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.
How would you rewarm these? In the microwave or the oven (at what temp. And time). I’m having a birthday party and I want the chicken to still be fresh and ready but done a couple or one hour before the guests come.
I would just reheat in the oven at 325 until warmed through.
Absolutely amazing! I found your recipe after Janetha at mealsandmovesblog.com shared it, and my family LOVED it! My husband and I like things a bit spicier but it was perfect for our two little ones and we added the heat after. Will definitely be added to our rotation!
Could you possibly make both this recipe and/or the orange chicken and freeze just the prepared meat/chicken a week in advance, and make the sauce when about to bake?
I’ve never tried freezing any part of this recipe so I’m not sure but others in the comments section have, I believe. Definitely worth a try!
A Google Search for Oatmeal Cookie Recipes led me to your website and your Thin & Crispy Oatmeal Cookies … Then to the polar opposite, Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies. After reading several comments stating it and your Sweet & Sour Chicken were THE best, I ended up here. I just had to make this dish … So, this evening it.was.on. And it.was.DELICIOUS!!! :] A little more time consuming than I’d like … Which I think may have been due to cutting the four chicken breasts into pieces too small, as I ended up using four eggs and had to replenish the oil twice. But, the ending result was still insanely scrumptious. … I did look at your other Asian Inspired Recipes and next time I will prepare this like your Fabulous Orange Chicken. I think it’ll help with time and fat, but without sacrificing flavor/texture. And out of preference I’ll reduce the sugar. I might try adding in some sliced fresh jalapeños and maybe a couple dried red chili’s too (similar to General Tao’s Chicken). We like it sweet, sour, and spicy! 😉 But, it’s definitely going in the rotation. I am SO happy to have discovered your blog/site. I cannot wait to make more … Especially those Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies!
Just made this today. Did not have an hour for it to cook. I browned the bite-size pieces of chicken for 5 min. per side, then poured on the sauce and cooked about 5 more minutes. Sauce was still “runny” enough to pour over some rice.
Made this sgain but reduced sugar by 2 T. Also, to make garlic salt, mix 3 parts salt and 1 part garlic powder.
So many reviews, but I thought my take may be helpful to those wondering how much sugar to put in. I don’t eat anything sweet and sour in restaurants because it’s too sweet. I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup at first, but it was still too sweet. 1/3 cup is about right, with the full amount of vinegar. Next time I’ll try 1/4 cup sugar with pineapple chunks and maybe some of the juice. So if you’re like me and my family and prefer sweets confined to dessert definitely cut way back on the sugar! Otherwise the flavor is good and it’s so easy to make, definitely load it up with veggies too, yum!
This is the same recipe I have been using since 1976 when I found it in a Minneapolis Newspaper. When I saw this I got my recipe out and it is the same exact recipe. I even posted it in a group recipe book at our reservation office at Northwest Airlines in 1980. Have always loved this recipe and even use the sweet and sour recipe for other dishes.
Just wanted to let you know that we love your recipe so much we have added it to our Family Favorites. I’ve made it bout 6 times now, including this current time (it’s in the oven!). I’m making some homemade Chinese Fried Rice to go with it (I found that recipe on Pinterest so HOPING it is good!).
Thanks again!
This was delicious! I made as directed except only used 1/2 cup cornstarch. Will make again…family loved it.
This is absolutely one of our favourite family meals. I make this on average once ever 7-10 days. I have been trying to fiddle around with the ingredients to try and reduce the sugar content without compromising on the taste of it. Last night I think that I hit it: my husband said “this is by far the best sweet and sour chicken I’ve ever had” which coming from my hubby is huge. I cut the sugar by half – but then I put 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in my 1/2 cup measure and filled up with rice vinegar. It was still sweet enough…and perfectly tangy!
Christine …
Thank you for commenting with your experimentation and changes to reduce the sugar without compromising the balance/flavor. I made this for the first time tonight … I doubled the “sauce” portion of the recipe, but reduced it to 1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar (vs. 1 1/2 Cups), using half on the chicken and reducing the other half on the stove top as a “side” sauce. It was delicious, but still too sweet. Next time I will give your alternative a try. I might also experiment with using a “no sugar added” ketchup or even a tomato paste, as regular ketchup has quite a bit of sugar in it. Thanx again for the suggestion.
When I was in college (78-82) my roommate was dating (and is now married to) a guy who is half Chinese and half Italian. His mom gave her Chinese cooking lessons. One of the dishes was Sweet and Sour Pork. The recipe is similar. The difference for the sauce is 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 c. pineapple juice (I put pineapple in mine and use the juice from the can of pineapple), 1/4 c ketchup, 1/2 c. vinegar. It is great, and substitutes some of the sugar for fruit juice, so I assume at least you get some more nutrients!
Made it
Loved it
Will be making again
Looked awesome
My husband said it was like a proper chinese
Thankyou so much
Ok, so I must confess that this is actually my third time commenting on this recipe. Sorry for the overkill… I just can’t get over how delicious your sweet and sour chicken is and had to say thanks again! I’m making it for dinner tonight and my husband is PUMPED!!!
