seasonings ahead of time. Use a zip top bag for the chicken for easy clean up. You can also make the sauce ahead, store it separately from the other ingredients.
Yes! One cup of pineapple chunks could be added when you bake the chicken.
Yes, you could add chopped bell peppers (red bell pepper, yellow or orange), onions or broccoli.
Serving Suggestions
Our favorite way to serve this dish is with steamed rice and vegetables, although if I have time this pineapple fried rice recipe pairs really well, too!
- White or brown rice
- Fried rice
- Steamed vegetables
- Chow mein noodles
- Homemade egg rolls
- Cream cheese wontons or crab rangoon
Storage
- Store: Store leftovers ian airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you have made it with rice, store that separately. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
- Freeze: You can also freeze leftovers for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator then reheat in microwave or in a covered dish in the oven at 350°F until warmed through.
Craving more Chinese takeout recipes to make at home? Try this easy sesame chicken, Kung pao chicken, general Tso’s chicken or veggie beef ramen!
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Sweet and Sour Chicken
Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 ¼ pounds chicken , cut into bite size pieces
- ¾ cup corn starch
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs , whisked
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup rice vinegar , distilled or apple cider vinegar will work too
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce , or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
For serving: Cooked rice and broccoli and/or carrots, sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- Place the chicken, corn starch, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a large ziplock bag and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and place in the frying pan with a fork. I did half the batch first. Fry both sides of the chicken for about 2 minutes a piece and place chicken on the pan. Dispose of the burnt oil and then heat up the rest of the oil and finish the chicken.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Next, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken out and flip the chicken to evenly coat it with sauce. Then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
- To test if the oil is hot enough, splash a little water on the oil. If it pops, it’s ready.
- Double the sauce if you’d like extra for dipping the chicken in.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Asian, Chicken, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Kid-Friendly, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Need to make these immediately! My mouth is watering!
Greets,
This dish is absolutely delicious. The taste is just right not too sour nor too sweet. My family loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Making this right now! But my sauce turned out very watery. is this normal? I’m hoping it will thicken up in the oven but yes.. very very watery. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Auddie! It should have thickened up considerably while baking – due to the evaporation in the oven and the corn starch on the chicken. :)
My husband loves this! Thanks for sharing.
I made this, it’s so simple. Thanks for the great recipe! :)
This was so good! I made this tonight for my husband and we both agreed it tastes just as good as takeout- better b/c it’s homemade though, imo. Thanks so much for the recipe! Sometimes “homemade take out recipes” feel like they’re missing something but this was awesome. It definitely exceeded any expectations!
I’m so glad this was a win for you and your husband. It is one of our favorites! :)
Hi Jamie I made this recipe last night absolutely delicious I only change the 1 cup sugar to honey and wanted to inform you that I will blog about this recipe some day this month or next mentioning your website and pinterest thanks for a great recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it Jackie! Thanks for sharing that switching sugar to honey worked well. :)
I just made this recipe. I was sceptical because of the ketchup. I followed the recipe verbatim including using rice wine vinegar.
At the end of cooking time it smelled heavenly. The chicken was well coated and some of the pieces at the corners of the tray actually got a little charred and that was outstanding! It was the best part. It was more like a sticky asian bbq sauce than sweet and sour to me. My notes on it: 1) make extra sauce or don’t use the entire thing, and instead heat or microwave it until cooked, because this finished dish doesn’t have enough to saturate rice. 2) I think small pieces of pineapple would have been excellent and may have also made it more saucey. Well done!
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for your tips and suggestions. :)
I really enjoyed this recipe I’ve made it a couple of times now, I even included in my newest blog post, I gave you all the credits by the way.
http://livingwithjuan.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-cheap-and-easy-chicken-recipes.html
Thanks for the feature! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This looks all so good!
You instruct to fry BITE-size chicken pieces for 2 minutes then bake for 35-40 minutes. I’m just wondering if the chicken pieces turn out DRY? Seems like a long time to bake small chicken pieces. Would like to try this.
Hi! They have never turned out dry for me! With the frying, the chicken pieces aren’t 100% cooked yet, so they finish cooking in the oven! :)
made this tonight! Found it on Pinterest. Made close to 2lbs of chicken bites and my boys devoured it. We loved it! Served it over rice and quickly sautéed some red bell pepper, onions and threw in some pineapple chunks. This is my new fave sweet n sour recipe!
Hi, Cara! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s a favorite in our family too!
Yr recipes look good and seem easy to make with not much preparation
I made the sweet and sour chicken last night and my family just loved it!! What a great recipe. thank you!
I’m so glad your family loved this recipe! :)
Just curious does anyone know what the calorie count is for this recipe?! I’m excited to try it for the first time tonight for my boyfriend and I! I’m just curious really!
I made this recipe tonight and it came out perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
I’m so glad you liked it! It is one of our favorites! :)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I make this once a week for my girlfriend and I. This taste sooo good, just like a Asian sweat and sour you get in the Asian restaurants . I also make chicken fried rice on the side the combo is awesome. Your the best Jamielyn. Thanks again!!
I’m so glad you like this recipe Joe, it is one of my favorites! Mmm I will have to try chicken fried rice with it next time!
Hi! I really can’t wait to try out this recipe, but before I start, I just want’s to know for how many people the recipe is for :-)? I really hope you can help me, even though it’s quite some time since you put the recipe up :-)
Hi! This recipe should serve between 4-6 people. :)