Sweet and Sour Chicken

This Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe features crunchy pan-fried chicken, sweet bell peppers, and pineapple chunks in a lightly sweetened tangy sauce. It tastes much better than Chinese takeout and comes together quickly and easily for a tasty family meal. Serve over brown or white rice or with Chinese noodles.

I add just a couple of pinches of crushed red pepper, which perfectly balances the sweetness of the pineapple and adds just a touch of pizzazz. If you like this dish, try my Hawaiian pizza, chicken fried rice, Szechuan beef, and chicken yakisoba.

This delicious recipe is one of our favorite stir-fries. The chicken pieces are pan-fried, so this recipe does not require deep frying. The chicken has a nice mellow crunch and is moist and tender on the inside. The sauce is flavorful and not overly sweet, perfect for bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions and peppers.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Pineapple juice: for the sauce. I like the 100% juice with no added sugar.
• Apple cider vinegar: rice vinegar can be substituted
• Soy sauce: preferably low-sodium
• Ketchup: organic does taste better
• Chicken: boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Vegetable oil: or canola oil
• Pineapple: I like to use fresh pineapple, but you can use canned as well

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

Whisk together the pineapple juice, garlic, water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Simmer the mixture on low to medium heat until slightly thickened. Cover the sauce and remove it from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken and cornstarch. Toss with tongs to coat. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, shaking any excess cornstarch off the chicken. Cook until nicely browned on all sides. Remove the chicken and put it on a plate while you cook the vegetables.

Add a little more oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until slightly tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan with peppers and onions.

Pour the sauce into the skillet, and add the pineapple, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste. Gently stir to combine and heat until warmed. Serve over cooked rice or Chinese noodles. Garnish with green onions or toasted sesame seeds.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• Cut your chicken into small bite-size pieces so they cook through when browned.
• Cook the sweet and sour sauce until slightly thickened, as it will thicken more upon cooling.
• Use fresh bell peppers and, when seasonably possible, fresh pineapple.
• For a little kick, add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Serve this dish immediately so the chicken and peppers remain crunchy and crisp. Please do not mix them until you are ready to eat.
• I love pineapple, but it can quickly overpower this dish, so don’t get carried away.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Serving Suggestions

• Starch: brown or white rice, Chinese noodles, and rice noodles
• Appetizers: classic egg rolls, pork fried dumplings, cream cheese wontons, and lettuce wraps
• Soup: egg drop soup, wonton soup, hot and sour soup

More Chicken Recipes

Lemon Pepper Wings

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken Quesadilla

Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

You can pull this Sweet and Sour chicken together in about thirty minutes. It is a tasty dish all by itself, but you can serve it over rice or Chinese noodles.

5 from 152 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 391kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh pineapple juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sweet and Sour Chicken

• 1¼ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or bonelss skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1 medium onion large dice
• 1 green bell pepper seeded large dice
• 1 red bell pepper seeded large dice
• 1½ cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 pinches red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Cooked Rice or Chinese noodles

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, combine pineapple juice, garlic, water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. On low heat, simmer until thickened, whisking frequently. Cover and remove from heat.
• In a large Ziploc bag, combine chicken and 1/3 cup corn starch. Shake until coated.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, shaking any access cornstarch off the chicken. Cook until nicely browned on all sides and cooked through about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed so the chicken does not over-brown or stick to the pan. Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the peppers to the skillet and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to low; add the chicken back to the pan with the peppers and onions and cook for 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the skillet, and add the pineapple, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste. Gently stir to combine and heat until warmed. Serve over cooked rice or Chinese noodles.

Video

Notes

• Cut your chicken into small bite-size pieces so they cook through when browned.
• Cook the sweet and sour sauce until it is slightly thickened, as it will thicken more upon cooling.
• Use fresh bell peppers and, when seasonably possible, fresh pineapple.
• For a little kick, add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Serve this dish immediately so the chicken and peppers remain crunchy and crisp. Therefore, do not mix them until you are ready to eat.
• I love pineapple, but it can quickly overpower this dish, so don’t get carried away.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 857mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

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