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This sweet and sour chicken recipe is an easy chicken dinner recipe that’s easy to make, loaded with flavor, and ready in just 30 minutes. Tender and juicy chicken with each bite!
Tender and juicy sweet and sour chicken recipe thats full of flavor and an easy weeknight dinner recipe to serve your family. This asian chicken 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.
Why you will love this easy asian chicken recipe
- Healthier than takeout: This sweet and sour chicken is a healthier take on the classic Chinese takeout. Made without breading and frying the chicken.
- Easy to make: This recipe is actually really easy to make after you cook the chicken and veggies, all you need is to add the sweet and sour sauce.
- Delicious: You will be pleased with this sweet and sour chicken recipe. So flavorful and perfect to serve over rice or quinoa.
Ingredients you will need
groundnut oil (peanut oil)
boneless skinless chicken breasts
red bell peppers
yellow bell pepper
small yellow onion
garlic cloves
1-inch knob of ginger
low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos liquid
honey
Worcestershire sauce
white vinegar
tomato paste
cornstarch
pineapple or 1/4 from a big pineapple
green onion for serving
toasted sesame seeds for serving
Optional: cooked rice
How to make homemade sweet and sour chicken from scratch
- 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.
Recipe notes and tips
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Sweet and sour sauce is made of cornstarch, water, cider vinegar, sugar (or honey), ketchup or tomato paste, and soy sauce, all cooked in a saucepan until thickened. The thickened sauce is then poured over either chicken or shrimp.
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.
Other easy chicken recipes
- Creamy Chicken Stew
- Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Tandoori Chicken
- Chicken Puttanesca
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Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil, divided
- 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 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 small pineapple , or 1/4 from a big pineapple
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced green onion for serving
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds for serving
- Optional: cooked rice
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire, vinegar, tomato paste, and 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 pineapple chunks.
- Toss everything to combine and coat with the sauce.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion 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.
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.