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.
Thanks for recipe – it is wonderful. Restaurant quality without all the oil. Have you fried the chicken earlier, refrigerator them until time to bake? I would like to use this as an appetizer but do some of the prep work before hand.
I am posting another comment because THIS IS SOOO GOOD!!! WE LOVE THIS MEAL!! I think I’ve made it about 4 times in the last 2 months. It is the best chicken ever, I think. Oooh, it is perfectly textured, flavored. It tastes just as good for leftovers, too. We add chopped green peppers to it. It is the perfect fresh “green stuff” to be added. >>LOVE LOVE LOVE!
“Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner” says a very satisfied husband of mine. That recipe is so….well there aren’t any words that can explain. It’s that good! I made it last night for dinner and he said it was the best dinner he has ever had from my kitchen. And I’m not a bad cook, so that’s really saying something. I actually didn’t follow the recipe 100% cuz I really wanted to eat sooner than the recipe said. My variations: I cut the chicken into bite size pieces (no cutting w/ a fork required), I cooked it at 375 (so it would cook faster, for the sauce I added about 2/3 cup of pineapple juice mixed w/ 1-2 tbls of cornstarch (my mom has been making her own sweet & sour sauce for years, that’s were I got it). I can’t wait to actually try it the way you have it laid out. We were just way too hungry! Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes.>Jennifer
Delicious and pretty easy. (Cornstarch then egg is so much less messy than egg then cornstarch.) I am sad I couldn’t make extra sauce, I enjoy extra sauce. Oh well. . .next time.
Anonymous – I always seem to have the ingredients for this, too, which means we eat it a lot. 🙂 I’m glad you like it!
Stacie Aho – thanks for including your additions and changes to the recipe. It’s always fun to read how people change up a recipe! Thanks for your comment!
I found your blog not too long ago and have enjoyed it ever since. We just had this the other night and it was delicious! My kids loved it and when I sent it for my little kindergartner for lunch the following day when I went into volunteer in his class I had teachers asking me if I would send the recipe because it smelled so good. So thank you for this great recipe!
This was so ridiculously good. Even to my husband, who doesn’t like the sweet/sour thing. We totally added it to our tried-and-true recipe box. Love!
Once again-Love Love Love this recipe! I’ve made it for a few new mom’s after delivery and they go nuts over it. One thing I do that cuts down on prep a little is cutting the chicken into strips-that way there are less pieces to dip and brown. So yummy! I will love you forever for introducing me to this one
This is baking away in my oven right now. Only 15 more minutes. I snuck a small piece already (one that I knew would be done). Delicious! Thanks for sharing! AND …. We will be dipping the cookie dough truffles for family night tonight. Can’t wait! (My kids and hubby already gave a thumbs up to the cookie dough part. I made the balls while they each licked a spoon.)
Poulsen Family – thanks for checking in! My kids love this meal, too, so I’m glad your kindergartner wasn’t opposed to taking it for lunch. I’m really glad your family enjoyed it!
Jenna – wow, if Ugo approves then I feel very glad about that. 🙂 Glad it pleased the whole family.
Valerie and Kristi – thank you both for letting me know you tried this! It makes my day to read that the recipe was a success, so thank you.
Sweet and Sour chicken is my hubbys absolute favourite meal. He usually only gets it when we get takeaway though – perhaps I will suprise him with this
Ok, just finished up dinner. That was THE BEST Sweet n Sour chicken I have ever had…seriously.
Cathryn – oh, I’m so glad you liked it! I saw your comment earlier in the day and worried all evening you would hate it. 🙂 I’m glad it turned out. Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Jennifer – it is always fun to make a recipe your own and you definitely did that with your modifications. They sound great! Thanks for letting me know you and your husband liked this. My husband would whole-heartedly agree with yours – this is his favorite dinner ever.
Made this friday night and it was so good!! No leftovers here. I just started a food blog and the last 2 recipes have been ones I have gotten from your blog. Thanks for sharing, and I hope you don’t mind me sharing them on my blog. I have linked them to you. 🙂 Thanks!
Park Family – I’m so glad you liked this! We make it often at our house, too.
Imade this tonight and it was a hit….not to mention EASY!
Abby – thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you liked this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
I feel bad it didn’t work out too. Everything else I’ve tried on your blog has been delicious so I’m wondering if I accidentally grabbed the wrong measuring cup or something!
The sauce definitely thickened when I baked it as well as the extra sauce I made on the stovetop.
Its a mystery! I might try it again with a different sauce or like you suggested, with less vinegar. I absolutely loved the breaded chicken. 🙂
Thanks for your quick response!
