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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is 1000x better than any takeout! It’s crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and exploding with flavor. There is a reason why this is our favorite recipe on the blog!
This meal is going to blow your family away! I love to complete this meal with this dishes like Homemade Egg Rolls, Cream Cheese Wontons or Easy Fried Rice.
The BEST Sweet and Sour Chicken
I am going to keep this as short and simple as possible…you NEED to make this sweet and sour chicken recipe. This recipe is number one for a reason, it’s absolutely incredible. We have yet to find any takeout restaurant beat this recipe. (And that’s saying something, because I love Chinese takeout!)
A simple cornstarch batter makes each piece of chicken nice and crispy, and the sauce is to die for! It’s savory and sweet with the best hint of tang. The sauce thickens as it cooks, coating the chicken perfectly. Everything is super simple to make, so prepare for this sweet and sour chicken to be a regular in your weekly dinner rotation. Easy takeout at home, what could be better than that? (Find more “better than takeout” recipes here!)
Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients
Restaurant-quality sweet and sour chicken, but from the comfort of your home! These are all the ingredients you’ll need to make the perfect crispy chicken smothered in a mouthwatering, savory glaze. All measurements can be found below in the recipe card.
- Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for easy prep. This recipe also works really well with skinless chicken thighs or pork if you want to switch things up!
- Salt and Black Pepper: Give the chicken its first layer of flavor. Add to taste!
- Cornstarch: Creates a superb crunch.
- Eggs: Helps the coating stick to each piece of chicken.
- Canola Oil: Just enough to give the chicken a quick fry for crispiness.
- Granulated Sugar: Gives the sauce a touch of sweetness. You can also use brown sugar if you’d like! It will give your chicken a deeper, more caramel-like flavor.
- Ketchup: Adds some extra flavor to the sauce.
- White Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar: I love adding a combination of both because it gives the sauce a tangy flavor, but a bit of sweetness too!
- Soy Sauce: A must-add for any savory Asian dish! I used low-sodium soy sauce, but whatever you have on hand works great!
- Garlic Salt: Adds the perfect punch of savory flavor.
Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Recipe
Making this sweet and sour chicken doesn’t take much effort at all! Once you get a taste, you’ll be happy you didn’t order takeout! The crispy breading and flavor of the sweet and sour sauce is seriously the best. You can’t beat the fresh flavor of making Chinese takeout from scratch!
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut your chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and then season with salt and pepper.
- Dip: Add cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs to separate bowls. Dip the chicken FIRST in the cornstarch and then coat in the egg mixture.
- Flash Fry: Heat canola oil in a large pan over medium high heat and cook chicken until brown but not fully cooked throughout. Place the chicken in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Prepare Sauce: In a medium sized mixing cowl, whisk together sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt.
- Bake: Pour over the chicken and bake for an hour. Stir every 15 minutes to coat them in the sauce.
Tips and Tricks
These are a few tips to keep in mind so your chicken turns out as delicious as possible! I’ve also included a few ways to switch things up. That’s the beauty of making sweet and sour chicken at home instead of ordering takeout. You can customize it however you want!
- Method to the Madness: Make sure you first coat your chicken in the cornstarch and then the egg. This method makes the perfect breading for the chicken.
- Flash Frying: Don’t cook the chicken all the way through before baking. You just want to get the chicken lightly brown on the outside, and then it bakes to perfection.
- Vinegar: You can use all apple cider vinegar, but I wouldn’t use all white vinegar, the flavor and zing will be different. If you want a lighter flavor you can also use rice vinegar, it’s still tangy but a little milder.
- Make it Saucy: If you like your dish saucy, double the sauce recipe and place half on the chicken and another half on the stove in a pot at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until thickened.
- Add Veggies: Feel free to add vegetables or pineapple chunks to the dish before baking. (You can even add a little bit of pineapple juice to your sauce!) Chopped red bell peppers, bamboo shoots, chopped onions, broccoli, or snow peas are all great options as well.
Storing Leftovers
One of the great things about Chinese takeout is that it’s super easy to store and reheat. It tastes just as good the next day! Heat up some rice and you have a quick and delicious lunch on your hands.
- In the Refrigerator: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: Leftovers can be frozen too. Just place in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat: Sweet and sour chicken is best reheated on the stove. Reheating it in the microwave can make the chicken rubbery and overcooked. Place leftovers in a saucepan on the stovetop and heat on medium heat, stirring often, until heated through.
