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.
The first time I made this I fried the chicken pieces too long and after baking, they were like rocks, but it was my mistake. Very lightly browning them at first and following the rest of the recipe it comes out amazing! I have since made this many times. We like to add chunks of red pepper and onion that have been sautéed in a little olive oil but still keeping them a bit crunchy, into the sauce after the baking, just delicious!!
This recipe is delicious, I always get raves when I make it. I usually double up on the sauce and sometimes add fresh broccoli to the chicken. I have loved every recipe that I have used on Mel’s page. Thanks for another great one.
I didnt have vinegar, used half cup water, was still very good. kids and I loved it. definitely making again with the vinegar. this dish was much beed since we been stuck home for six weeks now.
My son loves sweet and sour chicken but is allergic to eggs. Any recommendations on how to substitute the egg for this recipe?
Hi Jennifer,
I made this for an egg-free allergy using 1 1/2 Tbs oil + 1 1/2 Tbs water and 1 tsp baking powder as an egg replacement. Doesn’t get as golden in fryer but was very similar at the end 🙂
Do you think this will work with boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Yes
How many? Or is it the same measurements for thighs?
Everytime we tend our grandkids they always ask to make this. We always double the sauce, it’s delicious as is, Love it!
Forgot to mention, we have to double the eggs too>>>>
Ive left a comment for a recipe… but this was DELECTABLE. My pickiest eaters loved it.
*** never left.
I should have taken the warning that this is labor intensive more seriously. I’d love to see a video of you making this (mostly the frying part) to see what I could do to streamline it. I one and a halved the recipe and it took me over 1.5 hours just to get it into the oven. My family liked it a lot but I‘d have to cut down the prep time to want to make it again.
My family’s favorite and often-requested dinner! We double the sauce as mentioned above, and serve with rice, steamed broccoli and fresh pineapple (in season). So good!
Love this recipe! It’s definitely a favorite in our house. Even the kids like it! I do 1.5 lbs of chicken and always double the sauce. Also, I usually need 3 eggs. Last, my chicken comes out perfect when I only cook in the oven for about 20 minutes. Might be because my chicken cooks a little too long on the pan. Either way, it works for us! Thank you for the recipe, Mel!
Another one for the books. You really never disappoint Mel!
My son loved this recipe. He did need more sauce so the second time I made it I simply made an extra batch of the sauce and it was great.
Have you ever made this in the instapot? 🙂
I haven’t – sorry!
I have made this before but never commented. I used one boneless chicken breast for the two of us, but made the full amount of sauce (1/3 cup sugar). It was perfect over rice with spring rolls on the side. Sadly, the broccoli that I had planned, was yucky!
This is a great recipe! A couple things: I definitely will double the sauce next time. But still was great. I also had to do 3 eggs, 2 wasn’t enough to cover all the chicken. It also seemed like there wasn’t enough oil but it was fine. A little vinegary for me but my fiancé loved it. Either way, great recipe!
How do you think this recipe would turn out if I used a thin coating of potato starch instead of corn starch?
Could definitely try! (Haven’t tried it myself and don’t know how potato starch acts as a sub for cornstarch).
FIRST TIMERS READ THIS FIRST… I was so skeptical about this dish and I have been searching for a good recipe. I tried a few and was not satisfied. I made this tonight and thought…. the sauce is gross ( I tried it after I mixed it), the cornstarch first and then egg is not going to end well AND when I was cooking the ckn in the pan (on the stove) I thought extra egg was going in the pan and I was going to have some scrambled egg pieces in the mix. And a 1 hour cooking time, it’s hoing to be dry. But I read the other comments and did the recipe as followed and WOW! I’m so glad I did. It is awesome. I am so pleased with this recipe and it will now been a staple in my meal planning. THANK YOU!
Wow, Mel, this is another total winner! I was skeptical about baking it for an hour, thinking the little chicken pieces would be WAY over cooked, but you haven’t let me down so I went with the recipe. It was amazing, and the chicken was so tender! Thanks for providing us with such awesome recipes!
This is easily my favorite recipe of yours! For some reason, I feel like the cornstarch makes the oil splatter more than usual… Is this normal?? My kitchen is destroyed after I make this! It’s still amazing and my kids always request it as their birthday meal!
Have you tried this with pork? Maybe with tenderloin? I have made this with chicken MANY times and it turns out great. My husband loves sweet and sour pork though, so I was thinking of trying that. Just was not sure how it would turn out with the long baking time, etc.
Yes, it works great with pork (I use pork tenderloin)
Has anyone used boneless-skinless chicken thighs?
Absolutely amazing! Our family loves this recipe!!
Hey Mel!! I am a huge fan and absolutely LOVE all of the recipes that I have tried so far!! I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I wanted to make sure I did it correctly though. After frying and baking are the chicken pieces supposed to be crunchy or more like a softer breading? Mine were soft (still super delicious!!) but wondered if maybe I should have fried them longer?
Yes, after baking they are definitely more soft than they are crispy (but the sauce should caramelize a bit which leaves a delicious texture on the breading).
This is better than you can get at the local Chinese restaurant. I would recommend doubling the sauce.
Ive made this for years and we love it. I eat mostly paleo so I thought I would add my substitutes for other needing paleo or gluten free:
I use 1/3 cup honey* or 3/4 cup coconut sugar.
I use rice vinegar (not true paleo) or coconut vinegar for a more mild flavor.
I use tapioca starch instead or cornstarch.
