Crispy fried chicken nuggets tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with onions, bell peppers, and pineapple. This sweet and sour chicken is better than Chinese takeout and can be made in less than 30 minutes!
You may also like beef stir-fry with onions and peppers, another Chinese takeout favorite.
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What makes a good sweet and sour chicken
A good sweet and sour chicken should have a light, crispy coating that doesn't separate from the chicken. It is achieved by adding egg white and baking powder.
The sauce should be tangy and not cloyingly sweet, with its signature reddish color.
Ingredients you’ll need
Notes and substitutions
- Egg white: It binds the starch to the chicken. Without the yolk, the chicken turned out crunchier.
- Starch for the batter: All-purpose flour makes a robust, golden-brown crust, while cornstarch makes it lighter. You can use potato starch or rice flour in place of cornstarch.
- Baking powder: It creates bubbles in the batter for a light and crispy coating, like in ukoy or okoy (shrimp and vegetable fritters). It does make a lot of difference, so don't skip this part.
How to make this recipe
Make the sauce
(1)In a cup, combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, ½ cup water, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Set it aside.
Prepare the chicken
(2)Season the chicken with salt and pepper. For more flavor, marinate for 15 minutes — add a tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
Mix in the lightly beaten egg white. (3)Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Coat the chicken pieces evenly.
Shallow-fry the chicken
(4)Set your wok or skillet over medium-high heat with about an inch of oil. Once hot, fry the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and transfer the oil.
Stir-fry
(5)Over high heat, cook the onions, bell peppers, and pineapple undisturbed for 2 minutes until slightly blistered. Season with salt and pepper.
(6)Lower to medium heat and push the vegetables aside. Sauté the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds in a little oil. Toss them together.
(7)Add the scallions and the sauce. Cook for about a minute to slightly thicken. (8)Turn off the heat and add the chicken. Toss them together. Add ground pepper, as desired.
How to serve
You can serve sweet and sour chicken with rice or noodles. Enjoy it right away to ensure the chicken stays crisp.
Don't let the chicken sit in the sauce too long before serving, or you'll lose all of its crunch.
Frequently asked questions
I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they have more flavor and stay juicy after frying. However, like in this recipe, chicken breasts also work.
Yes! You can certainly double fry, if you're up for it. It will make the chicken crunchier. Let them cool first before frying the second time, so they don't overcook.
Definitely! If you have the time, marinating the chicken even for as little as 15 minutes makes a lot of difference.
To do this, marinate in a little salt, pepper, a tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
More about sweet and sour
If you'd like to know more, here are frequently asked questions on sweet and sour including extra tips, troubleshooting, and more.
Watch how I make it here
Other chicken recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know! Your feedback helps me make better recipes. Please rate, review, or comment below. Questions about this recipe are welcome, too!
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📖 Recipe
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Equipment
- A wok or skillet
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons vinegar cane, white, rice, or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup sugar any kind
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the chicken:
- 12 ounces skinless, boneless thighs or breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch sub: potato or rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- salt and pepper to taste
For the stir-fry:
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion (white, yellow, or sweet onion) cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ red bell pepper about 1 cup; cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ green bell pepper about 1 cup; cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh, frozen, or canned, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 stalks scallions 1½-inch sections
- Oil (canola, avocado, or other vegetable oils) for shallow-frying and sautéing
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, ½ cup of water, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. For more flavor, marinate for 15 minutes — add a tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Mix in the lightly beaten egg white.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Coat the chicken pieces evenly.
- Set your wok or skillet over medium-high heat with about an inch of oil. Once hot, fry the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and transfer the oil.
- Over high heat, cook the onions, bell peppers, and pineapple undisturbed for 2 minutes until slightly blistered. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lower to medium heat and push the vegetables aside. Sauté the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds in a little oil. Toss them together.
- Add the scallions and the sauce. Cook for about a minute to slightly thicken.
- Turn off the heat and add the chicken. Toss them together. Add ground pepper, as desired.
Sandra
I love the organization of the recipe directions - laying out the different prep stages before going into the cooking portion. It made everything easy to follow. I'm a slow cook so I knew everything would take me more than 30 minutes to complete but the prep time took me an hour and cooking took me another hour. I made the recipe with gluten-free flour (King Arthur's GF All-Purpose) and it was all delicious, the next time I make it though I'll save it for the weekend. Thank you for the recipe.
Nora
Hello Sandra! The pleasure is all mine. I'm so glad you liked the recipe and intend to make it again. Thanks for the info on the gluten-free alternative. Thanks so much for your comment and I appreciate you noticing the layout.=) Did you find the process shots helpful or easy to understand? I'm debating whether to make the process shots side by side or in groups of four, but I'm concerned it might look too small when viewed on the phone - what do you think?
Sandra
You're welcome! I found the process shots easy to understand on my phone.
jomelyn
This recipe is very delicious and mouth-watering.
Bim
Prepared this for dinner today, my family loved it. They said it’s better than the one we order sometimes from the restaurant. Thank you Nora.
Nora
Thank you! I'm so happy to hear this. =)