Quick and Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken — This sweet and sour chicken recipe takes just 15 minutes to make and tastes way better than takeout. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Table of Contents
I’m all about a 15-minute dinner. Especially when it tastes better than what I’d get in a restaurant, it’s healthier, less expensive, and faster than calling for takeout. Score on all fronts.
This recipe features a simple sweet and sour sauce that’s packed with the perfect balance of sweet yet sour Asian flavors. Soy, sesame, garlic, and more.
The homemade sweet and sour sauce coats the chicken beautifully and really makes this dish what it is. You’ll likely have extra, which I could eat by the spoonful. It’s great over rice or veggies.
Before cooking the chicken it’s tossed with cornstarch, which helps keep it moist, tender, juicy, and provides a very lightly ‘breaded’ exterior without actually breading it.
Ingredients Needed
For both the chicken and the homemade sweet and sour sauce, you’ll need the following:
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Ketchup
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Cornstarch
Chicken
- Chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cornstarch
- Green onions (optional, for serving)
- Sesame seeds (optional, for serving)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
Making homemade sweet and sour chicken is so much easier than you may think! If serving with rice, be sure to get it started first so it’s done by the time the chicken is ready to eat.
- Make the sweet and sour sauce: It consists of sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, corn starch, and water. Add everything but the water and cornstarch to a saucepan.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then combine the water and cornstarch in a separate bowl before adding it to the homemade sweet and sour sauce.
- Let that bubble away for a few minutes until it thickens up.
- Make the chicken: Add the diced chicken into a baggie with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper and toss to coat the chicken pieces fully.
- Fry the chicken in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil (no need to deep fry!).
- Once the chicken is cooked, pour in the sweet and sour sauce and continue cooking until the chicken is coated in sauce and heated through.
Serving tip: I like to serve my homemade sweet and sour chicken with rice and sprinkle chopped scallions and sesame seeds on top as garnishes. I adore the contrasting textures!
Recipe FAQs
If desired, you could dice the chicken a day or two ahead of time and you can also whisk together the sweet and sour sauce beforehand. That way, all you have to do is quickly throw everything in a pan the day you plan on making the recipe.
I bet you could, although I prefer my chicken without pineapple.
If using canned pineapple, make sure it’s packed in water and not syrup. Drain well before adding to the skillet at the very end of the cook time.
If using fresh pineapple, add to the skillet just before stirring in the sauce. You want the pineapple to heat through, but still retain some bite.
If you want to make this Chinese sweet and sour chicken with veggies, like broccoli or sugar snap peas, add them after you add the sauce to the chicken and let them simmer in the sauce for a few minutes until they’re crisp tender.
This recipe calls for chicken breasts, but you could use thighs as well. You want boneless, skinless thighs though. I don’t recommend using bone-in chicken for this Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe.
Video Tutorial
What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Chicken
- about 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary
- 2 green onions, sliced into thin rounds, optional for garnishing
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional for garnishing
Instructions
Make the Sauce
- To a medium saucepan, add all ingredients except water and cornstarch, whisk to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- To a small bowl, add the water, cornstarch, and stir to combine.
- Add the water and cornstarch mixture to saucepan, reduce heat to low, and allow sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes while you make the chicken; whisk intermittently.
Make the Chicken
- To a large ziptop bag, add the chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper to taste, seal, and shake to coat chicken evenly.
- To a large skillet, add 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until chicken has cooked through. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking. If skillet seems dry while cooking, add an additional tablespoon or two of oil as necessary.
- After chicken has cooked though, reduce heat to low, add the sauce, stir to coat evenly, and allow it to simmer for a minute or two.
- Optionally garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Chinese Chicken Recipes:
Better-Than-Takeout Cashew Chicken – Juicy chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and crunchy cashews coated with the best garlicky soy sauce! Skip takeout and make your own restaurant-quality meal that’s easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthier!
Easy Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice – One-skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never want takeout again after tasting how good homemade is! Way more flavor, not greasy, and loads of juicy chicken!
Healthy Sesame Chicken and Broccoli — Skip takeout and make this Asian favorite at home in just minutes!! So EASY and HEALTHIER than what you’d get in a restaurant but tastes just as AWESOME!!
