Sweet & Sour Chicken

This Sweet & Sour Chicken is a time-saving entrée that’s hearty and delicious.

Tender pieces of chicken are lightly browned in garlic and then simmered in a sweet, sour (or spicy!) sauce. Serve with fried rice or noodles which will soak up all that deliciously sweet sauce. Cook this easy crowd pleaser and take it to a potluck or buffet.

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What is Sweet & Sour Chicken?

Make this Chinese inspired entree in less time than it takes to bring home take out. One pot and it’s done.
Use fresh, frozen, or leftover chicken in this recipe. How easy is that?
Slow cook chicken in the crockpot with the sauce and serve as a hot appetizer on a buffet table. Don’t forget to make some Chinese Shrimp Toast, Crab & Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Rolls, and some Chinese Broccoli!

Ingredients and Variations

CHICKEN: Chicken breasts will produce a dish with fewer calories, but wings and thighs with the skin on will give the dish more flavor and make for fun finger foods! Use leftover chicken or even chunks of pork or shrimp. Use tofu instead of meat for a vegetarian dish!

SAUCE: Use a store-bought brand or stir up this quick sauce and make a ‘house-style’ signature sauce as sweet or sour or spicy as the dish demands. DIY a sauce by blending together ⅓ cup honey, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons ketchup, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 Tablespoon corn starch, ¼ cup water, and a chopped green onion. Whisk everything together and shake in a mason jar until ready to use. Make it spicy by stirring in a bit of Sriracha or Sambal red chile paste!

MIX-INS: Add small broccoli florets, water chestnuts, baby corn, or chopped pineapple for a more authentic entrée and to up the healthy veggies!

RICE/NOODLES: Long grain jasmine rice is the preferred starch for an authentic dish but white rice, long-grain brown rice, even Chinese cellophane, soba, or ramen noodles will work!

How to Make Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is an easy one pot meal.

Cut chicken into pieces. Toss in a bag with flour, salt, and pepper.
Cook chicken in olive oil. Then add chopped garlic.
Add the sweet and sour sauce. Simmer sauce is thickened.
Add sliced green onions and serve over rice. (As per recipe below)

What to Serve With Sweet & Sour Chicken

As an entrée, some yummy sides are Stir Fried Broccoli, or some Oven Roasted Asparagus.

Leftovers

If serving sweet and sour chicken over rice, mix it all together and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It tastes better the next day! Reheat on the stove and add a little water to thin it out or an extra dash of soy sauce for flavor. Leftover sweet and sour chicken can be frozen for up to 4 weeks in zippered bags with the date labeled on the outside.

Simple Chicken Recipes!

Sweet & Sour Chicken in a bowl with rice and green onions

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Sweet & Sour Chicken

Dinner will be quick, easy and delicious with this Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe!

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings servings

Author Holly

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast about 4 breasts cut into even-sized cubes
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic pressed or finely minced
1 cup sweet and sour sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds optional garnish

Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together in a big bowl or bag. Toss in the chunks of chicken until coated.
Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add the olive oil, then fry the chicken flipping after 3-5 minutes. Add the cloves of garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Be sure the chicken is fully cooked – no traces of pink should be left. Turn the heat down to low.
Add the sweet and sour sauce to the frying pan with the chicken. Turn the heat back up to medium.
Let this mixture begin to bubble, then turn down the heat to low (for about 3 minutes).
Add the green onions and serve over long-grain jasmine rice.

Notes

Homemade Sweet & Sour Sauce -
⅓ cup honey,
3 tablespoons soy sauce,
3 tablespoons ketchup,
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar,
1 teaspoon ginger powder ground ginger,
1 tablespoon cornstarch,
¼ cup water,
1 green onion, chopped,
Mix together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, ginger, cornstarch, and water to use in place of sweet and sour sauce in the recipe above.