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4.9 from 42 votes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken is made with crispy fried chicken covered in a pineapple sweet and sour sauce. The ultimate Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe is way better than take-out.  

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
  • salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • oil
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
  • 1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup vinegar (rice, apple cider, or white)
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Optional:
  • Red, Yellow, or Orange Pepper (cut into bite-size pieces)
  • 1/4 red onion (cut into bite-size pieces)
  • fresh pineapple (cut into chunks)

Instructions

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a medium pot, add pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, red chili flakes, and ketchup. Heat for 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove it from the heat.
Chicken:
  1. Sprinkle chicken with salt. Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Whisk eggs in a shallow dish. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on a plate.
  2. Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, let it reach 350 degrees. Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
  3. Toss chicken with sweet and sour sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on the rice. Top with fresh pineapple chunks.
  4. If using vegetables, either saute them with a touch of oil before tossing them with the sweet and sour chicken or add them to the sauce. If you add them to the sauce, they will be softer.

Notes

  • If you want a tangier sauce, add 1-2 Tablespoons more vinegar.