Made this last night. Loved it! This was my first recipe from this site. I have 10 more recipes printed and ready to go for the next two weeks. Can’t wait to trythem!
I made this tonight. I followed the recipe exactly except I used rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. It was a hit. My teenager says it’s better than Chinese takeout. I think it is more like Sesame Chicken than Sweet and Sour Chicken, but this recipe is a winner!!
This turned out perfect. Deee-lish!!!!!
It’s a keeper!! Thank you for the recipe.
When I made this, it was so dry we could barely eat it. The flavor was good though. I think I should try again.
Huge fan of this dish! I make this often, and I’m wondering if anyone has tried it in a slow cooker? I would love to know if it has worked for anyone!
AMAZING! I’m Chinese and generally don’t bother ordering this at a Chinese restaurant. This will be my go to dish for family potlucks (and I know my family will turn up their noses when I present it) but I predict we won’t have any leftovers at the end of the evening.
This recipe is just brilliant! Who would have thought that ketchup could be the base for such a fabulous sauce. Before this, I did not even like ketchup. I cubed chicken pieces and put them directly in the sauce without breading (I saw Trina’s comment after) and the chicken was wonderfully caramelized and succulent. I have made the recipe exactly as stated several times and it is just great, but didn’t really have the cooking bug tonight. The only changes I make are to use white vinegar and put in some sliced green onions. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Can I substitute any kind of flour for the cornstarch? I am not sure I can buy cornstarch where I am currently living!
Rebecca – I am not really sure since I haven’t tried it. Someone may have tried it in the comments if you feel like reading through them. It is worth a try I just don’t have a good recommendation. Good luck. Sorry I am not more help!
In most countries cornstarch is called corn flour. I’ve lived in several countries, even third world, and always found corn flour! Maybe you’ve already discovered this!
I really liked this recipe the only thing I would change is fully cooking it in the oil. The chicken cooked in the oven made it kind of soft and not crunchy. I’m used to crunchy Chinese chicken. Also I would like to try it with an egg substitute as well since I’m allergic to eggs as well but when it’s cooked as a batter it doesn’t seem to bother me as much but I would still like to try an egg substitute.
Wow this was amazing!!! My 7yr old is THE pickiest eater & I was shocked to look over & see her plate empty!! I saw a lot of comments of people changing or cutting back. I made it exactly as your recipe called for… PERFECT! Wouldn’t change a thing!!! Thanks!
This recipe was sooo delicious!! Im pretty sure that my boyfriend was still drooling the next day..We both loved them!! Thanks Mel!
Made this recipe tonight, as is with no changes & I must say it was great!! So delicious & I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks Melanie
I found this recipe when my friend posted this on her FB page…I made the chicken recipe tonight following the directions exactly. It was delicious!! Served it with rice, sauteed onions and carrots, and steamed broccoli. Will definitely make again.
This was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!
My daughter and I made this for the first time last night. It turned out amazing! I baked some of them without the sauce in a separate pan for my “picky” son. He loved it, too! Even without the sauce, the chicken stayed moist, but with a lovely crisp on the outside. This would be a great dish for a gathering as well. So good, I could not stop eating it! This is a keeper. I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you.
I thought I would report back for anyone else who was searching the comments for a no-fry method without luck. If you want to skip coating the chicken in cornstarch, egg, and frying it, it works! I made this tonight and did half of the chicken exactly as the recipe describes (which I’ve made many times), and half where I just put the cubed chicken into a baking dish raw and unseasoned, then poured the sauce (made as directed) over it and baked the same way as stated in the recipe. The chicken tasted the same cooked both ways, though there is of course a slight texture difference. As the sauce thickened and browned it browned the raw chicken and gave it a slight crust. I couldn’t decide which version I liked better, they were both delicious! But if time is a concern I would definitely do the simply baked version again. Just wanted to post in case it was helpful to anyone!
Trina – thanks so much for reporting back on this! I’m going to use your suggestion with pork tonight to save a little time.
I want to make this for dinner but my oil has turned rancid, and a grocery run isn’t a option.
I almost changed dinner until I read this 🙂
Not frying means less mess and slightly healthier. It’s win win!
Has anyone tried this recipe with sugar substitue with any luck? Sort of “diabetic friendly”?
Victor – Someone commented on Facebook that they tried Splenda and it was awful (in fact her words were “don’t do it, just don’t do it”). I wish there were a good substitute to suggest. Sorry!
i use coconut sugar.
This recipe deserved yet another comment, fantastic! Used 1/2 cup sugar and it was fabulous!
After having tried numerous recipes by Mel and loving all of them, I couldn’t decide what I liked best… until I made this. This is absolutely amazing!! Thank you!!!!! It is absolutely delicious just the way you prepare it- I followed your instructions exactly and it couldn’t have been any better. Wow!! My husband was beyond impressed.
