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.
Anonymous says
This looks delicous!!
Anna at Mediocre Chocolate says
I was searching for a good homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe, and found yours. I also found a fellow blogger who’s being led by cravings and a steadily increasing waistline! Looks yummy, I’ll have to try it–baby’s been craving Chinese!
ALEX & KARI says
I made this last night and it was killer! My husband and daughter gave it an A+! It was a little labor intensive but was worth it. Thanks for the great recipe!
ALEX & KARI says
I made this last night and it was killer! My husband and daughter gave it an A+! It was a little labor intensive but was worth it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Huy says
Hi, Deborah! I was going to post a comment on your blog to tell you that I used your recipe but my popup blocker was acting up and wouldn’t let me!
But thanks for the wonderful recipe and for visiting my blog! I definitely share you sentiment about Chinese takeout — why order out now when you can make it BETTER at home? Thanks again for the recipe 🙂
Colleen says
I just made this and it is GOOD! I posted it on my blog – thanks for sharing!
bbaking says
aaah who doesn’t love chines food? This recipe sounds so simple and yummy.
Kevin says
That sweet and sour chicken looks perfectly golden brown and good!
Kelly says
That sounds wonderful. If only I hadn’t just BOUGHT sweet and sour chicken for dinner right before I found this recipe!
JennDZ - The Leftover Queen says
Looks great! I haven’t had sweet and sour chicken in forever!
kellypea says
I've never made S&W chicken but used to order it all the time when my family went out for Chinese when I was a kid. That sauce ingredient list has my tastebuds working. Pretty funny!
Maris says
I agree that sometimes takeout food is SO MUCH better when we make our own versions. I’ve never made Chinese or really any type of Asian dish so I’m definitely flagging this one to try soon!
April says
I love sweet and sour chicken!! Yours looks great!
Mary says
I used to work (for 6 years) in energy marketing and as a trader I wasn’t allowed to leave my desk either. One firm catered our lunches every day and pretty much it was cafeteria food. blecch. (and yeah, I’m so glad to be out, but I miss that paycheck!)
The chicken looks fantastic!
Grace says
yum–it’s like a grown-up version of the chicken mcnuggets with sweet and sour sauce that i loved as a kid. 🙂
Prudy says
That does sound fabulous. I love chicken just like that-batter fried and then sauced. How csn you go wrong? I love hearing about your growing baby. It’s such an exciting time. I’m never hungrier than when pregnant. Food just looks and tastes so much better.