Add a restaurant favorite to your dinner: This easy, Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken served over rice makes a classic dinner lots more convenient!

Overhead view of Sweet and Sour Chicken

About this recipe

Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe? Look no further — this is your recipe!

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5 from 5 votes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Easy baked sweet and sour chicken served over rice
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinade Chill Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch, separated
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 head broccoli
  • Vegetable Cooking Spray
  • ยผ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, separated
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ยฝ teaspoon minced ginger, optional
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained, but reserve sauce

Sauce

  • 1 cup brown or white sugar, to sweetness preference
  • ยผ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ยผ cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons pineapple juice (reserved from the can of pineapples)
  • ยผ cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, optional
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  • Optional: green onions

Instructions 

  • Fill a large resealable plastic bag with 1 cup cornstarch. Set aside. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with salt (about ยฝ teaspoon total). Add to a bowl and toss with the egg. Shake off the excess egg and transfer to the prepared bag with cornstarch.
  • When all the chicken is in the bag, seal it (with plenty of air in it) and then shake to generously coat the chicken. Pull the chicken out and discard the extra cornstarch and bag.
  • Heat ยผ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet on high (use 2 tablespoons for smaller skillet and do two batches). Add chicken (do two batches if your skillet is not big enough) and cook quickly for 2 minutes, turning every 30 seconds just to make the outside light golden and a bit crispy. The chicken should be raw inside and not cooked through at all. Transfer to a very large baking tray, taking up ยพ of the tray. Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and add to the remaining ยผ section of the large baking tray (don't overlap chicken pieces or broccoli -- you want everything to get baked not steamed!) Spray everything generously with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165 degrees F.
  • Meanwhile, discard any extra oil in the skillet and reduce the heat to medium high. Add in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chopped onion and saute for a few minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the chopped red pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
  • Add in the brown sugar (to sweetness preference -- from ยพ to 1 cup), apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and any salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the sauce begins to lightly bubble. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water until dissolved.ย 
  • Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and stir constantly for about 2-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the pineapple chunks and cooked chicken + broccoli. Add red pepper flakes if desired.
  • Serve immediately over rice. Add green onions if desired.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition informationย does not include the rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 797kcal | Carbohydrates: 130g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 1148mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 2174IU | Vitamin C: 180mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hi there! Iโ€™m Chelseaโ€“the recipe developer, photographer, writer, and taste tester behind Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron (although my little ones help me out quite a bit with the taste testing part!). I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen and then posting my creations here for you to enjoy.

Thanks again for stopping by!

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5 from 5 votes

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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. Millifa Jack says:

    5 stars
    Tonight, I did this stir and DELICIOUS!!! LOVED by my dad! Thank you for a good simple, delicious sour, and sweet recipe.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I’m so happy to hear! Thanks so much for your comment! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Julia Stearns @ Healthirony says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic photos, and amazing looking baked sweet sour chicken! I am obsessed with chicken! I’ll definitely try it! Thanks a lot for sharing!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Ahh thank you so much! I can’t wait to hear what you think! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Kelly says:

    5 stars
    I made this stir fry tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! My family LOVED it! Thank you for an easy healthy tasty sweet and sour recipe.

  4. Karly says:

    This would be such a fabulous weeknight meal, so vibrant! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thanks so much Karly! And thanks for hosting the party and coming by to comment ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says:

    Yay for sweet and sour stuff! It’s definitely one of my favorite combos. And pineapple in my stir-fry? Sounds awesome, I’m dying to try this! It looks so colorful and fresh, what a lovely lunch! x

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thanks so much Consuelo! Have a wonderful weekend ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Beth @ bethcakes says:

    Oh, this dish is so colorful! That’s one of my new year’s resolutions – add more color to my meals. ๐Ÿ™‚ I love all the flavors working together in this recipe. Wish I had a bowl of this for lunch today!

  7. Ashley says:

    I LOVE stir fries!! And with all that pineapple – yes yes yes! And the sauce doesn’t hurt either – sweet and sour is always such an awesome combo!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Isn’t pineapple the best?! Plis it makes me forget how cold it is outside ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks Ashley, have a great weekend ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Taylor @Food Faith Fitness says:

    Sweet and sour anything, is my favorite! I love how quick, easy and healthy this looks! Plus, with all those colors, it’s pleasin’ to my eyeballs. Yum!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thanks Taylor! I’m with you -sweet and sour is the best!