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.
Kamara says
Recipe is really good and I’ve used it for a few years now but the only thing I’ve switch up is baking it for an hour. What I do is take the sauce and pour it over the chicken in a wok or a big pan and toss over the heat till it sticks to the chicken. Takes way less time for the same result
Lisa Seymour says
I am going to make this for supper tomorrow,it sounds so good,and easy to make!
Nicolees says
It’s so delicious!! Same or even better than take away. I love it. Defo my fav sweet and sour! Thanks for sharing!
Milan says
This recipe turned out amazing! Everyone in the family loved it! 10/10 recommend!!
Carol says
This is the best new-to-me recipe I have tried in ages! I added pineapple chunks, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It was absolutely delicious. I will be making this again and again.
Sharon Thomas says
Made this recipe for dinner tonight, family loved it. Made a few modifications to the recipe because the family didn’t want to wait an hour for it to bake. The dish still turned out fabulous.
Melissa says
This recipe turned out so delicious!! I was worried my egg didnt stick to my cornstarch very well but it turned out amazing. I wish I could submit a photo lol
Linda Guerra says
Absolutely delicious
Jane says
I never leave reviews but I’m going to do just that. I like simple recipes and the others had peppers and pineapple so I decided to try this one for Christmas dinner. I’ll admit, I was weary about dipping in corn starch and then egg because I hate burned eggs and was afraid it would carry over in the flavor. I was highly delighted that it didnt. This was the most tender chicken ever and it was actually better than restaurants. Its 2 days later and I’m about to. Make a huge batch because my oldest and I are in the midst of a love affair with this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Jessica says
This recipe is delicious! I made it for my family this evening and they loved it. I will keep this recipe in my list of favorites for future use. Thanks for sharing!
Traci says
This is an excellent recipe. I prefer this over take out, hands down! It’s also really good with pork. It’s even approved by my toddlers. Thanks for the recipe!
Aaron says
This recipe is the best one I tried. My wife was very impressed. I give it a 5.
Patti caldwell says
Amazing. Kids and I loved this recipe. Doubled the recipe and added pineapple to one dish. Kids requested this recipe every night.
Cheryl says
Delicious and easy to prepare
Debbie says
Don’t scream at me but can you use frozen chicken nuggets instead of the raw meat? This recipe looks really good and I can’t wait to try it.
Deborah says
I wouldn’t see why not! If you try, let me know how it turns out!
David says
Came out perfect. i love this recipe! Taste even better the cold the next day