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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:Â Just enough to give the chicken a quick fry for crispiness.
- Granulated Sugar:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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.
The recipe was easy to follow, and was very,very good
OK. I never post on these but I had to for this recipe, it was SO delicious! I just made it for myself and my boyfriend tonight with some brown rice and it was so great! The recipe was easy to follow and directions were clear. Thank you so much for sharing! Cheers!
Amazing recipe! We didn’t wanna risk the chicken drying or getting any crunchier so we instead warmed the sauce and stirred the chicken in it. That also saved us that 1 hour waiting for it to cook. Delish! Thnx!
Hi everyone 🙂
I had company dropping by for dinner. All I had was chicken breasts. Didn’t know what to do with searched and found this recipe. Personally, I’m not a sweet and sour type of person, but my company was. Since I tend to keep my cooking simple, this was a stretch for me. Served the Sweet and Sour Chicken sprinkled with green onion, on top of steamed white balsamic rice . Side was corn.
Bottom line – OMG, it was delicious! A 4.5 for me and a keeper!!!!
This was AMAZING! I am 18 years old and my mom has been begging me to cook and I tried this recipe. My mother and stepfather checked the trash can to make sure I did not buy the chicken! The chicken tasted amazing!!!! Yummy! Thanks but also bad because now they’ll expect more…
I have this in the oven right now, we’re excited to try it! However when I cooked the chicken all the breading came off.. I followed the recipe so I’m not sure why this happened. Hoping it’s still as good as everyone says!
Yeah the breading shouldn’t have come off. Did you dip it in the cornstarch and then the egg?? How did it turn out?
Yup I followed the recipe exactly how it is. I don’t get it! It was still amazing though! Probably would have been ever better had the breading stayed put, but it’s definitely something I plan to make regularly!
The recipe is very clear. Looks wonderful-going to make it for dinner tonight. Mysons is tired of theAmerican food at my mom’s!
I don’t have apple cider vinegar…is that okay? Is there something else I can add instead?
Amazing delicious recipe, the chicken is still in the oven and i couldnt resist to have a bite!! I am still tasting it!!! 11 stars, definately better than take out!!
Rgds from Panama, Panama!!!
I am right in the middle of cooking it. I’m sure you won’t get back to me in time but is it supposed to look like scrambled eggs and chicken
Yes it will look like scrambled eggs. Just cook them until they are slightly brown. 🙂
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe, was very tasty. Definately making again! I had trouble keeping the corn starch on the chicken when I dipped it in the egg. Perhaps I will get better with practice 🙂
Approx how long do you brown the chicken?
On the stove you brown it just until it gets the coating around the chicken but isn’t quite cooked through. Sorry I hope this helps!
Made this and it was yum! I also shared the recipe to my mom and they liked it. Thank you for this recipe. 🙂
I just made this. I did replace the sugar with a half cup of honey since I try to eat clean. Delicious! My husband loooved it!
I’m going to have to try that!! Thanks for the tip!
Cooked last night, scrummy……. Daughter loved it. Anyone tried freezing it?
Sorry was trying to rate 5 stars but having problems doing so….
Made it yesterday and served with the fried rice, and OMG delicious!
The hubby thought it was delivery! LOL