I did search and couldn’t find anything (might be using the wrong keywords). 🙁
If I try it myself I will try and remember to post here with the results.
Mel, I am curious if I could skip the frying, and just pour the sauce over raw chicken pieces and then bake as normal to cut down a bit on time. Have you tried it this way, or know of anyone who has?
Trina – I haven’t tried this myself, but I am pretty sure others have in the comment thread. It might be worth reading through some of the comments to see the details. Good luck!
I think I’ve royally screwed this up because I was cooking while the kids were going nuts. Used more chicken than called for, probably two cups of cornstarch, but ended up throwing out at least a 1/2 cup…so it evens out?? Twice the eggs, doubled the sauce ingredients… annnnnd nothing is in a single layer! Sure smells good, so I’m hoping for a great outcome 😉
Hi Mel!
Love this recipe! Clearly a Pinterest favorite, that’s how I found you. Look forward to following your blog and finding new favorite to add to my menu.
I do a weekly meal plan also on my blog and made this last week. I link to your blog for your recipe.
Here’s the link if you’d like to look: http://thegraffitiedgardenia.blogspot.com/2014/04/meal-plan-number-two.html
Thank you!
Jolleen
I tried this recipe using pork ( since i dont have any chicken last night) and yes it’s still DELICIOUS! The meat was so tender. I stir fry some available veggies from the fridge (carrots cucumber bellpeppers onion) to add color and crunch and toss them 10 minutes before the baking is done and still turns out great. Thank you for this wonderful recipe Mel 🙂
Thank you so much for one of my families new favorite meals! I loved it and your recipe and tips were amazing! My tip, lol…. wait for it to cool- it looked so yummy I burnt my lip.
Is it possibe that i replace the chicken with pork because i dont have chicken at home? I tried several of your recipes and all of them are a hit to my family. Later i’ll be trying your rocky mountain cookies too. 🙂
I want to try this for my family, but my kids are allergic to eggs. Is there anything else I could dip the chicken in that would have a similar effect you think? It looks delicious, and I think my kids would love it.
Jacque – You will have to Google substitutions since I haven’t tried it. Sorry I am not more help.
I made this recipe this weekend. I decided to follow the exact directions. It turned out SO dry and both my husband and I thought it was too sweet. If I make this again I will definitely half the cooking time and reduce the sugar like the notes say.
I make this fairly often and love it, tonight I decided to switch things up and use lean pork and it was as equally delicious!!! 150 more calories per serving but a nice change
Really fabulous dish! I followed your directions and it came out great. I did substitute the apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar but, the flavor was not affected. My picky boys enjoyed it too. A win-win!
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it with pork, sautéed shrimp and made the saucepan the stove top, made extra sauce in the microwave and heck I’ve had the sauce with rice. Thanks Mel
DeLish!
Absolutely LOVE this. I don’t usually alter recipes on my first go, but I did add pineapple bits and sliced green bell pepper to the extra sauce I prepared, and it was lovely. I am definitely reci-peating this one!
Made this tonight for the first time, and it is quite possibly my favorite chicken dish EVER. I am not a fan of pan-frying, but it was well worth it for this dish! So, so, so, SO good!!! Thanks, Mel!!
Sorry if this is a repeat question but I couldn’t scroll through any more comments to see if the question was previously addressed. Following the cornstarch coating phase, is everybody dipping individual pieces of chicken in the egg and adding them one by one immediately directly to hot pan? It was kinda taking a while so the first pieces had a lot longer than 30 seconds in the pan ;). I love the finished result but I was just curious if there was a better way so you could add them all at same time!
Mollie – I throw several handfuls of the chicken into the egg mixture at once, toss them around with my fingers, grab them all and kind of shake off the excess egg and then toss it into the pan so lots of chicken pieces are cooking at the same time. It’s not a scientific method but it works. I haven’t noticed in the comments if anyone has suggested anything else.
I made this the first time a few nights ago for myself and my mum. It was meant to be enough for two days but it was so amazing the whole lot went. I can’t even describe how much we enjoyed it, so much we couldn’t stop talking about it for hours afterwards. Yesterday I made it again, double quantities. Both times, even for the double quantities, I only used one small egg. I didn’t dip though, I tossed the chunks of chicken in a bowl with enough cornflour to cover them, then poured the one beaten egg on top and mixed that in with my fingers, works beautifully. I had no cider vinegar so both times used a mixture of about 1/2 white wine vinegar and 1/2 balsamic vinegar. It comes out dark using balsamic, but it is so, so beautiful. Thank you so much! I am handing this recipe out to my entire family; we are never cooking sweet and sour chicken any other way ever again.
I’ve never liked sweet and sour chicken. But, my husband loves it, so I thought I would give this recipe a try. It was absolutely delicious!!!! Thank you!
This is AMAZING! My husband took one bite and said “WOW” for about 5 minutes. AND, that is saying a lot because I only had less than 1/4 a cup of cornstarch! I substituted whole wheat flour for the rest. This is my first ‘Asian’ meal success! Will make these again and again!