This is a quick and easy recipe for sweet and sour chicken that’s way better than takeout! We’re using tried-and-true Chinese cooking techniques to make that iconic velvety, tender chicken with an airy, golden crust. Finished with a homemade sticky sauce that’s mouthwateringly tangy, sweet, and sour.
A lot of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes are now easy for me to make, like sticky egg foo young and baked sesame and orange chicken. Today, I’m tackling the illustrious sweet and sour chicken recipe.
The trickiest thing about the iconic sweet and sour chicken stir fry is that sauce. It’s not easy to get the perfect balance of sugar, acidity, and salt. But I think I’ve got it figured out!.
This sweet and sour sauce is a little sweeter than my usual recipe because I used brown sugar instead of white sugar and it tastes a little less like tomatoes. I think it’s perfect for stir-frying. I actually use the same recipe for my sweet and sour pork.
Serve your homemade sweet and sour chicken over steamed white rice and enjoy every last sweet, sour, and sticky spoonful.
In a wok we are going to heat the oil to 350°F and carefully fry the chicken pieces in batches to not over crowd the wok – cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove and set on paper towel and wire rack lined tray. Repeat with remaining chicken. After they’re all fried, put them ALL BACK in the wok and fry for three more minutes to make them extra crispy. This is optional of course.
Everyone loves sweet and sour chicken, a dish that comes from China and the United States. The tangy and sweet sauce on the crispy fried chicken makes this dish the perfect balance of tastes. But what is sweet and sour chicken, and how did it become so popular? Let’s take a closer look at this classic dish.
A Brief History
While the exact origins are uncertain sweet and sour chicken likely originated in the Guangdong province of southern China. Chinese immigrants brought the dish to the United States in the early 1800s and adapted it to appeal to Western tastes. By the late 1900s it had become a staple on Chinese restaurant menus across America.
In the early recipes, the sweet and sour tastes came from things like orange juice or tomato sauce. With time, the famous sweet and sour sauce changed into the well-known mix of sugar, pineapple, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce that we know today. The right amount of sweet and sour turned a simple stir fry into a delicious experience that you can’t stop eating.
The Iconic Sauce
The sauce is the real star of sweet and sour chicken. Its delicious taste comes from combining the tastes of
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Sugar: Provides sweetness. White or brown sugar works well.
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Pineapple: Adds extra sweetness and fruitiness. Crushed pineapple or juice are common.
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Vinegar: Gives the sauce tanginess. Rice wine or white distilled vinegar are typical choices.
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Ketchup: Adds body, flavor and red-orange color.
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Soy sauce: Provides saltiness and savoriness.
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Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce so it coats the chicken.
When these things are cooked together, they make a shiny sauce that has just the right amount of sweet and sour in every bite. You can make the sauce your own by changing things like the amount of sugar or vinegar used.
Crispy, Juicy Chicken
Tender and juicy chicken pieces coated in crispy batter are the perfect vehicle for soaking up that sweet and tangy sauce. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces work well.
The chicken is marinated in soy sauce, garlic and ginger to infuse flavor before coating in a simple batter of flour, cornstarch, egg and baking powder. Frying until golden brown yields that essential crispy texture and locks in the chicken’s juices.
The Supporting Cast
While chicken and sauce are the headliners, the supporting ingredients are important too. Popular additions like bell peppers, onions and pineapple add crunch, flavor and visual appeal.
Quick-cooking veggies like snap peas, carrots or water chestnuts can also be stir-fried with the chicken. Serve the finished dish over a bed of steamed rice to soak up every last drop of that tasty sauce.
Preparation Tips
Making restaurant-quality sweet and sour chicken at home is easy with a few helpful tips:
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Prepare the sauce before cooking the chicken so it’s ready to pour over the finished dish.
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Use paper towels to blot fried chicken pieces and remove excess oil.
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Add cornstarch slurry at the end when reheating leftovers to thicken the sauce again.
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Try swapping in ingredients like pork, shrimp or tofu for different flavor variations.
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For a healthier version, bake or air fry the chicken instead of frying.
A Worldwide Favorite
While originating in China, sweet and sour chicken has become a cherished staple across cultures. Its popularity stems not only from the irresistible contrast of flavors but also from its easy customization.
Cooks can tweak ingredients to balance sweet and sour to their tastes, add personalized veggie mixes and use different base proteins. This versatility, combined with simple preparation, gives sweet and sour chicken worldwide appeal.
