If I had to nail down our favorite family recipe, this would be it. Invented on a college budget more than ten years ago, this sweet and sour chicken is absolutely divine. A million percent better than any takeout, this chicken bakes up tender with a beautiful crust and is coated perfectly with the sweet and tangy flavors of the sauce. I make this meal often for a simple family dinner and yet it is delicious and fancy enough for company.
Make this. You won’t be sorry!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
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Printable Version with Picture
*Note: if you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients – pour half over the chicken and follow the baking directions in the recipe and pour the other half in a small saucepan. Cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken.
*Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
DIRECTIONS:
For the chicken, cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.
Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe
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Anonymous – unfortunately, I’ve never made any of the steps ahead of time, so I can’t vouch for if it will work ok to do that. I’m a bit afraid of the chicken is fried earlier and refrigerated, it might get a little soggy, but I’m not sure. Let me know if you try it!
This Was so yummy!!! My Husband and I kept saying this is really good, the whole time we were eating it!!! I love all your receipes!! Keep them coming!
Kim – thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you and your husband liked this – it is a real treat around our house and one of my husband’s favorites.
Just tried this the other night and it was sooo yummy! Husband and son loved it too. Very easy to make and with defiently make again. This is the 1st recipe i have made from your blog and i look so forward to making more, next up baked manicotti and vanilla pudding cinnamon buns.
Thanks again!!
The Coopers – I hope you like the manicotti and cinnamon rolls. I’m really glad you liked this sweet and sour chicken. I’ve said it a million times, but it’s true – it is definitely one of our family’s favorites!
I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen blog and have made it several times and shared it with my sister too. My 3 yr old likes to help me prepare the chicken and he loves it too – it IS better than take out!!! Thanks for sharing
Very good recipe. I have twin 15 year old boys and a 13 year old daughter. They all loved it. In the middle of making it I just knew I would need more…..cut up an additional breast. Not a piece of chicken was left. So success. A couple of tips that might already be here somewhere. Please line your baking sheets with foil. It will save you so much time with all the baked sugar in the sauce. As opposed to pouring the sauce over the chicken on the baking sheet….dunk each piece with tongs in the sauce and then place on the sheet. One last tip……use two pair of tongs….one to coat in corn starch and move to egg and pan….a second to flip in pan.. A healthy tip to boot….use grapeseed oil to pan fry instead of canola oil…it is so much healthier for your family’s heart.
Thanks for the great recipe… Houston, Tx
Houston, TX – thanks for the comment and the tips you included for this meal. I’m glad you and your three teenagers (bless your heart!) liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
KimD – You are a good, good mom to let your 3-year old help you out with meals like this. Way to go! I’m so glad you like this recipe…thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Yummo! I made this dish tonight and my husband declared it his new favorite meal! I was wondering if you’ve ever tried simmering this meal in a skillet rather than baking it? My old sweet & sour recipe does this and it makes one less dish to wash, but I didn’t want to mess with this recipe if you’ve tried this method and it didn’t work out! Thanks for ANOTHER great recipe! -Melanie
Melanie – I think that is a fabulous idea to make this a skillet meal, but I’ve never tried it. If you do, let me know! I’m really glad you and your husband liked it.
Thank you, Thank you for this recipe!!! My 7yo daughter has always loved “sticky chicken” but I never had a recipe to make it for her at home. We tried this last night for the first time and it was a HUGE hit for my 3 kiddos and hubby!! Each of them had 2nds…and I learned that next time I just might get to make a double batch =)
Debbie – so glad you liked this! My husband is looking over my shoulder just salivating at the thought of this recipe. He loves it. Thanks for letting me know!
Amy – thanks for commenting! I’m glad your friend of a friend of my Aunt Marilyn (at least that’s the aunt I’m guessing) passed on the blog. And I’m really glad you like this dish! Thanks for letting me know. By the way, here is a link to a fantastic broccoli beef recipe, if you are interested:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/broccoli_beef/
I am hooked on your blog…if I am not mistaken I got your blog info from my friend who got it from a friend who is your aunt or something…anyway, there will NEVER be another reason to go out again for this dish…I made it twice within a week…we love it…now I just have to find a beef and broccoli recipe!
as you already know from my blog post, my husband and I both loved this recipe. It really does taste like it came from a restaurant! my mom is already planning on making it too.
next time I’m adding pineapple!
