Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Easily the most popular recipe on my blog, this baked sweet and sour chicken is a miracle of a dish. Baked, not fried, it has been a family favorite for over a decade!
Invented on a college budget almost 20 years ago, this baked sweet and sour chicken is the most popular recipe on my blog. And even better, it still remains one of our family favorites.
You may have seen this recipe floating around the internet; it’s everywhere! And for good reason. It’s crazy delicious.
I’m happy (and yes, a little proud) to acknowledge that the delectable sweet and sour chicken recipe originated here (posted way back in 2008, it was one of the first recipes I ever shared on my blog!).
With over 800 comments, 50+ 5-star reviews, and almost half a million pins/shares, that quick glance will tell you there is something special about this recipe.
How to Make Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
The chicken for this recipe is flash-fried in a little bit of oil before going into a pan and into the oven to be baked fully.
There’s a good reason for this process:
- It gives a delicious browned “crust” on the chicken pieces
- The sweet and sour sauce is poured onto the par-baked chicken and everything bakes together in the oven – this fully cooks the chicken AND thickens and develops the flavors of the sauce
I have streamlined the chicken coating-and-cooking process to make it ultra-simple.
First, place the chicken pieces in a ziploc-style bag and toss with a bit of salt and pepper.
Second, add the cornstarch, seal the bag, and shake until the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
It might seem strange to coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch before dipping in egg, but it’s the preferred method here, and it works – I promise!
Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces into the egg mixture.
Instead of doing this one little piece at a time, I dump several pieces of chicken in at once, toss around with a fork until the egg mixture fully coats the chicken and then replenish with more chicken as they go into the hot pan.
A Key to Making Sweet and Sour Chicken
Remember that the chicken pieces are just getting a quick minute in the hot pan so they are golden on the outside.
You don’t need very much oil, but you DO need to make sure the pan is hot and rippling before adding the chicken.
Here are a few things that will help:
- Use a nonstick pan – this means you can use less oil and still get beautifully golden chicken pieces.
- Heat the oil in the pan until it is hot enough that the chicken sizzles immediately when added to the pan.
- Cook for just a few seconds on each side until the “crust” is golden brown – you don’t want to cook the chicken completely in this step!
Sweet and Sour Sauce
The sauce for this baked sweet and sour chicken consists of:
- sugar
- ketchup
- vinegar
- soy sauce
- garlic powder
There is just the right amount of sauce for the breaded chicken pieces to bake in without becoming saturated and soggy. As the sauce simmers in the oven with the chicken, it thickens and coats the chicken with a caramelized sweet and sour glaze.
If you like extra sauce, simply whisk together another batch of sauce and simmer it on the stovetop for 8 to 10 minutes to serve alongside the baked sweet and chicken.
A Very Popular Recipe
There are over 500 5-star reviews for this amazing recipe; I’ll highlight just a few:
Stephanie: Amazing! My whole family loved this recipe! Tasted like it was from a restaurant and it was SO easy to make! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Erin: First time poster – this was FANTASTIC. I doubled the sauce, threw in a can of pineapple chunks and used rice vinegar. Thank you – this is going in the rotation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kimberly: I was worried about the one hour cooking time drying out the chicken but every bite was tender. Will make again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vicki: Oh my- officially a fav in our house. It’s been requested 3 times in as many weeks. I add peppers and onion to mine over rice. So good! Thanks for sharing it!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions for this recipe – and if you scroll through the comments, you can see many, many variations!
Sweet and Sour FAQ:
Many people have commented that they have reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and I’ve done the same (if not more) over the years, too.
Yes. Vinegar, while baking, gives off a strong aroma, but the strong aroma/taste bakes off during the recommended time in the recipe leaving a delicious sweet and sour taste.
That’s up to you. Many people in the comments have adapted the recipe ingredients; however, other than sometimes reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup and using a different type of vinegar (see the question below), I make the recipe as written and can’t vouch for results for other adaptations. I have made this sweet and sour chicken recipe at least 50 times (probably more) and even though the vinegar seems overpowering, the recipe works. Promise. If you are determined to adapt the vinegar, several others have used half vinegar and half pineapple juice for a milder taste (but you’ll lose a bit of the sweet and sour punch).
Why yes! I often substitute rice vinegar which has a slightly milder/sweeter taste and many others in the comments have substituted the same or even used white vinegar. Feel free to experiment.
All-purpose flour will not give the same light coating as the cornstarch. The only decent substitute I’ve found is tapioca flour/starch. Works great!
