This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.
Sweet and Sour Chicken is kid friendly, even your pickiest eaters will love it and it is guaranteed to become part of your regular meal plan rotation.
It is the perfect 30 minute dinner idea.
This version of Sweet and Sour Chicken has definitely become a family favorite. I am not a big fan of the heavily breaded Sweet and Sour you usually get at Chinese places but this version is light and yummy! Some Sweet and Sour Chicken is overly sweet and this one is just the right amount of sweetness with only 1/4 cup of brown sugar. A lot of the sweetness comes from the pineapple juice.
Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of my favorite things to order at a Chinese restaurant. If you prefer Sweet and Sour Pork, just substitute pork for the chicken. Making it at home is so easy though you may never need to order out again!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Cut your chicken into bite size pieces and then lightly coat with flour.
- Heat your olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until cooked through. Don’t overcook your chicken which is easy to do when it is cut into small pieces. I often pull it out a minute before I think it is done. Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl while you cook the rest.
- Add your peppers or onions to the pan, there should be enough oil still in the pan. Cook until onions and peppers are tender.
- Mix together your sauce and add it into the pan along with the peppers and onions. Stir over a low boil for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add in your chicken and pineapple chunks into the sauce and stir to coat. Serve over rice.
It is great for a weeknight dinner because it is quick and easy to prepare and it is a pretty one with those slices of red pepper. I love to serve it with some white rice and a green salad and you’ve got a complete meal in under 30 minutes.
Other quick and easy 30 minute meal ideas:
If you’ve tried Sweet and Sour Chicken or any other recipe on Your Homebased Mom, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, party ideas and travel tips and what I’m up to on a daily basis!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 6 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 20 oz. pineapple chunks reserve juice
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice use reserved juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/4 cup onion sliced
Instructions
- Coat chicken in flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and fry in olive oil until browned
- Drain and set aside
- In same skillet, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, chicken broth and soy sauce
- Cook and stir until boiling
- Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes
- Add chicken, peppers, onions, and pineapple
- Cook until heated through
- Serve over rice
Nutrition Facts:
Originally shared January 5, 2012
Deb says
I just made this!!!! AWESOME! I doubled the sauce to have extra for pan heating!!! FAB!!!!!!!!
Kelsey says
Mmmm I’ve been craving Chinese…can’t wait to make this tonight. I’m out of garlic salt can I replace it with garlic powder and salt?
Leigh Anne says
That should work fine!
Kelsey says
Yet another delicious meal thanks to you! 🙂 Thanks again.
Heidi says
Making this tonight! I will stirfry a bit of broccoli and peppers to round out the meal.
Annella says
This was delicious! I’ve been GF for nearly 5yrs and this turned out exactly the way I remember S&S chicken from our local Chinese Restaurant. I love that the chicken isn’t deep-fried and the sauce was perfect. In fact, I think I’ll make extra next time! I was a little slow at the cornstarch/egg dipping step, but hopefully will get faster next time. Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
This was such a hit at our house last night! My 17 year old daughter said it was the best blog recipe I have tried ever (she is very critical because I have made lots of good recipes)! Thank you….
Amanda says
I saw this and a light bulb went off in my head! CORN STARCH? Why haven’t I thought to do a GF breading with that before, and I tried it tonight to make chicken fingers and it was the BEAST I’ve tried since becoming GF 13 years ago! Not a BIG Sweet and Sour fan but It sure helped me with making a great meal for my family and they all loved it too! (I did add spices to the cornstarch)
Amy says
im making this right now! looks amazin! did you use just regular white vinegar or rice vinegar?
Leigh Anne says
I used white but either would work
Wendy B says
I just pinned this! Yummy, thank you.
Barbara says
I was looking for a dinner suggestion last night, and there it was, my husband loves Sweet and Sour, so this was a winner. Except, he likes a lot of sauce so I always have to make twice the amount,. Also with leftovers, it absorbs the liquid. He loves the leftovers, I dont.