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Y’all know I love a good takeout recipe, and this easy Sweet and Sour Chicken is so good you’ll never need takeout again. This stir-fried version is quicker, healthier and more practical than frying, making it an ideal choice for easy weeknight dinners and meal prep. The chicken is tender and juicy and the sauce is tangy, sweet, and has a little heat. It’s the perfect comfort food as it’s satisfying and delicious.
If you love takeout and are looking for an easy weeknight dinner, try my delicious Chicken and Broccoli or my tasty Beef and Broccoli Lomein!
What is Sweet and Sour Chicken?
Sweet and sour chicken is a classic Chinese-American dish that features small chicken pieces coated in a tangy and sweet sauce. The flavorful sauce is a balance of flavors, with vinegar giving the sourness and sugar adding sweetness. It’s a favorite for dinner because it’s comforting, easy to make, and full of flavor in every bite.
With traditional style sweet and sour chicken, the chicken is coated in a breading and then deep fried in oil. Once fried, the chicken is tossed with stir fried veggies and sweet and sour sauce.
If you’re craving something lighter but still with the same sweet and sour flavor, then you’re going to love this recipe. This sweet and sour chicken stir fry is vibrant, saucy and so delicious!
Here’s all the reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- Better than Take Out: Yes, really! Not only is it better for you, but it’s packed with the perfect balance of flavors – tangy vinegar and sweet sugar.
- Tender Chicken: The technique we use will give you a tender and crispy chicken without having to fry! We use a famous Chinese technique called velveting to make sure the chicken is perfectly soft and will melt in your mouth. 🤤
- Quick and Easy: This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes, perfect for a busy weeknight or a satisfying weekend meal. You can find all of the ingredients at your local grocery store.
Ingredients You Need
NOTE: The full list of ingredients with measurements is provided in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the perfect cut of chicken for this sweet and sour chicken stir-fry dish. They cook up tender and juicy, making them ideal for frying and pairing with the sweet and sour sauce. You can substitute for boneless skinless chicken thighs, if desired.
- Cornstarch: We use a little bit of cornstarch to keep the chicken nice and crispy without having to fry. 😉 We also make a cornstarch slurry for the sauce.
- Baking Soda: This is my little secret to tenderize the chicken making it super soft and flavorful.
- Bell Peppers and Onions: Use what you have for peppers and onions. I use green and red bell pepper and a white onion. You can use another color of pepper or red or yellow onions.
- Oil: You will need both a neutral cooking oil, like vegetable or canola oil, and sesame oil.
- Ginger: Ginger adds a kick to the dish that adds wonderful flavor.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is also a must!
- Chicken Broth: This serves as the base of the sweet and sour sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Adds enough sweetness to balance out the tanginess of the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Adds depth of flavor to the sauce, making it savory and rich.
- Ketchup: Helps form the base to create the sweet and tangy sauce that makes this dish so irresistible.
- Rice Vinegar: Vinegar brings the perfect amount of tang to the sauce, creating the signature “sour” flavor.
Recipe Tips and Variations
While I love this recipe just the way it’s written, you can customize to make it your own.
- Make it spicy: If you want to kick the heat up a bit, add red pepper flakes to your desired spice level.
- Adjust the sauce: Adjust the sweetness or tanginess of the sauce to your preference.
- Swap out the veggies: You can completely omit the bell peppers if you prefer and just eat it with the chicken and onions. Or you can swap out the bell peppers for whatever stir fry vegetables you have on hand like carrots, baby corn, snap peas, water chestnuts or broccoli.
- Add pineapple: Some people really love adding pineapple chunks to sweet and sour chicken as the sweetness of the pineapple adds extra sweetness. You can use canned or fresh pineapple. Or even add a bit of the pineapple juice to the sauce.
- Prep the ingredients in advance to save time: If you want to save even more time at dinner, you can cut the peppers, onion and chicken in advance to save a little bit of time.
- Garnish: Add more texture, color and flavor with a garnish like sliced green onions or sesame seeds.
Serving Suggestions
Serve sweet and sour chicken recipe with classic white rice, brown rice, shrimp fried rice, egg rolls, or lo mein noodles. I also love my cilantro lime rice.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until warmed through. Or reheat in the microwave.
More Takeout Recipes
Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken (No batter, stir fry)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced thin
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil like vegetable or canola
For the vegetables:
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 large white onion cut into bite sized squares
- 1 large green bell pepper cut into bite sized squares
- 1 large red pepper bell pepper cut into bite sized squares
- 2 tablespoons ginger minced
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
For the sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a large bowl, then sprinkle with baking soda and cornstarch. Pour in the water and mix everything together until evenly coated. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the neutral oil over medium heat. Sear the sliced chicken in batches until fully cooked, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same wok, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and bell peppers until fragrant and slightly softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook briefly until aromatic. Pour in the chicken broth, soy sauce, ketchup, dark brown sugar, and vinegar, stirring to combine. Let the mixture simmer until the flavors meld together, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir in the cornstarch and continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
- Add the sliced chicken back into the wok, stirring to coat it evenly in the sauce. Allow everything to simmer for 5 minutes to meld the flavors. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cut the vegetables into even-sized pieces to ensure they cook quickly and evenly.
- Slice the chicken into thin even-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG!!!
Love this! Taste soo yummy. Better than ordering it. My daughter wanted some but it didnโt last.
Pretty simple. I would definitely do this again
This recipe is top notch! The chicken came out so tenderโฆor as my kids put itโฆBusโn ๐A+
Easy and tasty, just like I like it
Amazing ! So good even for my picky eater he had seconds and thirds !Cant wait for the cook book
I just made this with some Cajun shrimp tonight and it was so good!!!
This was such a delicious recipe!! Simple ingredients and great flavor! Thank you for sharing๐
Itโs delicious!!! Thank you ๐
I’m rating it ahead of cooking this dish because I know my boys and husband are going to tear this up ๐