I encourage you to make the recipe as written. Like I said above, I’ve made this recipe many times and the hour baking time is not a typo. Keep in mind that you don’t want to cook the chicken through while browning it. That step should be a quick flash in the pan in hot oil in order to give the chicken a crispy outer layer, but the pieces should still be raw in the center. Many have commented that they have cut the baking time down to 30 minutes. You can try that; the sauce won’t thicken as much as if baking for the full hour.
I’m not often right, but in the case of cornstarch and egg, I am. The chicken is coated with cornstarch and then dipped in egg.
I don’t see why not! Many commenters have tried that with good results.
I prefer the Heinz Natural brand (without HCFS) but when I can’t find it, I go with regular Heinz.
What to Serve With This:
Baked Brown Rice
Steamed Broccoli
Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad or fresh, seasonal fruit
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup canola, vegetable or coconut oil
Sauce:
- ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you want the sauce
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar (see note)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch or slightly larger pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken.
- Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot and rippling. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.
- Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side until the crust is golden but the chicken is not all the way cooked through (this is where it’s really important to have a hot skillet/oil). Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe original recipe
Recipe originally published July 2008; updated Sept 2018 with new pictures, recipe notes, etc.
Hi! Along with the hundreds of other rave reviewers, I loved this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it. I blogged about it today, including how great it is, and the changes I made to it. Here’s the link http://www.travelhikeeatrepeat.com/2013/02/better-than-delivery-sweet-and-sour.html I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes! Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING! My fiance loved it and my mom who usually is not into sweet foods loved it too. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!
Made this again last night–absolutely terrific, as always. Threw in pineapple and carrots (may try broccoli or peppers next time). I have an electric skillet, so I did the initial frying, then simply dumped the sauce over the top and added the carrots and pineapple, turning the heat down to about 275 ’til the chicken was done (only about 20 minutes). This dish just keeps getting better! Thanks so much, Mel!
In this recipe, when you say 3-4 chicken breasts, do you mean the full breast or 3-4 breast halves?
Julie – chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds of chicken).
I made this the other night and OMG is it good! And easy! And from the pantry and freezer! I threw in a snack cup of pineapple tidbits juice and all just because I like pineapple in sweet and sour. And maybe next time I would double the sauce just so there is more to pour over rice. Yum! I made it with boneless, skinless thighs because it was what I had. Very tender and moist. I did have some of the coating come off when served. Is there a way to avoid the slippage? Perhaps, coat with cornstarch, set on waxed paper, then repeat, before dipping in egg. No matter, it was very good anyway. I have eaten the leftovers for two more days. This is going on my go to list for those “What in the heck do I make for dinner?” days. Thanks, N.
This is hands down the best sweet n sour chicken recipe I have ever made. So good that I refuse to order Chinese food anymore because it is just so disappointing in comparison. When I make mine, I add a sliced up green pepper, 1/2 bag crinkle cut frozen carrots, and a jar of chunk pineapple right into the chicken/sauce mixture. Then all I need is the rice in the rice cooker and I’m good to go. Love this recipe!
Hi, I made this dish and loved it! I was wondering, in an effort to have less white sugar, have you ever tried this using less white or substituting in brown sugar? I don’t want to use fake sugars/sweetners, but was hoping for an alternative.
Anon – brown sugar is usually just white sugar sprayed with molasses so I’m not sure that would help you at all. I’ve never used anything other than white sugar. Good luck if you experiment!
This was wonderful! And really truly simple and quick! Thank you for breaking my fear of Chinese restaurant cooking…
http://www.mynewlywedcookingadventures.com/2013/02/mels-kitchen-cafes-sweet-sour-chicken.html
Best sweet and sour chicken EVER! My family can eat it all in one sitting and I’ve introduced other family members and friends to eat! Everyone loves it!
um, AMAZING. I was a little worried at first as it started baking bc the vinegar was pretty strong, but it mellowed out and my whole family loved it. Extra delicious sprinkled with some sesame seeds for a little crunch! It was the first “chinese” food meal that I’ve made that my kids didn’t complain. It was better than the restaurant! Now we need a good recipe for wonton soup to go with it! Thanks!
Tried this tonite and it turned out great, I doubled the sauce tho and poured over the chicken before baking. Will definately make again!
Hello!
I am having the same issue as Michelle. I used half cup apple cider vinegar (organic unfiltered if it matters). The smell is so strong and smell/taste way overpowering 🙁
Maybe it’s because I’m not the biggest fan of apple cider vinegar by woowee is it ever strong. Must have done Something wrong 🙁
Made this for dinner tonight and my family devoured it!! It was awesome to eat a sweet and sour chicken that didn’t taste all fatty and greasy, but healthy and wholesome instead!! I will definitely be making this again and will not be ordering takeout Chinese again!!
