This Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe brings crunchy pan-fried chicken with 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 scrumptious 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 full of flavor and is not overly sweet, which is perfect for bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions and peppers.
Ingredients 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
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 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
- 1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or bonelss skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
- 1/3 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
- 1 1/2 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
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Paula
This was so flavorful! And quick to make! Whipping it up took less time than it would have been to drive to our local takeout!
Susan
Easy, quick, delicious!
Stella
This sweet and sour chicken recipe was absolutely delicious! We loved every single bite. This will be on rotation at our house and for good reason. It is amazing.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Stella! I am so happy that you and yours loved it!
Ivan J
So simple yet flavorful. This sweet and sour chicken is one of my family’s favorite dishes! Thanks for the recipe. It is a keeper.
Kat F
Beth, your Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe is a total game-changer! 🍍🍗 Love how it’s packed with flavor and crunch without the hassle of deep-frying. Plus, your tips on handling fresh pineapple are a lifesaver! Thanks for sharing your culinary genius!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kat! So glad that you enjoy the sweet and sour chicken!
Emily
I’ve been searching for a sweet and sour sauce, and this was so perfect! I really enjoyed it with my tofu and rice. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Hannah Bures
I do love this sweet and sour recipe! What a fun and rewarding recipe! I can’t wait to cook this again. Next time I am going to serve it over Chinese noodles.
Ralph
We used to eat our sweet and sour chicken in the local Chinese restaurant. I am glad I found the best recipe. It is so yummy and easy to make!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ralph! I am glad that you like the sweet and sour chicken!
Cambrey A
Your recipe for sweet and sour chicken was absolutely delicious! The combination of tangy sauce and crispy chicken was spot on. Thanks for sharing this mouthwatering recipe! It is going in my recipe file.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Cambrey! So happy that you liked the chicken!
Dick L
I love sweet and sour anything! This was so much better than any sweet and sour chicken recipe I have ever had. The sauce was delicious and it was refreshing to have a healthy helping of peppers and pineapple. Your husband must be one lucky guy!
Beth Pierce
Thank you! I will tell him you said so!
Salem Frost
It was super easy to whip up this sweet and sour chicken recipe. Glad I can make this dish at home as I prefer knowing exactly what goes into meals I serve my family. Thank you for the detailed instructions – followed these exactly and the meal was wonderful.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it, Salem!
Blessings
Hi! I am so Bless and excited to find this recipe, my Husband and I usually get the sweet and sour chicken from Panda Express but we got so tired of getting it from there, you know eating out we wanted to made it at home. When I found this recipe I was so happy I wanted to cry because my Husband and I made it, it came out absolutely delicious, I know fresh pineapple is A must but we used canned pineapple and it came out delicious. God Bless you and thank you so much.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure! I am so glad that you and your husband enjoyed it! We love it too!
Carrie
I made this recipe last night and it is absolutely delicious! I have tried a lot of sweet and sour recipes but this sauce is absolutely amazing!! I chose to make it with steamed chicken just because I wanted a healthier version but it was absolutely to die for and my husb’s been raved about it. We will definitely be making this again for the future and I feel like I have a concrete recipe for sweet and sour chicken. Very easy to make and absolutely worth it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much, Carrie! I am so glad that you and your husband enjoyed the dish. It is one of my favorites.
Nanci
Can this be made with canned pineapple?
Thank you
All your recipes are great.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Nanci! Yes, you can make it with canned pineapple!
Jimmy
Where has this recipe been my whole life. So much tastier than takeout or even sit down at my favorite Asian restaurant. I think the last time I ate there I got two pieces of pineapple in the whole dish. Thanks for the inspiration to make it myself.
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Jimmy!
Kassandra
This is one of my favorite dishes, especially when eating with rice. It’s delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kassandra! I could not agree more!