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This sweet and sour chicken recipe is an easy chicken and rice recipe that’s loaded with flavor and ready in just 30 minutes. Tender and juicy chicken with each bite! The kids will love it and you would want to add it to your weekly dinner menu.
You may also love my chicken burrito bowl or this chicken tostadas recipe.
Tender and juicy sweet and sour chicken recipe that’s full of flavor and such an easy dish to put together to serve your family. This recipe is better than takeout and ready in just 30 minutes. Made with lean chicken breasts, pineapple chunks, peppers, and tossed in with a sweet and sour sauce. You will never buy Chinese takeout again after you make this sweet-and-sour chicken recipe.
Ingredients you will need
Below is a list of ingredients you will need to make this dish. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
How to make sweet and sour chicken
- Prepare and cook the veggies: Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add prepared veggies and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to get tender. Set aside.
- Next, cook the chicken: To the same preheated skillet, add garlic, ginger, and fry for 1 minute. Add in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and cooked through.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire, vinegar, tomato paste, and cornstarch. Whisk well until cornstarch is fully dissolved.
- Mix the sauce in with chicken: Pour this mixture over the cooked chicken and stir to coat, allowing it to simmer for a couple of minutes; You’ll see it begins to thicken almost immediately.
- Combine chicken and veggies: Return the cooked veggies back to the pan, together with the pineapple chunks. Toss everything to combine and coat with the sauce.
- Serve: Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion and serve over cooked rice, if desired.
Tips from my kitchen
- Veggies: I used red and yellow peppers, but you may add in other veggies like carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, or leeks.
- Oil: if you don’t have peanut oil, you may use sesame oil.
- Garlic and ginger: I highly recommend you use fresh garlic and ginger for optimum flavor.
- Use coconut amino in place of soy sauce for a low-sodium option.
- Honey: You may use brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Chicken: Use lean chicken breast. Other options can be boneless chicken thighs or skip the chicken and use shrimp.
Frequently asked questions
Some substitute to consider in place of cornstarch are plain white or wheat flour, arrowroot flour, tapioca, or rice flour.
Save leftover sweet and sour chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat.
You can freeze sweet and sour chicken for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.
Use any other protein like salmon, shrimp, or beef.
More chicken recipes
- Creamy Chicken Stew
- Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Tandoori Chicken
- Chicken Puttanesca
- Chicken Tostadas
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons groundnut oil, divided, or sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1- inch knob of ginger, grated or minced
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce , or coconut aminos liquid
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 small pineapple , or 1/4 from a big pineapple
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion for serving
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds for serving
- cooked rice, Optional, or quinoa
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of oil (from 2 tablespoons groundnut oil) in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add prepared veggies (2 red bell peppers, 1 yellow bell pepper, and 1 small yellow onion) and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to get tender. Set aside.
- To the same preheated skillet, add 3 garlic cloves, 1- inch knob of ginger, and fry for 1 minute. Add in the 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce , 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk well until cornstarch is fully dissolved.
- Pour this mixture over the cooked chicken and stir to coat, allowing it to simmer for a couple of minutes; You’ll see it begins to thicken almost immediately.
- Return the cooked veggies back to the pan, together with the 1 small pineapple chunks.
- Toss everything to combine and coat with the sauce.
- Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds for serving and 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion for serving and serve over cooked rice, if desired.
Notes
- Veggies: We used red and yellow peppers, but you may add in other veggies like carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, or leeks.
- Oil: if you don’t have peanut oil, you may use sesame oil.
- Garlic and ginger: we highly recommend you use fresh garlic and ginger for optimum flavor.
- Use coconut amino in place of soy sauce.
- Honey: You may use brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Chicken: Use lean chicken breast. Other options can be boneless chicken thighs or skip the chicken and use shrimp.
- Storage: Place leftovers in a container and store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat. You can freeze for up to 3 months.
- Nutritional facts: For one cup of sweet and sour chicken without rice. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved it!
Great recipe, easy to make and the kids enjoyed it.
Thanks for the feedback!
Love it. Made double this time.THANK you so much.
Was easy to make and you can use any Vegetables. Just clean your fridge out.
amazing. What a great idea
Absolutely delicious . Very easy to make.
Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks for the feedback Maria
I made this tonight dish nov 1,2021, family loved it. It will be a staple dinner because it is so easy to make. ❤️
Perfect. Glad everyone loved it.
That’s very great recipe and the whole website! Helpful & good looking
Thank you!
Looks delicious.
Can you put more recipes of chicken and vegetables or any but cooked in oven please
I did the one with asparagus, everyone love it .
Thanks for your delicious recipes
Of course. I will keep it in mind.
Delicious and easy to make Made this last night. Hubby loved it too!
Thank you karen. Glad your hubby loved it.
This was super easy to make!! I only tasted a tiny bit as it didn’t fit my calorie intake for today but what I did tasted was amazing!!! I can’t wait to have some later today
Thank you so much.