I found this recipe kn Pinterest and decided to try it because my fiance loves sweet and sour chicken. I made this tonight and he just about died!! He complimented me literally all night on how amazing he thought it was!! So thank you soo soo much for sharing this!! It’s definitely being added to our list of favorites!
This dish is so good!!!! Do you know the nutritional information for it?
In the oven now, and it smells delicious !!
Absolutely brilliant! We were fighting over the left overs it was that tasty, better than the take away! Thanks
I have made this several times for my family and we devour it!!! It is delicious and simple! Better than any Chinese take-out I have ever had! Thanks for the recipe!
Hello! I have not cooked this yet,… but it is on the menu for tomorrow. I was wondering if you cover it while baking? I am assuming you do not but wanted to check. Thank you! And everyone is so excited to try your yummy recipe tomorrow.
Nicole – no, I don’t cover while baking.
Mel,
Once again, thank you for a terrific recipe! I just made this sweet and sour chicken tonight and it was simply wonderful! I will definitely be making it again and again!
You rock! I am so grateful I found your site! Looking forward to more great recipes from you! By the way, your kids are adorable! I have three of my own and I can totally relate to working in a kitchen full of youngsters, but I have to say my 8-year-old daughter was great help today with preparing this recipe. 🙂
We had Spaghetti Pie last night & this tonight. This was BIGGER hit than the pie with my picky 6-year-old. I even substituted balsamic & salt for the soy sauce since I’m allergic, and served over Jasmine rice and steamed broccoli, and it was exactly the same as our local take out. I may try coating 2x next time for a little more breading, but as is it is still great (and healthier). I cannot rave enough! So glad I found you through Pinterest!
I made this for a big family dinner (6 adults and 7 kids), by tripling the chicken (about 9 b/s chicken breasts), and doubling the coating and sauce mixtures. It was a little time consuming and I don’t like the fried smell in the house for days after, but this chicken was definitely worth the effort!
I followed the recipe pretty closely, here were my changes:
– I used slightly less sugar in the sauce and added a splash of sriracha sauce
– I dipped each fried piece of chicken in the sauce before placing in the baking dish (instead of pouring it all over the chicken)
– I baked at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes (instead of at 325 for 60)
This came out exactly as described – and not one single bite was left!!!! So literally, from age 1.5 to 70, this dish was a big hit! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I forgot, but I also added just a few splashes of some pineapple juice to the sauce mixture, too! 🙂
I just made the sweet and sour chicken…. LOVED IT! My hubby and I are sort of picky eaters so I wasn’t getting my hopes to high, but I made it for dinner tonight and it is all gone! SOOOOO delicious!! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve made this twice so far. It was delicious the first time, and my whole family loved it. Tonight I used half cider vinegar and half rice vinegar (unseasoned) as someone had suggested. I thought it was even more perfect. It is such a winner, and the sauce gets even better as it sits. I think I am going to make it on Super Bowl Sunday as one of my appetizers and serve with toothpicks. Mel, you are amazing!!!
Hi, I just made this for lunch and it was a huge success. My husband, who refuses to eat Chinese takeout from anywhere, thought it was the best and even took leftovers to work for tonight. Thanks so much for the recipe! Will be making it again, and again, and again.
I tried this recipe tonight and it was the best sweet and sour chicken I’ve ever had!! My husband and sons are very picky eaters and everyone enjoyed this very much!! Thank you so much for the recipe….we will be making it often!!!!!!!
Consider me another fan! Aside from some mess/smoke alarm issues while frying the chicken (should have turned on fan from the start), this turned out amazing. Leftovers are in the work fridge and I’m anxious to go get!
FYI – I tried this over Rice-a-Roni fried rice and think plain old white rice would be the better way to go.
I just made this, and it is fabulous! My only change will probably be to ease up on the sugar a bit next time. It was a little sweet for my liking, but I think that’s just a personal preference.
I always wondered how to cook meat for Chinese food, so I’m glad I tried this recipe – I never knew about the whole cornstarch/egg/searing process before now! It makes such an incredible difference in the texture of the meat and how the sauce sticks.
Thanks for the recipe – I posted the link on my blog! 🙂
Made this tonight for the first time and we LOVE it! It is seriously so tasty its ridiculous! I will certainly be making this many more times to come!
Oops! Sorry, just saw the post from 12/31 answering my evoo question. This cold weather is slowing me down! 😉
Mel, I’m making this for the first time and was wondering if I can use olive oil. I usually always cook w olive oil and only have it and veg oil on hand. Is there a specific reason I should use canola? If it makes a difference I can go out in the 25 degree weather and get some, but had rather not! Lol! I’m in Louisiana and we like to stay in when it dips below 40! Ha!