Nicole – I love your additions. I never would have thought to add maraschino cherries. I always make Asian-inspired food on New Year’s too!
Not only is this recipe nice and simple, it is delicious too! My mother and I use this recipe and add pineapple slices, red & green bell peppers, and maraschino cherries into the baking dish before adding it to the oven. In fact, my boyfriend likes it so much, I have made it 2 years in a row on New Year’s Eve… tonight will make the 3rd year! Thanks so much for the great recipes!
Jenn, wow, that is a lot of work tripling this recipe. I hope the recipients loved it, too!
Mmmmm….it was really good! I made it for two families tonight. A little work tripling the recipe, but definitely worth it!
You never seem to fail me. I had a craving for Orange Chicken tonight and couldn’t find any good recipe’s out there. Then it hit me – I remembered seeing one on your blog. So of course I printed it out and cant wait to try it tonight. My husband and son both love Orange Chicken. Looking forward to surprising them! I will let you know how it turns out!
I just found your blog a few weeks ago and have since made a bunch of meals from it. Delicious! I am making this tonight and it smells SO good right now cooking in the oven. I do have a question though…in the instructions it says to dip in cornstarch, then egg…is that how you do it, or is it egg then cornstarch? Either way I’m sure it will be divine, but the coating will be different. Thanks for this recipe and all the other ones you have posted!!
Anonymous – I get a lot of questions about the egg and cornstarch dipping order. I do it the way it is written in the recipe, even though it seems backwards, because I think it makes for a delightfully thin, crisp coating but I know others have switched the order and it has worked out just fine. Hope you liked the end result!
I made this last night. My entire family loved it! It took some coaxing to get my 3yo to try it but after he did, he wanted more. My only complaint is I wish I’d made more, there wasn’t a drop leftover!! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes you post on your blog:)
MelanieL – this meal is a bit more work than others so I’m glad that your family loved it after you spent the time making it! Thanks for letting me know.
Fantastic!! I made this for friends and was a little nervous being that I hadn’t tried it ahead of time but we were all impressed. The chicken was so tender and the flavors perfect!
Tannis – so glad this worked out. I do that all the time, too – trying out new recipes on guests…sometimes it doesn't work out so well so I'm glad this wasn't a disappointment!
I just found your site and I have printed out a bunch of recipes to try! I love your site and your opinion of each recipe. I really don't like to try a new recipe unless I hear the results and know it's a good one. We had the sweet and sour chicken last night and oh my goodness…it was so so so good!! My husband LOVED it and said it was his new favorite and much better than any of those chinese places. He ate a ton of it! My girls loved it too and I loved it! It was a hit at my house! The sauce is so yummy and the chicken was perfect. Thanks for an awesome recipe! I can't wait to try your other ones!
Hi Liz, thanks for your comment! I'm so glad that you trusted this recipe enough to give it a go and that it was such a huge success. It is one of my husband's favorites! Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you for opening my eyes to how amazing home-made Chinese food can be. This is seriously the best sweet and sour chicken I've ever made myself. Thanks!
Felicia – I saw your post on this and am so glad that this has changed the way you think about Asian cooking!
This recipe was so good I decided to create a blog just to review it. Here is the link to my review with picture included. http://akdrip.blogspot.com/2010/04/sweet-and-sour-chicken.html
I made this for dinner tonight. it was delicious!! husband, 3 1/2 year old boy, MIL, and I all loved it!! I served it over basmati rice, and on the side I made ‘chinese buffet green beans’ from allrecipes.com. sprinkled sesame seeds over everything. chicken was very tender.
thanks for yet ANOTHER great recipe!!
Melanie C. – I’m on my way to check out those green beans – sounds like a perfect accompaniment to this dish. I’m so glad you liked it!
We had this tonight and it was GREAT!!! The chicken was so tender and flavorful…much better than s&s chicken from the chinese restaurant. This is the 1st recipe that I have cooked from your site and I can’t wait to try more. I spent lots of time browsing your blog as I prepared our menu for the month. Lots of your recipes are written on my calendar. Thx so much!
Shaunta – thanks for checking in to let me know you liked this meal! I appreciate your rave reviews and hope you have good luck with any other recipes you try!
Just wondering if you ever used pork with this recipe? By the way I love your website. Thanks for saving my cooking and my husband thanks you as well.
