Sweet and sour chicken is classic takeout, but it’s actually really easy to make at home! Crispy fried chicken, bell peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks are coated in a sticky homemade sauce made right on the stovetop.
Why this recipe works
Sweet and sour chicken is probably one of the most iconic American Chinese dishes alongside its spicier counterpart, General Tso’s chicken. It’s a comforting pick with savory-sweet flavors and a touch of tang.
This recipe uses simple ingredients so there’s no reason to be intimidated by making your favorite takeout order at home. The homemade sweet and sour sauce only requires honey, soy sauce, tomato paste, pineapple juice, and rice vinegar plus a cornstarch slurry to thicken – and it makes a world of difference in flavor!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHICKEN – Coating the chicken cubes in cornstarch will help create the crispiest chicken possible, I wouldn’t recommend skipping it. Follow the cornstarch up with a dip in whisked eggs and all-purpose flour and your chicken will come out beautifully golden. Because we are frying our chicken, it’s best to let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking. If you place cold chicken into hot oil, it will lower the temperature which is important for properly frying the chicken.
VEGGIES – Have the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onions chopped and ready to go so you can toss them in right away. You can definitely toss in other vegetables if desired. Snow peas or broccoli are good additions/substitutions.
SAUCE – We used 1 cup of our homemade sweet and sour sauce, but gave you the individual ingredients in the recipe card below so you can make just enough for this dish. You can substitute the rice wine vinegar with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Many recipes call for ketchup in the sweet and sour sauce, but we suggest sticking to tomato paste as it isn’t as sweet. However, you can use ketchup in your sauce if you prefer.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Combine all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water in a saucepan. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
- Make a slurry from the cornstarch and water. Add slurry to the mixture in the saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Set sauce aside.
- Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.
- Place chicken chunks into a gallon zipper bag and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Close the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
- Place flour on a plate.
- Dip each piece of dredged chicken into the whisked egg, then place on plate with flour and turn to coat.
- Add enough vegetable oil in a deep-sided skillet to come about 1 inch up the sides. Heat over medium-high heat until hot (about 325-350 F on an instant-read thermometer), but not smoking. Line a baking sheet with paper towel and place wire rack over the sheet.
- Add prepared chicken pieces to the hot oil and fry, turning once for 5 minutes. Remove cooked chicken to the wire rack. Remove remaining oil from skillet and wipe with paper towel.
- Heat olive oil in deep sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add both bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining cornstarch and stir to combine. Pour in the reserved sauce and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken slightly.
- Add fried chicken pieces and turn to coat the chicken in sauce. Add pineapple chunks and stir to coat. Heat through and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Although this dish is best served fresh as it contains fried chicken, you can store any cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The chicken will lose its crispiness after being stored as it soaks up the surrounding sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Serve sweet and sour chicken with white, brown, or fried rice. Cauliflower fried rice or chow mein also make fantastic sides. Optionally garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy warm from the pan while it’s fresh for the crispiest texture!
More Related Recipes
- Orange Chicken
- Hunan Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp
- Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry
- Sweet and Sour Pork
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Sweet and Sour Chicken
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch divided
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour divided
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup canned pineapple chunks in juice drained with juices reserved for sauce
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ¼ Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 ½ Tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Because we are frying our chicken, it’s best to let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking. If you place cold chicken into hot oil, it will lower the temperature which is important for properly frying the chicken.
- Have the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onions chopped and ready to go so you can toss them in right away. You can definitely toss in other vegetables if desired. Snow peas or broccoli are good additions/substitutions.
- Although this dish is best served fresh as it contains fried chicken, you can store any cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The chicken will lose its crispiness after being stored as it soaks up the surrounding sauce.
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water in a saucepan. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
- Make a slurry from the cornstarch and water. Add slurry to the mixture in the saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Set sauce aside.
- Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.
- Place chicken chunks into a gallon zipper bag and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Close the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
- Place flour on a plate.
- Dip each piece of dredged chicken into the whisked egg, then place on plate with flour and turn to coat.
- Add enough vegetable oil in a deep sided skillet to come about 1-inch up the sides. Heat over medium-high heat until hot (about 325-350 F on an instant read thermometer), but not smoking. Line a baking sheet with paper towel and place wire rack over the sheet.
- Add prepared chicken pieces to the hot oil and fry, turning once for 5 minutes. Remove cooked chicken to the wire rack. Remove remaining oil from skillet and wipe with paper towel.
- Heat olive oil in deep sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add both bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining cornstarch and stir to combine. Pour in the reserved sauce and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken slightly.
- Add fried chicken pieces and turn to coat the chicken in sauce. Add pineapple chunks and stir to coat. Heat through and serve.
Nutrition
Chef Antoine Davis
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