Donna – I don’t like browning the chicken in olive oil for this recipe because it gives it a distinctly different taste. I prefer the neutral flavor of canola or vegetable oil.
Christi – I use the Heinz brand of apple cider vinegar. I like the potency but other commenters have cut down on the vinegar.
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!!! One question..what brand apple cider vinegar do you use? I used Braggs and it was very potent. Wondering if other brands aren’t as potent? Either way, we loved it! My husband was sooo impressed!
I made this dish tonight and it was delicious! I will be keeping it as a favorite chicken dish. Thank you!
Cooked this tonite, just fantastic!! Thank you for sharing!
Just had this for dinner….it was awesome! I added veggies in with my extra sauce on the stove and it was perfect. Ive never tried breading chicken this way before but am so glad I did! My hubby said its better than our fav chinese place!! Looking forward to checking out some of your other recipes….
Made this recipe for dinner tonight and…………………It was DELISH 🙂 Everyone loved it, I will most certainly be making this again. Loved the sauce…the best I have ever tried for a sweet and sour sauce. Thank you!
I made this for dinner last night and it was a tremendous success. I doubled the recipe (exactly) and it worked beautifully. Thanks. Will look for more winners from you
I’ve made this quite a few times and some tips I have adapted into my version. Instead of granulated sugar use Powdered sugar, about 1 1/2 cups or 1 3/4 cups–the cornstarch makes a thicker sauce without having to cook it down. You don’t have to bake the chicken, just thoroughly cook it when you fry it and by batches and let it keep warm in the oven until you finished all the chicken. You can do this part an hour in advance, I think it dries out the chicken a little, making it somehow better. I add a few slices of hot chilies to spice up the sweet sour sauce. I also decrease the vinegar from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup — the half cup is just too much. Instead of ketchup I’ve used a good barbecue sauce- it makes it like general tso chicken.
This recipe was fabulous and mouthwatering! Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is GREAT with green and red bell pepper baked with the chicken and sauce!
Here it is. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/thecozykitchen/doc/128924993935179/
A lady named Star Kubiak https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/thecozykitchen/ copied your recipe as her own.
Can I use EVOO instead of canola oil?
Brandy – as long as you like the flavor of olive oil, it should be fine. I don’t like frying (even pan frying) coated chicken in olive oil but it’s just a matter of taste preference. I think canola or vegetable oil works best here.
I am making this tomorrow (12/31/2012) for New Years Eve dinner.
So many people have raved about this recipe…I can hardly wait to try it. I was linked to this blog from another blog that was put on pinterest where everyone was commenting how good this recipe was. I can’t imagine that this many people could be wrong.
I hope I do not mess it up!!!
Thanks!
Hi Mel! I stumbled across your blog from Pinterest a couple of days ago, and fell in food lust immediately with your recipes! I had a couple of friends visit for a casual dinner last night, and decided to make your Best Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe – can I just say, what a hit! According to my friend after one bite; “This is the ‘sugar-honeyed-iced-tea!'” My housemate also said he would be happy to pay my rent if I just made this recipe every night. Unfortunately I could not find apple cider vinegar at any of my local grocery stores (typical Montreal) so I substituted half a juiced lemon and added a tiny bit of extra sugar for the citrus flavour. Thankfully it was still delicious! Thank you for such great recipes – I’m trying the banoffee pie next! – Hayley
I have never commented on anything before. But I tried this recipe yesterday and fell absolutely in love with it. At first I was a bit apprehensive to make this because I had never made a dish with an Asian twist.
I have to say, ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!! It was sooo easy to make. I didn’t have cornmeal therefore I substituted for flour. Next time, I think I will add a squeeze for orange juice to it and throw in some green onions last minute.
I recommend this for anyone! So simple to make and the flavor explodes in your mouth! I made it with steamed white rice, veggie stir fry and this chicken. Keeper for sure.
Loved this!!!!!!!!! Ive made it twice now and its a huge hit at home – I do a separate batch of sauce and add a bunch of veggies (snap peas, peppers, carrots, broccoli) in another pan (usually 8×8) and the sauce stays thinner (no cornstarch) but it makes a great pour over for the rice. The 2nd time I did this I think I did overcook the chicken while “frying” so Ive made a mental note on that but this is truly some of the best chicken ever. I find it a bit time consuming though so I only cook this on the weekends.
I used chicken tenders because they were on sale – and that made everything just quicker and easier.