I am making this for dinner tonight! I cannot wait to try your recipe. It looks absolutely delicious!
Lisa – thanks for checking back in to let me know you liked this. Interesting substitution on the sugar – I’m glad it worked for you. I’m always glad when commenters let me know their adaptations and changes because it’s great to get new ideas. Thanks for commenting!
i’m guilty of sometimes skipping a post if there’s no accompanying picture or if the picture is unappetizing. this is not a problem for you, as your pictures always seem to stop me in my tracks. this one’s no exception–your chicken looks great. 🙂
Alicia – so glad you found me through the Sisters’ Cafe. One of the sisters that posts there (Erin) is married to my brother. She has a sister named Melanie, too, so it gets confusing. Lots of people think that I am the Melanie that posts to the Sisters Cafe, but I’m not.
Anyway, glad you liked this sweet and sour! Thanks for leting me know.
I had bookmarked this to make a long time ago and forgot about it. I just made it tonight, and it is ridiculously good!
this was great! DH was impressed. So am I. We fed 2 adults and 2 small kids (3+1) this and I have 2 lunches worth left over. Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow 🙂 I’m corn intolerant so I used flour and it was fine. Definitely a keeper
Melanie – I just made this and posted it on my blog! What a GREAT recipe – definitely a new staple for me!
Jan – thanks for letting me know this turned out for you. That is always great news for me to hear!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Teri – thanks for letting me know you liked this! I agree that it is a bit labor-intensive and I usually save it for a special occasion but it is yummy. Glad you enjoyed it!
I linked to your blog from a friends, and YUM this chicken is DELICIOUS. I can’t even believe I made it – I love how simple it was! Thanks and I can’t wait to try the new pasta dish you just posted too 🙂
Melanie – I finally made this for my family last week and it was a hit all the way around! I hope you don’t mind, but I shared your recipe on my blog today!
Thanks again for sharing such a great recipe! It is definitely going into our regular rotation.
Okay, I finally tried the infamous sweet and sour chicken and I was not disappointed. It was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!
I am making this for dinner tonight! I cannot wait to try your recipe. It looks absolutely delicious!
I’m so happy I found your blog! I love making recipes that someone else has tested and has said is delicious. This was fantastic! I upped the heat to 350 for faster cooking, and added sauteed bell peppers and onions. It was really yummy. We served it over brown rice for extra fiber. I’ll be making this again. Thanks!!
I’ve made this a bunch before I ever saw a picture. Now I made it right because it looks the same. We love this recipe! It goes perfect with my homemade sushi rolls.
Hi Linda – I use apple cider vinegar when I make this dish.
Katie – thanks for your comment. It was much appreciated and definitely made my day! I’m glad you liked this recipe and I hope the mac and cheese turned out ok for you!
I tried this about a week ago, and it was perfect!! Wow! I had to call my mom and tell her about it. In Austin, there aren’t many good Chinese restaurants (IMHO). So, it is nice to know that I can make my favorite, Chinese dishes on my own. Thanks!
P.S. If your husband wants the dish every day, then HE should make it! 🙂
This looks so good – since you’ve never steered me wrong before, I’m sure this is a winner!
You really make this look SO EASY! I love to serve chicken for dinner and am always looking for new ways to do it. I will definitely be adding this the menu this week. THANKS!
Margaret – thanks for the comment! I’m so glad you liked it and always glad to get another perspective on how many mouths the meal can feed. Thanks for letting me know!
I reciently found your blog and it has become one of my favorites. I love your pictures and your recipes are the type that my family love to try. We had this sweet and sour chicken for dinner last week and everyone agreed that it was a keeper!
Anonymous – glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
Melanie- I just made this for the first time last night. I was introduced to your blog through a friends (PheMOMenon)and have been loving it ever since. I must say that when I planned my next two week menu, I got almost all of my recipes from your blog. I am so excited to try them all. They all look heavenly. I am especially excited to try the french loaf and another no kneed bread you had on your blog. Thank you for your fun ideas, you may have just saved me. I find it so hard to come up with dinner ideas being a full time working mom. You took the guess work out this time! I am so grateful!
Lindsay – I don’t mind at all if you share some of the recipes you like on here. Thanks for letting me know!
Jen – I’m honored you would make one of my recipes and I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know! By the way, glad you had a fun trip out this direction…your kids are so cute!
Nina – several people have commented that they have added things like peppers and pineapple and I am for sure going to do that next time – especially after your rave review. Thanks for letting me know!
Hey Kristin – so glad you liked it! (And I have I mentioned I am SO glad you have a cooking blog of your own???)