This recipe for sweet and sour chicken tastes just like your favorite restaurant, but it's homemade! Skip the takeout and bring this Chinese classic to your own kitchen.
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I worked for years to create the perfect Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe — and no, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that!
Sweet and sour chicken has a fun, bright colored sauce with perfectly balanced tangy and sweet flavors. Figuring out the ingredient ratios in the sauce required some trial and error, but the end dish was well worth the effort!
Ingredients like hoisin sauce and Worcestershire sauce add so much depth to this dish and truly make it taste like a restaurant copycat.
Keep reading to learn my top tips and tricks for making homemade sweet and sour chicken!
Tip: Love Chinese food? Try my easy cashew chicken recipe next!
Ingredients in This Recipe
Because the chicken is cooked in a skillet rather than deep fried, this recipe is more like a sweet and sour chicken stir-fry. Don't worry, it still tastes like your favorite restaurant takeout!
To help the chicken crisp up in the oiled skillet, I like to toss it with a little cornstarch. I add roughly diced onion and bell peppers to my chicken, as well as fresh pineapple chunks.
The sweet and sour sauce for the chicken was the toughest part of this recipe to nail down. In the end, I used a combination of the following:
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Hoisin sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Ketchup
- Garlic
Can the Cornstarch Be Substituted?
You could use a similar thickener, such as arrowroot starch, if you're opposed to using cornstarch.
I don't recommend omitting the starch entirely as it's necessary to thicken the sauce and make it super glossy.
Can the Pineapple Be Omitted or Substituted?
If you don't like pineapple in your chicken, you may omit it. Just note that the sweet and sour flavor won't be as pronounced without it.
If you don't have fresh pineapple or it's not in season, you may use canned pineapple chunks that have been packed in water. Be sure to drain them thoroughly before using!
How to Make Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
My goal when creating this recipe was to make it as easy as possible. I think I can safely say I achieved that!
This recipe takes less than an hour to prepare, and it's as easy as whisking together a sauce and stir-frying some chicken and vegetables!
- Make the sweet and sour sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan.
- Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then cook until the sauce is just thickened and translucent.
- Make the rice and set aside.
- Cut the onions, and bell peppers into 1-inch pieces.
- Cut the pineapple into chunks, or drain a can of pineapple chunks.
- Cut the chicken (or pork) into 1½-inch pieces and season with the kosher salt.
- Toss chicken with the vinegar, salt, and cornstarch.
- In a large, high sided skillet, heat some oil over medium-high heat.
- When hot, carefully add the chicken and cook until it's just turning golden and is cooked through.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet and add the onion and bell peppers. Cook until the onion is becoming tender and soft.
- Add the pineapple and sweet and sour sauce.
- Stir in the chicken and serve.
I love serving my Chinese sweet and sour chicken over a bed of steamed rice, garnished with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
Recipe Substitutions to Try
This is a very straightforward recipe, so feel free to play around with the chicken and veggies to use up whatever you have on hand!
- Chicken: Use diced pork tenderloin to make sweet and sour pork. Or, make it vegetarian by using firm tofu (be sure to adjust the cook time if using tofu).
- Veggies: Substitute the bell peppers for another tender vegetable like bok choy, yellow squash, zucchini, or broccoli.
- Sauce: I don't recommend substituting or omitting any of the sauce ingredients. However, you may use less sugar if you prefer your dish more on the sour side. Try the recipe first as written, though!
Tips for the Best Ever Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Use a neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or avocado oil.
- The oil may splatter as the chicken cooks. Consider using a splatter screen to protect your hands and stovetop. Or cook in a deeper, high-sided pan.
- Be careful not to overcook the vegetables. You want them to be crisp-tender, just like at a restaurant!
Rate this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments, questions, and ratings helps other too!
More Asian-Inspired Dinners:
- Sesame Ginger Beef Salad
- Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Braised Pork Curry
- Sesame Chicken Skewers
- Chinese Cashew Chicken
📖 Recipe
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Chicken and Veggies
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (thighs or breasts)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup canola or avocado oil
- 1 cup large diced onion
- 1 cup large diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup large diced green bell pepper
- 1½ cups large diced pineapple (or canned pineapple chunks)
- 2 scallions (thinly sliced)
- Cooked white rice (for serving)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine all of the sauce ingredients. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and stir, cooking until sauce is just thickened and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- For the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1½-inch pieces and season with the kosher salt. In a bowl, toss chicken with the vinegar, then cornstarch and set aside to heat the oil.
- In a large, high sided skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. When hot, carefully add the chicken and cook, turning as needed, until chicken is just turning golden and is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet and over medium heat, add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring, until onion is becoming tender and soft, about 6 minutes. Add the pineapple.
- Add the reserved sweet and sour sauce to the skillet with the vegetables and then stir in the chicken. Heat through, 30 seconds to a minute and then serve over rice garnished with scallions and sesame seeds.
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Notes
Nutrition
Delicious and Easy Chicken Recipes
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Victoria Wynn says
Loved this recipe!
It was easy and tasted delicious. I just used the vegetables I had on hand (zucchini, red onion and red bell pepper) and it was great. The whole family loved it as well.
Tara Teaspoon says
Great to hear Victoria and thank you for sharing. Tara
Amy says
YUM. This is a new staple in my household. Sooo much better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight.
Lindsay Steele says
I love this dish so much! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Wendy Webster says
I have been searching for a homemade sweet & sour for a LONG time. I have finally found one! This was delicious. A double recipe was barely enough for my family of 6 because we all just wanted to eat more! Absolutely lovely dish and definitely quick and easy.
Tara Teaspoon says
Thank you Wendy! So glad to hear your family enjoyed this meal. Tara
Michelle D says
I am not as much a fan of Chinese food in general, however, my guys love it and this was excellent! Thanks for sharing!
Zina says
Thanks for sharing all your amazing skills with us.
Could you air fry the chicken? If so how?
Also have you made a freezer meal out of this recipe?
Looking forward to making this recipe for dinner tonight.
You are wonderful!
Tara Teaspoon says
Hi Zina,
Thanks for sending in your question. I personally haven't tried using an air fryer to cook the chicken in this recipe, but I think you could try coating the chicken and then spraying cooking spray on the chicken and cooking for 10-15 minutes.
Yes! This recipe is perfect for freezing. I freeze individual portions of rice next to a serving of sweet & sour chicken in a freezer container. When I'm ready, I microwave in several minute increments until heated through.
Tara
Zina Johnson says
Thank you Tara for getting back to me. I made this 10 Star recipe and got such rave reviews from my loved ones.
I did try air frying bite size chicken pieces exactly like you said to prep the chicken in your delicious recipe. I cooked the chicken 400 degrees for 8 min. They were perfect. Slight golden crunch and oh so tender. I doubled the recipe and put the leftovers in the freezer for another meal.
You make such a difference with your hard work and talents.
Thank you
Dyan says
I apologize but I didn’t love it. Too strong of a vinegar taste for me. Too tangy I guess I should say. I am not a fan of vinegar anyway and for some reason just all of the different ingredients in the sauce felt labor intensive. And the frying of the chicken in so much oil felt unhealthy and what a mess to clean up! I have tried easier less tangy recipes. Wouldn’t make this again.
Tara Teaspoon says
No need to apologize Dyan! I applaud you for trying it and taking the time to let me know. Not every recipe is for everyone, but I do appreciate the comments.
Also, glad to hear you have other options so you don't miss out on this delicious dish.
Tara