Why wait for takeout when you can make it at home?
This sweet and sour chicken recipe is combines tender chicken, pineapple, and vegetables in a quick and easy sweet and sour sauce.
Serve it over rice or noodles for an easy meal.
This Sweet and Sour Chicken is Better than Take-out Because …
- One pan is all you need to make this Chinese-style takeout fake-out!
- Basic ingredients and simple steps mean this dish is on the table in minutes!
- It’s versatile, change the veggies to your favorites or what’s in the produce drawer.
- Serve over ramen noodles or cauliflower fried rice to soak up all that yummy sauce!
What You’ll Need for Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Chicken – Choose boneless skinless chicken; either breasts or skinless chicken thighs will work in this recipe. Pork, shrimp, and even tofu are all great options as well.
- Pineapple – Use canned pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), as the juice is used in the sweet and sour sauce.
- Vegetables – Green peppers, red bell peppers, and onions add a sweet crunch and a pop of color to sweet and sour chicken. Any color of pepper will work.
- Sauce – This sauce is easy to make with basic ingredients from the pantry and fridge. If time is short, use a store-bought jar of sweet and sour sauce.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Make the sauce according to the recipe below. Set aside.
- Toss chicken pieces in seasoned cornstarch and cook in oil.
- Remove chicken from the pan and cook peppers and pineapple in sauce until tender.
- Stir in chicken and simmer until sauce is thickened.
Serve with white or fried rice.
Leftovers?
- This recipe tastes even better the next day! Keep it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat on the stove with a little water to loosen the sauce. Serve on its own or over freshly cooked rice or ramen noodles.
- Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 4 months and reheat from frozen on medium-low heat on the stovetop.
More Chicken Stirfry Recipes
Did you enjoy this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Tender chicken is stir fried with bell pepper and juicy pineapple in a homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- sesame seeds and/or green onions for garnish, optional
For the Stir Fry
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 15 ounces pineapple chunks (1 can) drained, juice reserved
- 1 red bell pepper chopped 1-inch
- 1 green bell pepper chopped 1-inch
- 1 small sweet onion chopped 1-inch
For the Sauce
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup and 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and toss with ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and salt.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook without stirring for 3 minutes or until browned on one side. Stir and cook for 6 -7 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the onion, red pepper, green pepper, ginger, and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened.
- Whisk the sauce and add it to the skillet with the pineapple. Simmer for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Recipe from Good Fast Eats by Amy Flanigan.
- Nutrition information does not include rice.
- Leftovers may be stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 238 | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 576mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 779IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My husband and I really enjoyed this. I didn’t have peppers, so thinly sliced carrots. It was delicious!
Hi Holly. your recipes are great, as I am a big foodie and try to turn. recipes into my version. I made your Sweet and sour Chicken. Awesome. The only thing I changed is I used a fresh pine apple, let it stand in a container cut up for a few days. Then added brown sugar water to the pine apple. left for a few days in the fridge. used the pineapple and the juice. So much better than a tin if pineapple. I am from South Africa and we have Cantonese Chinese food which is from Canton. I find the Chinese food here quite awful. I make my own Spring Rolls which is made from left over Chop Suey.
Your Chili is the Best the beer makes it. For the last Two Super Bowls I make it. Great Hit
So glad you’ve loved the recipes Cheryl. I bet fresh pineapple took this recipe to the next level, thanks for the tip!
My husband loved this dish! It was a little too sweet for me, but it really was delicious. I followed the recipe pretty much as written and it was very simple to make. I will definitely be making this again!
Thanks for trying our recipe, Gretchen!
Excellent!! This recipe is great, I make it all the time, it’s a family favorite.
I made this and loved it.
Made this tonight, was a big hit with everyone including the grandkids. Doubled the recipe to feed everyone, only change I made was adding more peppers. Will make again!
Glad to hear this recipe was a hit with your family, Linda!
I enjoy Looking through your recipes I copy a lot
Keep those good recipes coming thank you
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Dee!
This recipe is becoming one of my regulars in my menu rotation. So much flavour, I love the sweetness of the pineapple and the sauce, the veggies are cooked to tender-crisp. One pot = perfect for a weeknight! Will definitely be repeating. 10/10
All of your recipes look wonderful. Looking forward to our journey to better meal planning for healthy, fast, tasty meals. Thank you.