Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
15 Comments
Posted: 05/05/20
Updated: 12/06/23
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Want to make your favorite Chinese take out at home? Now you can! Make this Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe in your oven tonight for a delicious dinner. We pair it with our favorite homemade fried rice. There’s no reason to hit the take out routine when you can make it better at home!
I have a soft spot for Chinese. Unfortunately, my husband does not share that soft spot. I’ve been craving Chinese for a while and I haven’t been able to con anyone into going and eating with me. I love this Fried Rice as much as this Sweet and Sour Chicken so it’s good they make the perfect pair!
So my plan attack goes something like this. Find a recipe online, attempt a new recipe, alter it to my liking because I never leave a recipe the same, don’t tell husband it’s anything to do with Chinese and see how it goes.
It went great!! He was a little skeptical when he looked at it. I forced him to try it because at this point he figured out it was Chinese. He tried and it and even liked it! I was a happy camper as after a while there is so only so many meat and potato dishes you can come up with.
This recipe does take a little bit of time so be aware of that, but it’s totally worth it!
I feel like if you are going to make a Chinese dish with a few people that might not be big fans of this cuisine, this is the perfect recipe to go with.
It’s honestly, about as “American” as a Chinese dish can get!
This is probably why my hubs liked it ?
Ingredients Needed for Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Chicken breasts
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- sugar
- Ketchup
- Vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Garlic salt
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps to Prepare
- Prep the Chicken – Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Cut chicken into chunks and season with salt and pepper. Place cornstarch in small bowl. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat. Then dip into the eggs.
- Brown Chicken – Heat your 1/4 c. oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned, but not cooked through. Place chicken in the greased baking dish.
- Mix Sauce – Whisk sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt together in a bowl. Pour over chicken and toss to coat.
- Bake – Bake for one hour. Stir mixture every fifteen minutes while baking.
Expert Tips
- If you smell the vinegar when you are baking the chicken that is normal because the vinegar is cooking off leaving a sweet and sour taste.
- You must use cornstarch. If you try to substitute all-purpose flour it will leave the same light coating.
- When you fry the chicken it’s just to crisp the coating not to cook the cooking so flash fry it quickly.
- It does require a full hour of baking time to make the sauce thick.
-
If you want a few add-ins try slicing a green or red pepper, a sliced red or sweet yellow onion and add it to the chicken prior to pouring over the sauce. Even a can of pineapple chunks (drained) will make a nice addition if you want to mix it up.
- Sprinkling the finished dish with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions dresses up the dish and makes it fancy enough for dinner with friends!
Also, it’s kid friendly! My kids love to eat anything with chicken and the flavors in this dish are mild enough to sneak by them.
It’s a great way to mix things up a little bit from the typical chicken nuggets, if you know what I mean!
Finish Your Meal!
- Serve it over white or brown rice for quick and easy.
- Serve up our favorite Fried Rice which is my favorite side for this!
- Make my Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein!
- Make it a big dinner and add some Orange Chicken!
- Grab some frozen egg rolls and fry those to pair with the rice and sweet and sour chicken.
I know you’ll really love this meal and I want you to give it a try soon! Come back and let me know what you think. If you’d comment below and rate it we’d love it – enjoy!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken at home! Pair it with fried rice, serve it over rice or egg rolls for a meal.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
- salt + pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 tbs ketchup
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Cut chicken into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Place cornstarch in small bowl. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat. Then dip into the eggs.
- Heat your 1/4 c. oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned, but not cooked through. Place chicken in greased 9×13 in. baking dish.
- Whisk sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt together in bowl. Pour over chicken and toss to coat. Bake for one hour. Stir mixture every fifteen minutes while baking.
Tips
- If you smell the vinegar when you are baking the chicken that is normal because the vinegar is cooking off leaving a sweet and sour taste.
- You must use cornstarch. If you try to substitute all-purpose flour it will leave the same light coating.
- When you fry the chicken it’s just to crisp the coating not to cook the cooking so flash fry it quickly.
- It does require a full hour of baking time to make the sauce thick.
-
If you want a few add-ins try slicing a green or red pepper, a sliced red or sweet yellow onion and add it to the chicken prior to pouring over the sauce. Even a can of pineapple chunks (drained) will make a nice addition if you want to mix it up.
- Sprinkling the finished dish with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions dresses up the dish and makes it fancy enough for dinner with friends!
- Serve this over white or brown rice.
- Another great option is our Fried Rice.
- Grab some Egg Rolls and make them to finish the meal.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 346kcal (17%), Carbohydrates: 32g (11%), Protein: 26g (52%), Fat: 11g (17%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Cholesterol: 133mg (44%), Sodium: 650mg (28%), Potassium: 473mg (14%), Sugar: 20g (22%), Vitamin A: 165IU (3%), Vitamin C: 1.7mg (2%), Calcium: 16mg (2%), Iron: 0.8mg (4%)
Karen says
A bit messy to make but definitely worth it!!
Brooke Kill says
They’re SO worth it! I think the messier the recipe, the more tasty it’ll be!
Linda Ferland says
Delicious! I usd Arrorroot instead of cornstarch & olive oil instead of canola oil.
Mamma_to_five says
Would arrowroot starch work?
Julie Evink says
I’m sorry I’ve never used arrowroot before.
Linda Ferland says
Yes, arrowroot is a good substitute for cornstarch. I use it all the time.
Bobbi says
Since it is SO hot outside (and inside my kitchen!), do you think I could make this in my electric skillet, if I keep it covered and at the right temp.? LOVE the recipe, but don’t want to heat the kitchen up any more than it already is!
Julie Evink says
I would guess that would work Bobbie, just watch temp/cooking time if it would need to be adjusted!
Michele says
Can I use apple vinegar
Leanne says
Just made this tonight – delicious!! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Julie Evink says
Glad to hear it Leanne!
Ashley says
I made this last night…It was soooooooooo good!!!!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
This sounds delicious! Sweet and sour chicken is my favorite. Love your picture!
Lisa @ Flour Me With Love says
This looks divine! Thank you so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday and I hope you’ll stop back soon 🙂
Carrie says
My husband is the Chinese lover in our home, but this pregnancy has brought it out in me too. I will be trying this.