Sweet and Sour Chicken

I usually order sweet and sour chicken when I want a quick, flavorful meal. Maybe I had a late night, maybe I wanted to stay in, or maybe a craving hit and I just couldn’t let go of the idea of sinking my teeth into some fried chicken goodness. Whatever the reason, some part of me thought, “I can’t make Chinese food recipes better than takeout.” But what if I could?

This sweet and sour chicken recipe cooks in only 15 minutes and uses a single pan, so cleanup is a breeze. It’s almost as easy as ordering takeout!

What is sweet and sour chicken?

Sweet and sour chicken is a classic Chinese takeout dish that combines crispy fried chicken with a sticky, sweet, tangy sauce. The name comes from the combination of sugar and vinegar that gives the sauce a balanced flavor.

Most restaurant-style fried sweet and sour chicken recipes use a fluffy tempura batter that requires a deep fryer. In this easy recipe for sweet and sour chicken, we coat the chicken pieces with cornstarch instead. That allows us to pan-fry the chicken in a skillet, creating perfectly crispy chicken for a fraction of the effort.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken: We use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes. If you prefer dark meat, swap in boneless chicken thighs.
• Sweet and sour chicken marinade: Briefly marinating the chicken in a sweet and sour marinade infuses it with deep flavor. The marinade combines soy sauce, sherry, salt, garlic powder and ginger. If you don’t have sherry, you can use chicken broth instead.
• Sweet and sour sauce: This sauce is perfectly sweet, salty, savory and sticky. It gets its sweetness from sugar and canned unsweetened pineapple chunks, and the salty and savory vibes come from reduced-sodium soy sauce. Cider vinegar and ketchup round out the flavors with a burst of acidity, while cornstarch thickens the sauce to the perfect consistency.
• Rice: Sweet and sour chicken recipes taste great over hot rice. You can cook rice on the stovetop or use a rice cooker.

Directions

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

In a large shallow dish, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce with the sherry, salt, garlic powder and ginger. Add the chicken and turn it to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Make the sauce

Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving the juice and setting the pineapple aside. Add enough water to the juice to measure 1 cup. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with the sugar and pineapple juice mixture until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, ketchup and remaining soy sauce. Set aside.

Step 3: Cook the chicken

Drain the chicken, and discard the marinade. Place the remaining cornstarch in a large shallow dish. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

Step 4: Finish the sauce

Stir the pineapple juice mixture and add it to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for two minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken and reserved pineapple to the pan and heat through. Serve the chicken and sauce with rice.

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Recipe Variations

• Add vegetables: The meal is already delicious on its own, but you can add veggies like chopped red or green bell peppers and onions. Even unconventional choices like mushrooms, carrots and baby corn also complement the sauce. After cooking the chicken, saute the veggies until softened, one to two minutes. Then, add the sauce ingredients as directed.
• Make it spicy: Do you want a little less sweet in your chicken sweet and sour sauce? Add crushed red pepper flakes for spice. Or, chop some chile peppers and add them to the dish.

How to Store Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is best served fresh before it loses its crispiness. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How long does sweet and sour chicken last?

Chicken recipes will last up to four days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can freeze the chicken for up to three months.

How do you reheat sweet and sour chicken?

Reheat leftover chicken in a covered baking dish in a 350°F oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°, 15 to 20 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Tips

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

How can you thicken the sauce for this chicken recipe?

We use cornstarch to thicken the sauce recipe for sweet and sour chicken. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools, but if your sauce is still watery, try adding equal parts cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce. If the reverse problem occurs and your sauce becomes too thick, add water to thin it out.

How do you serve sweet and sour chicken?

We like to serve this chicken recipe with hot cooked rice. Of course, you can always swap in easy fried rice or cauliflower rice recipes. Or, serve it over noodles like chicken lo mein.