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe — An easy, BETTER-THAN-TAKEOUT recipe with juicy chicken and such a flavorful sauce!! Don’t call for takeout when you can make this HEALTHIER version at home in 20 minutes!
Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken — Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this AMAZING sticky chicken at home in 15 minutes!! So EASY with the perfect balance of sweet and spicy with plenty of sticky sauce!!
Healthier Orange Chicken — Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this HEALTHIER orange chicken at home in less than 10 minutes!! EASY, authentic, and so INCREDIBLE that you’ll never miss the fat and calories!!
Chicken Chow Mein — Chewy chow mein noodles, crisp-tender veggies, and juicy chicken are stir-fried in a sesame-soy sauce! It’s a SIMPLE and FAST recipe that anyone can make.
Originally posted on January 18, 2017 and reposted on August 12, 2022 with updated text.
I used 1/4 cup sugar and it tasted just fine and still had a reasonable consistency, no need for that much sugar!
Ok great to hear that it worked fine for you with less!
Hi, this is a great recipe. However, I had a hard time with the cornstarch. I have never worked with cornstarch and I was not sure what the consistency should look like. The cornstarch did not stick to the chicken. Any advice?
Hi, this is a great recipe. However, I had a hard time with the cornstarch. I have never worked with cornstarch and I was not sure what the consistency should look like. The cornstarch did not stick to the chicken. Any advice?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out great for you!
If you add the ingredients to a ziplock baggie, ie. chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper, the cornstarch (powdery fine texture like baby powder in a way) it really should stick to the chicken. You may have to help ‘pack it on’ a little bit by pressing from the outside of the baggie but it’s not much and should easily stick to the moist raw chicken. Maybe next time be a little more assertive in squishing it around in the baggie with your fingers from the outside to help it stick more.
I just loved this fish. Made it twice so far this week. It will surely become part of the regular rotation. Thank you for posting!!
I. Made. This recipe while naked however I had to put a shirt on while frying chicken. Was very good. I added red bell peppers and pineapple chunks along with Mandarin oranges. Exceptional
I. Made. This recipe while naked however I had to put a shirt on while frying chicken. Was very good. I added red bell peppers and pineapple chunks along with Mandarin oranges. Exceptional
I. Made. This recipe while naked however I had to put a shirt on while frying chicken. Was very good. I added red bell peppers and pineapple chunks along with Mandarin oranges. Exceptional
Anytime I cook chicken, there is always a bit of splatter. Glad it was exceptional for you.
Delicious, pulled back on the sugar to 1/2 cup.
Delicious, pulled back on the sugar to 1/2 cup.
Thanks for the five star review and glad it was delicious with the reduced sugar!
I made the sweet and sour chicken, it came out awesome! Thank you for this recipe!!!
I made the sweet and sour chicken, it came out awesome! Thank you for this recipe!!!
Glad to hear it was awesome!
This was delicious and tasted exactly like takeout! Made a half-batch as there are only 2 of us. Cut up some carrots & green peppers and lightly sauted-steamed them on their own & added to chicken at end, otherwise made exactly as directed. A winner which I will make again – may even try it with pork or shrimp next time.
This was delicious and tasted exactly like takeout! Made a half-batch as there are only 2 of us. Cut up some carrots & green peppers and lightly sauted-steamed them on their own & added to chicken at end, otherwise made exactly as directed. A winner which I will make again – may even try it with pork or shrimp next time.
This was delicious and tasted exactly like takeout! Made a half-batch as there are only 2 of us. Cut up some carrots & green peppers and lightly sauted-steamed them on their own & added to chicken at end, otherwise made exactly as directed. A winner which I will make again – may even try it with pork or shrimp next time.
Glad it turned out great for you and you’ll make it again!
Where is the measurements? I went to the store bought all the ingredients. Now I’m ready to start cooking for my family and just realized, I don’t see how much corn starch I need or soy sauce?
All is listed, keep scrolling.
loved this recipe averie! but it has a very strong vinegar taste. should I just cut on vinegar next time??
Yes I would say halve it then; or change vinegars. I use Bragg’s brand apple cider vinegar and have never had that issue but everyone’s tastes are different.
Glad you loved the recipe overall!