Crispy chicken coated in a sweet, tangy, sticky sauce! This quick and easy Sweet and Sour Chicken is made with simple ingredients and is restaurant-quality! The whole family will love it and saving you money on takeout!
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Sweet and Sour Chicken features juicy fried chicken tossed in sweet, tangy sauce with bell peppers, onions and pineapple. It's a popular Chinese food served at many Chinese restaurants or for takeout.
I love serving this as a main course with jasmine rice and vegetables whenever my husband and I are craving Chinese!
The best part about my recipe is that the chicken isn't deep fried, it's shallow fried so less oil is being wasted, less cleanup and it's lower in calories!
I've been cooking this dish since I was young. I remember my first time trying to wing it without guidance and it was so hard to nail the right proportions for the sauce. But after many trials later, this is the one I'm most proud to share.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below recipe card for full measurements.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with boneless skinless chicken breasts but reduce the cooking time to 3-5 minutes until juices run clear or until an internal temperature of 165F.
- Red Bell Peppers: or substitute with yellow, orange or green bell peppers.
- Fresh Pineapple: or substitute frozen pineapple that has been thawed with liquids strained. Or substitute with canned pineapple with the liquids strained.
- Onion
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch. Avoid using tapioca starch as it'll cause the coated chicken to stick to each other in the pan.
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Salt
- Garlic Powder: or substitute with ½ teaspoon minced garlic.
- Sesame seeds: if you're allergic to sesame seeds, omit this.
- Green Onion
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Ketchup: for that red color and tangy flavor.
- Brown Sugar: or substitute with white sugar or cane sugar.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- White Vinegar: or substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Cold Water
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
Expert Tips
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time as the cooking process is fast.
- Do not pat dry the chicken! You need some moisture on the chicken so the starch can adhere to it.
- Evenly dice the chicken so they evenly fry.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan if possible as this maintains the oil temperature.
- Make sure oil is hot enough before frying, around 325-350 degrees F. To check if oil is hot, use a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles. If you see bubbles, the oil is hot.
- Fry in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan because this reduces the oil temperature leading to less crispy chicken or possibly undercooked chicken.
- Spread chicken apart after tossing into pan. This allows for each piece to develop a crust.
- Avoid stir frying the chicken. This prevents it from getting crispy.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil which leads to soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sweet and sour chicken:
- In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Season the chicken with salt and garlic powder
- Then add cornstarch to the chicken and toss until each piece of chicken is evenly coated in starch.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry chicken on each side for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Cooked chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear. If the chicken isn't crispy, increase to medium-high heat.
- Remove and transfer fried chicken onto a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate. Reserving 1 teaspoon or 5 ml of the oil in the pan and discard the rest.
- Reduce to medium heat and sauté onions, red bell pepper and pineapples for 30 – 45 seconds.
- Pour in sauce and simmer to thicken it, about 30-60 seconds.
- Toss in fried chicken and mix to coat evenly. Remove off heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing sweet and sour chicken as the bell peppers will turn mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Sweet and sour chicken serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Yes, you can air fry the chicken by:
1. Lightly spray air fryer basket with oil.
2. Lay coated chicken into air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece enough space. You may need to air fry in batches if needed. Lightly spray coated chicken with oil.
3. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until golden crispy brown. The amount of time depends on your air fryer.
Note: I have a Philips Air Fryer and I air fried mine at 400 degrees at 14 minutes for a crispy texture. If you’re using a different machine, check your chicken at 12 minutes and if it needs more crispiness, air fry for another couple minutes until you reach your desired texture
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes, you can substitute the chicken with diced pork butt or pork shoulder, flank steak, skirt steak, hanger steak, flat iron steak, jumbo shrimp, sturdy white fish, or diced extra-firm tofu.
This can be due to various reasons:
- the chicken was evenly coated in starch
- the oil wasn't hot enough when you added the chicken
- the heat was high enough to create a golden crust
- you didn't fry the chicken long enough to see it become golden brown
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 1 medium red bell pepper or green/yellow/orange bell peppers, diced
- ½ cup pineapple diced
- ½ onion sliced
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnishing
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar or white sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar or rice vinegar/apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon water cold
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Season the chicken with salt and garlic powder.
- Then add cornstarch to the chicken and toss until each piece of chicken is evenly coated in starch.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry chicken on each side for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Cooked chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear. If the chicken isn't crispy, increase to medium-high heat. (To air fry the chicken, refer to the Notes section below for instructions).
- Remove and transfer fried chicken onto a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate. Reserving 1 teaspoon or 5 ml of the oil in the pan and discard the rest.
- Reduce to medium heat and sauté onions, red bell pepper and pineapples for 30 – 45 seconds.