I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
I use garlic powder instead of garlic salt. The same measurement.
I serve mine on top of fresh spinach or caulirice and my family eats it on top of rice.
*If using honey, cook chicken longer in pan and less in the oven. If you bake for more than 30 minutes, the honey sauce burns.
This looks amazing. My husband is allergic to cornstarch. Is there another thickener I could use instead?
I always use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch. I just use the same amount and find it works the same, but it’s gluten free
Like others have said, I think tapioca starch would work well!
This was sooooooo good! Yeah you have to fry a little but it hardly takes that much time. Everything turned out so good and so yummy! I’ve made this recipe multiple times
I have a gluten allergy so I cook with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce? Do you know if this would work in the recipe?
Yes, it should work just fine here.
The baked sweet and sour chicken recipe in my opinion is very misleading when a person needs to fry the chicken for a small amount of time.
this was not a good meal, you could taste straight up apple cider vinegar! it was too strong and i couldn’t eat it.
Another fantastic recipe…like all the others on this site. I’ve yet to try something I didn’t like. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe looks delicious and I would like to try this recipe but usually I do the prep work before I go to work in the morning and my husband will place in the oven when he gets home since I usually get home late.
Do you think it would still come out good if the chicken is lightly fried in the morning then refrigerated, then sauce added and placed in the oven 8 hours later?
Hi Jade – I’m honestly not sure since I haven’t tried that. Good luck if you experiment prepping it ahead of time!
One poster below said she prepared it in the morning up to the point of baking, then baked when she got home, and it worked great
Yes, I do that often. As long as you don’t add the sauce until right before baking!
Hubby requested this be put on regular rotation and tbh I would’ve cooked it often even if he didn’t. It’s a really nice recipe.
– Used tapioca starch
– Added half a sliced onion, two thinly sliced carrots, a cup of frozen & thawed cauli/broccoli mix, and 1/4c pineapple (all I had in the freezer) halfway through the baking time
– I didn’t double the sauce because I ran out of tomato ketchup (how does that even happen?) But I would definitely double it next time as there wasn’t enough sauce to coat our rice as well.
I would probably try it with regular white vinegar as I quite like a bit more zing than the apple cider vinegar gives.
Reheats fine, seems pretty close to reheated take-away (which I enjoy). If there are any leftovers next time (unlikely), I will try freezing a portion to see how it goes.
OMG!! I have been craving this for weeks and have multiple recipes, promising that it taste the same. Only to make it and be disappointed. But this, this was top notch. You hit the nail on the head… NAILED IT!! I will be making this again and again. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Messy to make, but well worth it. Kids loved it too!
This is my family’s favorite sweet and sour recipe! The only thing I do different is I mixed it around every 15 minutes to make sure the chicken is all coated in the sauce!
This is my favorite chicken recipe! It reminds me of chicken I would get in a little Chinese restaurant when I was younger. I always make it when I want to treat myself, and it’s so quick and easy to make! Your best recipe for sure!
This has been my go-to sweet sour chicken recipe for YEARS, except I usually leave the sauce on the side. I think the first time I made it, I didn’t like it all coated, but I am trying it again tonight with the coated chicken!
ALSO, I followed the advice of another of coating and cooking all the chicken at once in a big blob and it worked SO WELL. It broke apart perfectly coated as it fried. Such a nice hack for this already simple recipe!
Wow! Made this for dinner and it turned out delicious! Followed the recipe and doubled the sauce. Even my picky grandson devoured his plate and went back for seconds! Thanks!
I’ve made this twice and both times, it has been devoured!! I add a can of pineapple juice to the sauce and I drizzle it with honey before I bake it. Also, I decided to use Kikkoman Sweet and Sour Sauce and it worked great!
Very yummy! Made some extra sauce to cook some onions and bell peppers in and added some pineapple chunks towards the end of cooking. Definitely a more tedious recipe but was worth it!
Fantastic recipe!
My family went crazy for this recipe!! You were exactly right, it is simple but does take a little longer than a quick weeknight meal. However, I cooked my rice during nap time so it made the “long” process seem a little less so. It was so good, I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Have you ever made this recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts? I have thighs and my husband doesn’t care for chicken breasts!
Yes, works great!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight, it was fabulous! Thank you!
So simple to make. Huge hit! It tastes like it came right out of a Chinese restaurant. I did add red and orange peppers, onions and pineapple. Thanks!!!
Amazing! Followed recipe with the 3/4 sugar and it turned out great! Family loved it and said it is definitely one of their favourite dishes now ( it even scored a “my mom is the best cook ever!” from my 10 year old).
My family loves this recipe (made it countless times before) but my husband is no longer able to have egg whites. Could I make this just using the yolks? Or is there a substitution you would recommend?
I think egg yolks would work just fine.
How many calories is in this dish and what is the portion size.
Thanks
This was soooo good. My family loved it. The suggestion to make double the sauce was excellent as we used it all up. The only problem was I wish we had more left-overs. When my son heated up the last serving the next day it smelled so yummy I wanted some too! I will definitely be making this again and soon!
One of the best recipes I have found. Tastes BETTER than take out. I double the sauce recipe and used white vinegar instead of apple cider (it’s what I had on hand) and it was perfect! Will definitely make this again! Thank you!
I never post comments, but OMG this was too good. I used the 1/2 cup sugar, as I was a bit leery after reading other comments, but it was perfect. Thank you!