Amber – thanks for your comment! You are so nice. I’ve never tried pork with this recipe but have thought about it many times (does that count?). I’m guessing it would sub just great for the chicken.
Delish! This is amazing! My husband said its better than the restaurant!
Elena – thank you!!
I made this tonight, but I didn’t put it in the oven. I made the sauce and put it in a skillet on the stove top and boiled it with carrots and bell peppers until the sauce was thick and the veggies were tender. I used white rice, already cooked chicken (cubed) and then poured the sauce/veggies over the top. It was a huge hit. Thanks for all the great recipes. You are my number one stop when I’m trying to get some fresh ideas.
Sonya – your adaptations sound delicious! I’m so glad you liked it and your comment was so nice – thank you!
We’re trying this tonight. It’s in the oven right now. I was just wondering if there are any easier ways to coat the chicken besides piece by piece in the corn starch and then the egg. Has anyone every tried putting the cornstarch and chicken in a large zip lock baggie and shaking it around to coat it and then dipping it in egg? Just trying to save a little time and mess. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Alicia – I’ve never tried the bag-and-shake method but it’s worth a try! In fact, I’m making it for a large dinner group in a few weeks and I may give that method a try. It definitely is one of the more time consuming meals I make but I hope you think the results are worth it!
Oh yes, the results were definitely worth it. Even my pickiest eater asked for seconds. The whole family enjoyed it!
I’m relieved, Alicia! Thanks for checking back in to let me know.
Melanie-
What kind of vinegar do you use? I am excited to make these.
Yours is my favorite blog for RECIPES!
Thanks always for your time.
Natalie
Hi Natalie – I use apple cider vinegar when I make this. Hope you like it!
Thanks for your quick response. I made your honey lime enchiladas tonight for the second time. Soooo Yummy. I picked up my 14 year old from school and she asked what was for dinner. She was so excited it was the enchiladas. Thanks again for sharing your great recipes.
Natalie – glad you liked the enchiladas! It’s always a plus when the kiddos are happy BEFORE dinner (instead of dreading what’s on the menu).
ACK!! Everytime I stumble across another ‘must try’ recipe on your blog, I panic….what else am I missing!!? OH the stress!!!!!!
I am a HUGE fan of all chinese food Ah heck, who am a I kidding, I’m a huge fan of all things edible. I finally found an AMAZING recipe for ginger beef the other night, so I am soooo excited to be able to try this out and add it to my ‘chinese food’ recipes. (we have NO good chinese food restaurants in this entire city!) *sigh*
Thanks Mel, can NOT wait to try this out!!!!!! YUMMMMMY!!!! I know it will be awesome cuz thus far, every single recipe I’ve tried (what am I at now, 100?!!) {{lol}} has been nothing short of fabulous.
okay, this may be my favourite recipe YET!!!!!!!!! absolutely, unbelievably, undeniably DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!
Yay, Mia! So glad you liked this one, too!
This was great. I was a little worried that there would be scrambled eggs in my chicken, but there weren’t. My mom made a recipe very similar to this that she got from a local restaurant. So great.
Sally – thanks for your comment! I’m glad this worked out despite your initial reticence.
I made the sweet and sour chicken last night with jasmine rice and broccoli and it was delicious!!! My 8 year old said that this is one of her favorites – yay!!!
Thanks, Brenda – glad this meal came through for you!
I cook for 5 adults and three kids daily, it is very rare to find something everyone likes. However I made this recipe tonight and all I heard was, “So when are you going to make that again?” Thanks for the recipe!!
Shannon – you are amazing to cook for all those people every day! I’m glad this meal pleased everyone…great news!
Melanie, we loved loved loved this! I’ve had it on the “to make” list and finally did tonight. My hubby said it was better than take out, and I agree! I just can’t get enough of your recipes, because every single one has been beyond delicious! Thank you!
Hey Ashley – so fun to hear from you and I’m happy that you liked this meal! Thanks so much for your sweet comment!
so delicious, Melanie! we all loved it! i will definitely be making this again. thanks for another winner~
Thanks, Jeanette!
This was SO GOOD! I doubled the recipe, but cooked it in a 9×13 pan. I should have spread it out on a cookie sheet so it could have stayed a bit crispier, though. My husband said it was “the best sweet and sour chicken he’s ever had”.