- Pour in sauce and simmer to thicken it, about 30-60 seconds.
- Toss in fried chicken and mix to coat evenly. Remove off heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Tyler Marsh
Just a question, could you use coconut oil instead of canola oil or avocado oil? I have it on hand and was wondering if it would work!
Christie Lai
Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend coconut oil for most of my recipes as it has a low smoke point and a heavy scent. But any neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, etc. will work!
Tyler
OMG this is it! I made this last night. After reading the reviews and looking over the recipe and watching the video a thousand times, I was confident enough to make two batches and I am so happy I did! I'm making this again this weekend with your wontons! I can't wait. Thank you so much for amazing Chinese dishes I can make from home instead of spending money on takeout that I don't even like! This is also my first review I've ever left it was just so good and easy to make.
Christie Lai
Awww wow thank you so much for making my recipe and for such a kind first review, Tyler! I am so thrilled to hear that everything worked out and you built up the confidence to cook this dish. Happy that I can share these recipes so you can save some money!
Shabnam
It was great had people over they all loved it!
christieathome
Awesome! Thanks for making my recipe, Shabnam!
Asia Scott
Made this last night and made no changes at except Red Pepper Flakes. We like Spicy. It was so good now going through you recipes to see what I am cooking tonight.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I am so happy that you enjoyed it, Asia! Yes, feel free to add some red pepper flakes to take it up a notch 🙂 I hope you enjoy my other recipes!
Quinn
made this recipe tonight as it wasnt a deep fried version, turned out great, and the sauce wasnt overly sweet like takeout
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Quinn 🙂 Happy that I could share a "healthier" version of this classic dish and glad it turned out great!
Jeffrey Beaumont
Fantastic recipe, this is now one of my very favorite Chinese recipes. I used green onions for the garnish, and Avacado oil to fry the chicke. Also sprinkled some sesame seeds to serve. Served with plain old whit rice and the meal was wonderful, thank you, Jeff
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Jeff! So glad it has become one of your favorite Chinese recipes. This makes me very happy to read. Have a lovely day!
Stacey
This was better than take out! I like how this recipe doesn’t call for deep frying and I was still able to get the chicken crispy. YUM!
christieathome
Amazing! Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Hasin
Christie,
I just came to fetch this recipe as my girls like the sweet and sour chicken. Loved the fact it's not deeply fried.
Agustina
My friend! I’ve made the recipe and it came out spectacular! It was my first Asian food meal and I really enjoyed. The flavours, the ingredients and texture! Everything perfect! Thanks for sharing!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe!! I am really glad to read that you enjoyed it my friend! Happy it worked out and that I could introduce you to more Asian flavours 🙂
Gigi HD
This recipe was super easy to follow and so delish!! My 3yo girl is a huge fan of this dish and I’m now able to save $15/week on take out 🙂 I made two batches, one original for my girl and one spicy for myself by adding siracha to sauce mix. It was heavenly 🙂 Thanks Christie for this recipe!
Cambrea gordon
This sweet and sour chicken is honestly AMAZING. We tried the shallow pan fry and I actually love it more than the typical deep fry! The flavor of the sauce is delicious and it was even better the next day. My favorite part was that I didn't need to go to the store to buy canned pineapple, I had everything on hand to make it! Highly recommend this recipe!!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Cam! I am so glad you enjoyed it and you liked the shallow frying technique! Happy to hear that the flavour was stronger the next day 🙂 That's always a good thing.
Liz
We made this tonight & it was better than take out!! I shallow fried the chicken & just added some pineapple! Delicious Thanks Christie, we’ll be making it again!
Rosemary
OKAY I had no idea that ketchup went into sweet and sour chicken!! How cool hehe you really do learn something every day! BTW-- this looks beautiful!
Jane
Not made yet, just made your Gochujang Chicken which went down really well - kids loved it and cleared their plates 😋😋
Thought I’d try sweet and sour next, as the chicken in the Gochujang was so good & crispy, can see how it would work well with the sweet and sour sauce.
A question about the brown sugar you use, is it dark or light?
Thanks
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for the kind words regarding my gochujang chicken! I'm glad you and your kids enjoyed that recipe!
As for the sweet and sour sauce, either light or brown sugar will work. I used dark brown sugar 🙂
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love what you used instead of pineapple juice to make the sauce... and those sesame seeds sprinkled on top make the chicken so tantalizing! 💕
Katerina | Once a Foodie
Mmmm, this looks absolutely delightful, Christie! I love that your version of sweet and sour chicken is not deep fried - that's so much better than the restaurant version. Yum!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Ahh this is such a nostalgic dish! My mom would make it on occasion since she doesn't like to deep fry too much. I love how your version is a shallow-fry -- keeps it a bit healthier! 🙂 Have a fantastic weekend, Christie!