Whether enjoying takeout or making it at home, this dish evokes nostalgia while satisfying food cravings. The next time you need a meal that mixes comfort with excitement, turn to this Chinese-American favorite that fuses the perfect flavors into one.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Prepare the Meat & Vegetables. Put the cubed meat and marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. Put the lid on top and leave it alone while you wash and cut the vegetables.
- Make the Sauce. Spoon the sauce into a small bowl and mix it with a whisk. Set aside.
- Fry the Chicken. Set the wok on high heat and add all the oil. Carefully cook the chicken in batches for three minutes on each side. Place the cooked pieces on a wire rack set on a baking sheet to drain. Once all the meat is done, put the tray in a 200-degree oven to keep warm while you fry the rest of the food.
- Cook the Sauce & Vegetables. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Set the heat to high. Stir-fry for a few minutes after adding the greens and pineapple. Add the sauce to the wok, stir it around, and cook for one more minute. Put the cooked meat back in the wok and mix it around to coat it.
- Serve. Plate right away and garnish with the chopped green onions.
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- Baking pan Cover the tray with paper towels to keep it from getting oily.
- Digital Thermometer—While you’re frying, you need to keep the oil at 350 degrees F. A digital thermometer will help you make sure that happens.
Leftover sweet and sour chicken can be refrigerated for up to four days. It’s just as delicious as leftovers, so it’s a great meal-prep dish.
I would heat it up in the microwave in a bowl that can go in the microwave for one or two minutes at a time until it was warm all the way through.
On top of that, you can heat it up in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes.
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The longest you can marinate chicken — even in a mild, not-too-acidic marinade like this one — is 24 hours. Any longer the delicate meat starts to deteriorate to a mushy, unappetizing point that actually becomes tough and chewy once cooked.
I get it — not everyone likes “hot” fruit. But don’t knock it before you try it! The combination of pineapple with savory is one as old as time, and it’s pretty darn good. If you’re trying to replicate the texture of pineapple, you can rely on water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, two common Chinese ingredients. To get the pineapple taste without the texture, you can substitute some of the vinegar with a bit of pineapple juice.
Egg, cornstarch, and flour. Seasonings vary — I use soy sauce, garlic, salt, and white pepper. These ingredients are key to the Chinese velveting technique to make silky, tender chicken. The cornstarch, egg, and flour in this recipe for fried sweet and sour chicken work together to make a golden crust that is light but crispy.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: Any cut can be used because the meat is cubed. I prefer juicy, fatty thigh meat for frying. It’s been marinated in egg, cornstarch, and flour that has been flavored with white pepper. One clear difference between Eastern and Western cooking is that white pepper has a longer-lasting heat. You can use black pepper if it’s all you have. Garlic Powder—I use garlic powder in this sweet and sour chicken recipe because it mix easily with the marinade and gives the meat flavor. You will need about four cloves if you want to use fresh. Light Soy SauceSalt.
- A quick way to make sweet and sour sauce is to mix ketchup, brown sugar (or white sugar), white vinegar (or another neutral-tasting vinegar), and cornstarch.
- Bell Peppers: To get the right taste, use both red and green bell peppers, which are crispier and more bitter.
- Onion: When crisp, sweet red onions cook down, they add a unique, savory sweetness that balances and fights the sweetness of the sauce. Yellow onions are a good substitute.
- If you can’t get fresh pineapple, you can use canned pineapple chunks or thawed frozen pineapple chunks.
SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN RECIPE | SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN WITH PINEAPPLE | SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
FAQ
What is sweet and sour chicken made of?
Sweet and sour chicken is made covering chicken pieces in batter and deep frying them. The cooked chicken is covered in “sweet and sour sauce”. This sauce usually includes canned pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup and spices. Other versions of sweet and sour chicken are eaten around the world, especially in Asia.
What is the difference between General Tso’s and sweet and sour chicken?
As its name suggests, Sweet and Sour Chicken sauce features a sticky, tangy sauce that gets its tartness from vinegar. General Tso’s chicken has a slightly sweet, more umami flavor, along with a kick of heat from dried chili peppers.
What is the difference between orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken?
Orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken are both popular Chinese dishes in the United States. The main difference between them is their sauces and flavors. The sauce on orange chicken is sweet, citrusy, and spicy, while the sauce on sweet and sour chicken is tangier and more balanced in its sweet and sour taste.
What even is sweet and sour sauce?
The dish is served with sweet and sour sauce, typically made by boiling vinegar, sugar, and water with a variety of fruits and vegetables like carrot, cucumber, onion, wood ear mushroom, and pineapple. Starch slurry is used to thicken the sauce.