More Amazingly Delicious Baked Chicken Dishes
If you have some extra chicken breasts hanging out in your freezer, here are more great ways to use them up! Not only are these recipes insanely delicious, but they’re also super easy to make and use a lot of pantry staple ingredients. Plus, my picky eaters can’t get enough of them which is the biggest win!
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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Equipment
- Utopia Kitchen Cooking Knives
- Fine dine Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic salt. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
- I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you really coat in corn starch first, then egg? It seems like the egg would not stick once chicken is coated in corn starch. Usually it’s the other way around. ?
Yes. It is opposite. But make sure you do it that way because the egg on the outside is needed for the delicious take out like breading. 🙂
I like to use Tyson’s chicken cutlets. They’re already breaded but not cooked. Instead of frying them, I bake them, cut into chunks and add sauce and bake for about 20 minutes or so. I’ve done it both ways & prefer my way – less mess. Great sauce recipe!!!!!
This is a quick and easy option as well! I am glad you liked it! 🙂
In this recipe you skinless boneless chicken breasts, why does it take 45 minutes to cook? Can I cook it for less time? Thank you.
It cooks at a lower temperature. But it browns the chicken up perfectly and makes it so tender. You could possibly cut the time to 30, just make sure it is cooked throughout.
We had this for dinner tonight. It was amazing. I don’t like things real sweet, but I thought this was just right. I did add veggies after it had baked 1/2 hr. and served it over brown rice. I’m definitely trying more of your recipes. Thanks. I give it 5 stars but they won’t fill in on my iPad.
So I make this recipe ALL the time and think I have found the perfect alterations for our family: I double the sauce and add half at the 30 minute mark. I also add about 1/2 cup of Franks Hot Sauce to give it a little spice and smokey flavor. Then I add a can of pineapple tidbits and 1-2 cubed bell peppers. MMMMMmmmm…soooo tasty 🙂 The hot sauce cuts down on the sweetness, too, without giving it too much spice. I use the original buffalo wing flavor.
dumb question it says 3 to 4 chicken breasts is that whole or half?
Made this for supper last night, and as others stated, a little too sweet for my husband and I. I will cut down on the sugar (maybe 1/2 c) and add pineapple next time. I used gluten free corn starch, which makes it a gluten free meal! Other than a bit sweet, it was delicious and will make again!
Did it 2 times and it was a hit both times. I did use a tiny less sugar on 2 time cooking. Kids loved it it said it was better than the chinese restaurant we get from. Making it again this week. Got all the ingredients ready. Thanks for sharing.
We thought the recipe was delicious….and my husband is really picky. He says this is his favorite thing to have for dinner. We both enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for sharing.
We thought the recipe was delicious….and my husband is really picky. He says this is his favorite thing to have for dinner. We both enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for sharing.
I cant figure out if you mean 4 whole chicken breasts (2 halves each) or 4 split breasts —please clarify —-a whole breast is awfully huge!
I was satisfied with the chicken without baking it in the sauce.
OMG! ALYSSA! OMG! First time in but def not last! I was craving fried rice and on most nights, I can usually pop over to my awesome Asian mama’s house for a crack at the “authentic” stuff. I am by NO MEANS being discriminative or racially motivated here when I say authentic. There is a lot of salty deliciousness used from bottles that I can’t read and that makes it authentic to me. It does not by any means make it taste any better but oftentimes, it is hard to get the “like home” taste. In any case, after a quick google led to your fried rice recipe, I had to check out this chicken recipe. Lo and behold! I even had all the ingredients! Granted, I only had boneless skinless thighs so cooking it took just a little longer but BY GOLLY, it was still ROCKIN AWESOME, Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Found this recipe on Pinterest. I want to make tonight for a large group but im considering skipping the first few steps and just baking with sauce ingredients. Thoughts?
I just made this tonight, and I had to turn my computer back on just so I could say thank you for sharing this recipe. IT IS FABULOUS. I am usually pretty hard on myself when I make a new recipe, but I couldn’t find anything bad to say about this! SO. YUMMY.
hey! Question: I’ve never done the cornstarch then egg. Always the cornstarch, then egg, then cornstarch again to double dip. I am nervous doing the egg on the outside much make me end up with scrambled egg. I hope that’s not going to happen – I’m trying this recipe tomorrow 🙂
Yep! Its kind of backwards! Hope it turned out for you! 🙂
What is the serving size for this recipe?
The serving size is 4 to 6 people.