Sweet and sour chicken – Skip the take out and make this delicious recipe at home! The sweet and sour sauce is absolutely to die for. Serve with rice and fresh vegetables for the perfect dinner!
This sweet and sour chicken recipe is perfect for when we’re craving takeout. I love that we can make it at home and it’s even more delicious! We also love to make easy veggie beef ramen, baked teriyaki chicken and slow cooker honey chicken.
Sweet and sour chicken
I am so excited to share this sweet and sour chicken recipe that my family absolutely loves. My whole family is a fan (even the kids). This recipe will definitely be going in your “favorites file.”
I have to admit… I’m usually not a huge fan of Chinese food when we go out because I am super picky about meat, but I love making it at home. This yummy sweet and sour chicken recipe came from my friend Alison, however I added in a few of my favorite spices and loved the end result! The homemade sweet and sour sauce is what really takes this recipe over the top. If you’re in a hurry, you could always use store-bought too.
Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce
The sweet and sour sauce on top is heavenly. So good and definitely worth making it homemade! It’s what helps take this sweet and sour chicken recipe to the next level. Plus it’s really easy to make. You just need the simple ingredients below to get started.
- Sugar
- Ketchup
- Garlic salt
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
How do you make sweet n sour chicken?
Scroll down for printable sweet and sour chicken recipe and video tutorial.
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- Place chicken, corn starch, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a large zip top bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated.
- Over medium heat, add 1/4 cup oil in large frying pan. Dip chicken in egg mixture and use a fork to place in frying pan. I did half of the batch first. Fry both sides of chicken for about 2 minutes a piece and place chicken on the pan. Dispose the burnt oil and then heat up the rest of the oil and finish the other batch of chicken.
- Next, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a medium size bowl. Then pour sweet and sour sauce over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken out and flip to evenly coat it with sauce. Then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
Tips for making sweet and sour chicken
- Prep the chicken and seasoning ahead of time. Use a zip top bag for easy clean up.
- To test if the oil is hot enough, splash a little water on the oil. If it pops, it’s ready.
- Use tongs and an oven safe mit when flipping the sweet sour chicken.
- Double the sweet and sour sauce if you’d like extra for dipping the chicken in.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 1/4 pound chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
- 3/4 cup corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs (whisked)
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar (distilled vinegar will work too)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
For serving: Cooked rice and broccoli and/or carrots
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- Place the chicken, corn starch, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a large ziplock bag and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and place in the frying pan with a fork. I did half the batch first. Fry both sides of the chicken for about 2 minutes a piece and place chicken on the pan. Dispose of the burnt oil and then heat up the rest of the oil and finish the chicken.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Next, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken out and flip the chicken to evenly coat it with sauce. Then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
So so good. I cannot wait to make this sweet and sour chicken recipe again and again!
So have you tried making sweet and sour chicken at home? Give it a try! It’s a little bit of work… but SO worth it! Your family will love you even more. ;)
I have made this recipe twice. Both times with success. I took it to a family gathering and everyone liked it.
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Mary. :)