I was just wondering if the coating is supposed to be crispy after baking. I made it exactly as written, and it was fabulous. However, the coating came out soft, so I was wondering if I did something wrong. I baked it in a 13 x 9-inch Pyrex dish. Maybe if I’d used a different kind of pan?
Veronica – I would say the coating doesn’t stay overly crisp. When I make it, the chicken and coating soaks up some of the sauce and the coating softens a bit. it shouldn’t be soggy, by any means, but it definitely isn’t crunchy and crispy. I use a glass 9X13-inch pyrex dish, too. One way to combat this would be to bake the chicken without the sauce and thicken the sauce on the stove and pour the sauce over the chicken while serving it. The chicken probably won’t be as flavorful with the sauce flavor but it would keep the coating a bit less soft (or you could just fry the chicken until completely cooked through in the first step and serve it alongside the sauce).
TraciW – so glad you and your husband liked this! Thanks for letting me know.
Oh. I made this. Oh. SO. GOOD. We all loved it!! It was easy and I can’t wait to make it again!
Thanks, Sara – glad it was a hit!
Thanks for your reply! It is a great recipe and I will make it the same way next time. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing something wrong.
Oh, wow, this was great. My toddler and baby ate it! Hooray! I added those Chinese noodles, green onions, and pineapple wedges to my bowl, thanks again. Off to try another recipe of yours:)
YAY yet another winner of a recipe!! I made this tonight and everyone loved it. Thank you soooo much:)
Thanks, Sonya!
Erin – glad this was such a hit with your kids! I love your additions of noodles…yum!
How long does the chicken cook?
Made it tonight-Kids Loved it!! Thanks!
Thanks, Liz. I’m assuming you figured out the time the chicken cooks and I’m glad you and the kids liked it!
oh my goodness, these were so good! i was so proud of myself for making something that tasted like food from the chinese restuarant! i just don’t think i really expected these to turn out so fabulous but they sure did! thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Erica – glad you liked this meal, thanks for letting me know!
I heard about this recipe the other day and had to make it that night! This was great!! I loved the sauce cooked down on the stove, so similar to the take-out sauce. I added some bell peppers, pineapples and onion to ours the last 20 minutes of baking. Mr. loved it, so it’s a keeper and is being shared (and linked back) on my blog. =)
Rachelle – I love that idea of adding pineapple and bell peppers to the mix. I’m glad you liked it!
This was wonderful! I decided to make it, but I was somewhat skeptical because I’ve made it before and it really wasn’t that good. But YOUR recipe is just so delicious. I had my husband run by and picked up the fried rice from the restaurant. My kids said this chicken was far better than the takeout we normally get. I think the cornstarch instead of flour makes a big difference. Also…the sauce is great.
Cindy – I’m glad another attempt at sweet and sour worked out well for you! Thanks for letting me know.
I made this last night and it was WONDERFUL! My husband loved it and it’s definitely being put into heavy rotation at our house!
Thanks, Amy!
I might have already commented on this to say it’s one of the best recipes I’ve seen in years. But I wanted to add that I use half the amount of sugar the recipe calls for with delicious results. Just in case anyone was wondering about using less sugar.
Christina – thanks for the tip on less sugar!
Looks so good! Love your site and recipes! What kind of vinegar do you use in this?
Hi Jennica – I usually use apple cider vinegar in this recipe.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve come across on a food blog… amazing!
Thanks, Liz!
This is amazing! We all loved it and gobbled it up. It was so easy to make and it tasted just like the sweet and sour chicken from Chinese restaurants, except maybe better! Thank you Mel!!!
Thanks, Kensi!
Just came across your blog and Love it! Made this for dinner tonight and it was a HUGE hit. This will be a definitely be something I make a lot from now on–thanks!
Thanks, Kim! I’m glad the first recipe you tried turned out so well!
Yum! Loved this. I love that I can make this at home and won’t have to go for take-out.
I am making this for dinner tonight. I have been wanting to make it for a long time and haven’t gotten around to it. It looks/sounds delicious… can’t wait!
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for some time now and I finally made it last week. Oh. My. Goodness. WOW! So much better than take out. It’s great because I already had everything on hand! Love your site! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Kathleen – thanks for checking in to let me know you liked this!
Melanie, I made this recipe for my family a few weeks ago and they LOVED it! I can’t wait to make it again, thank you so much!
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