Skip the take out – this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe is so good that you’ll put it on the permanent rotation. Chicken is coated in a sweet and sticky sauce and baked to perfection.
Years ago, I worked in an office where they would bring in lunch every day. I mostly skipped that lunch and opted to head home for my lunch hour instead, but every once in awhile, I’d stick around and have some of the lunch that was provided that day.
I remember one day, (I was pregnant with my first child, so let’s blame this on pregnancy haha), the lunch was from a local Chinese restaurant. And it smelled so good. So I decided to have lunch at work that day. I chose out an egg roll and some sweet and sour chicken, then went to my desk to eat – only to be completely disappointed. It was not good at all, and I don’t think I even ended up eating it.
That is what led me to this recipe so many years ago. It has now been here on Taste and Tell for over 10 years and remains a favorite for a good reason – it’s so stinking good. It’s one of those rare meals that everyone in my family likes. And yes – it’s so much better than that takeout sweet and sour chicken! I think I’ll forget the take-out Chinese from now on and make this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
This recipe is a little different, but trust me here!
- Start by cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces and seasoning them with salt and pepper.
- Place the cornstarch in one shallow bowl, and the eggs in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs lightly.
- Take each piece of chicken and dredge it in the cornstarch. Then dip it in the egg. Transfer that to a skillet with oil that has been heated over medium-high heat. And yes – you dip in the cornstarch then the egg – this is a little different than a lot of other recipes.
- Cook the chicken in batches, just until it is browned. The chicken will bake in the oven, so this is just to brown and crisp up the chicken, not to cook it through. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish.
- In a bowl, combine your sauce ingredients – sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic powder. Pour this mixture over the chicken in the baking dish.
- Bake the chicken at 325ºF for an hour, stirring it every 15 minutes.
- Serve the sweet and sour chicken over rice and be prepared to never want to get it for take out again!
More Chinese Recipes
Daddy Wu’s Chinese Chicken
Pressure Cooker Cashew Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Easy Lo Mein Recipe
Easy Egg Roll Recipe
Orange Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
Tools Used to Make this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
- My favorite skillet, especially for this recipe, is my cast iron skillet.
- I like to use tongs to dredge the chicken into the cornstarch, eggs and oil.
- I love my rice cooker and rarely cook rice any other way.
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Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 3 eggs ,lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoon ketchup
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Put the eggs in a separate bowl. Place the oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the cornstarch, then dip in the egg. Add to the hot oil and brown on all sides. You do not need to cook the chicken through, just brown the outside to get a crispy exterior. Transfer the chicken to a 9×13-inch baking dish and continue with the remaining chicken.
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce and garlic powder. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Serve over prepared rice.
Amelia Bailey says
I have made this recipe soooo many times and has never let me down. My husband loves it and when my boys come home for a weekend and I tell them I am making it the oh yumm and oh my god comments for hours until its ready make me smile. Better than take out any day of the week and twice on Sunday 🙂
Dana Johnston says
This was so simple to make and it is delicious. My picky husband loved it. I dont make good chinese but this was very good. Next time going to use pork.
JT says
first time I made this it turned out poorly for me as the chicken was very dry. I’m guessing I’m either cutting the chicken into pieces smaller than the recipe intends or pan frying the chicken for too long before baking.
I cut my chicken into pieces approximately 2″ long by 1″ wide and 1″ thick. There is slight variance but I try to keep them uniform. After an hour of baking with intermittent tossing even the largest pieces are too dry. I pan fry them in coconut oil for 2 minutes per side before putting in the glass baking pan. If I fry less than that the coating doesn’t have that nice gold color and crispness. Also maybe I’m not getting them as coated as the recipe intends because the amount of cornstarch and eggs called for leaves a huge surplus after coating the chicken. I just can’t get more to adhere to the chicken to the point I’m even close to using all the coating. Maybe thats extending the time needed on the stove which in turn shortens the time needed in the oven? My oil is sizzling by the time the chicken hits the pan so it’s plenty hot enough.
I ended up cutting the cornstarch down to waste less and decreasing to 2 eggs, and only baking for 30 minutes and it works perfectly for me this way. I tweaked the ratios on the sauce ingredients a bit but that’s really just a preference thing. Anyway, I make this all the time now and don’t order takeout anymore. Husband loves it too.
Greta Hofsteede says
The flavors were imbalanced, because there was far too much vinegar. I prefer using brown sugar over white. I added a lot more soya sauce and honey to the recipe, so my family would eat it.
Deborah says
So sorry you didn’t love it. Hopefully you can find a recipe more to your liking.
Diana Burritt says
Was hesitant at first, with the large amount of sugar, but, having my husband eat seconds made it a keeper!! The cider vinegar made it not too sweet.
Teresa House says
My family and I loved this, I added chopped onion, red bell pepper and pineapple chunks, it was delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Deborah says
Thanks, Teresa, I’m so glad you loved it!
Angela says
Big hit with my husband! I’m making it for second time this week with some red pepper flakes for a little spice. Thank you
Deborah says
I’m so glad you both have enjoyed it!
Super Mommio says
This recipe was delicious! The sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and sour. Coating the chicken in cornstarch and egg was a little bit of extra effort, but well worth it for a yummy supper!
Ashley says
I moved to France several years ago and miss American style Chinese food so much. This really hit the spot and will be using the batter for other things. I loved how it was so puffy.
John Doe says
Terrible recipe tasted like apple cider vinegar made me gag. disgusting don’t use too much vinegar or you’ll regret making the recipe
DR says
This recipe is a keeper. Easy to make and super great tasting. I doubled the sauce, as I love sauce on my rice and veggies along with my chicken. . I added steamed carrot strips and broccoli for my veggies. Will definitely be making this again.
CJ says
Absolutely a winner! I have the most picky eaters and they love it. Very easy and perfect recipe. The best thing is , leftovers , fantastic. Not like Chinese left overs , scary and debatable.
Thank you 🙂
Barb says
2nd time I made this and it was better than the last, I don’t know why because Both times I made exactly the same. I made extra sauce that I added a slurry for egg rolls. Perfect, thank you.
Lisa Creuzer says
The method of coating the chicken is the best I ever made, and I make it often. I did add sautéed onion and green peppers with a bit of garlic and some toasted sesame seeds on top and sprinkled a tiny bit of powdered ginger on that. Thank you!
Amy says
I love this recipe and it one of my family’s go to meals. I am getting freezer meals ready for a friend who’s due next month and was wondering if you had ever tried making ahead and freezing. If so, at what point in the process?
Deborah says
I would prepare the whole recipe, minus the baking at the end. Then when it’s time to make it, thaw and cook for an hour. I have not tested this, though, so I’m not exactly sure how it would turn out, but I think it would work just fine!
Silvia says
I tried this recipe and my family and I love it!!! I made some changes, I fried the chicken with olive oil to cut down on the fat, and cut on the sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 cup, and I added 1/4 cup of orange juice. At the end when the chicken was done in the oven, I added some sesame seeds. I cooked 4 pounds, and it was almost done in one night.