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.
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Rosie miller says
I loved this recipe. I have made it numerous times and my family loves it
Lauren says
I completely skipped the whole oven part and just fried the chicken on a lower heat until the chicken was cooked on the inside and they came out perfectly tender and delicious. So if you dont have time to use the oven or want to save electricity I recommend doing the same! Loved the recipe!
Edie says
This was a very good recipe.
I did add orange juice because I may have put too much vinegar
But it was delicious
Thank you!!!
Brooke says
Was good but to much apple cider vinegar- next time I’ll have to double that down- why do recipes call for too much with stuff like that?!?!? It just ruins stuff
Cody E says
Brook. You can slice up 1 orange, 1 lemon, and some slices of a ginger root, place it into 5 cups of water and cook on high until it boils. After that you can turn it down to medium heat and keep it going for 30 mins from when you started heating the sauce. Then you just pour out over a sieve or if you don’t have that just a strainer and then a splatter guard (the mesh ones for the tops of your pans with the handle) and then add 3/4-1cup of ketchup and 3 tablespoons of corn starch and stirr until it thickens (about 10-15 minutes) on medium high heat.
John Doe says
I loved this recipe so much!
Camille Sardath says
Excellent!!! You dont miss take out with this recipe. Intend to make this again.
Rosalinda Traiman says
when you first cook the chicken its cornstarch, eggs then pan. Is the chicken crispy? And will there be cooked egg on the outside of the chicken?
Deborah says
It turns out like breaded chicken. The order of dipping the chicken is a little different than most, but it totally works here!
Inez Stafford says
This was awesome, we made it with chinese noodles. Added teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, soya sauce spring onions and chives. Will def make this again. Fantastic thank you
DENNIS says
I have been making this same recipe for 20 yrs,but use italian bread crumbs ,never used corn starch
J Moore says
Would chicken thighs work?
Deborah says
Yep!
BC says
This recipe is awesome! Delicious! I will plan on making double the sauce next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Linda dickinson says
This sounds delicious but have never had sweet and sour without bell peppers in it. At what point could I add them in?
mollie duvall says
Made this tonight. It is immediately going into the rotation, per my husband’s request! I cut the recipe in half, as it is just the two of us. Perfect!
Jim Hartnett says
Great tasting sweet and sour chicken. My wife’s favorite. Don’t have to order from takeout.
Beverly Heron says
This was the BEST sweet & sour chicken I have ever had! My husband said it was exceptional and a keeper.
Erin Pollard says
This is the best recipe I have ever followed. It was so good. Thank you for sharing this. I love it and I will continue to use it. Thank you 🙏🏻