Restaurant-style crispy juicy sweet and sour chicken without deep frying or a wok! {Gluten Free Adaptable}
Sweet and sour chicken is probably THE most popular Chinese dish. Crispy chicken, a sweet scrumptious sauce, and crunchy peppers. It just has all the comforting elements in one bowl. If you travel to China, you will probably be disappointed that you can only find the pork version in restaurants. After all, pork is more of a staple meat for Chinese people than chicken. However, when I was living in Japan, sweet and sour chicken was one of the dishes I learned to make early on.
In most Japanese grocery stores, you will find packaged chicken thighs already cut up into bite-sized chunks. Back then I had zero cooking experience. So I was delighted to discover these products that could save me a bit of trouble, and I went straight for the chicken version.
Why this recipe
Today I want to share this easy sweet and sour chicken recipe that yields crispy chicken, sticky sauce, and crispy veggies, like the restaurant version. But the setup is more practical for any cook to make in their home kitchen. The greatest things about this recipe are:
- No deep-frying required! You will use much less oil to pan fry the chicken. The chicken will end up super crispy and stay that way, even after it’s been tossed in the sauce.
- The sweet and sour sauce is well balanced and rich. It is very fragrant and uses less sugar than most of the sweet and sour chicken recipes.
- No wok required! You can use a regular skillet to make this dish taste great.
Cooking notes
1. How to make crispy chicken without deep frying
I hate deep-frying! That’s why I developed a formula to creating crispy chicken with a crunchy coating that is like the takeout you’d get from Chinese restaurants, without making a mess.
Simply use: oil + salt + egg + cornstarch
This combination creates a dry batter that is suitable for pan-frying. Normally, deep frying requires at least 4 to 5 cups of oil. If you use this batter, you only need 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of oil to pan-fry the chicken in a regular skillet. Not only does it yield an extra crispy exterior and juicy, flavorful meat, but the chicken also stays crispy even after you coat it with sauce.
2. Use any cut of chicken you like
I’m a dark meat person. But using chicken breast creates awesome results, as well.
Just remember to cut the chicken into 1″ (2.5 cm) pieces. The size of the chicken pieces matters because you want the surface to turn crispy with the inside just cooked through at the same time. No matter you use breasts or thighs, they will turned out great.
3. Prep work
Before you start cooking, your countertop should have:
- Marinated chicken that’s coated with cornstarch
- A bowl of chopped garlic
- Chopped onion and pepper in a plate
- Mixed sauce
When you start the cooking, it will only last a few minutes. It’s important to prep all the ingredients before turning on the heat.
I like to group my ingredients according to the recipe (for example, place onion and peppers in one plate), so it’s easier to add them during the stir fry process.
4. Workflow
You only need to:
- Pan fry the chicken, move all the cooked chicken to a plate.
- Saute garlic to release fragrance.
- Add the sauce
- Add back chicken and veggies
NOTE: I only briefly cooked the veggies, so they are very crispy and have a vibrant color. If you prefer to cook your veggies until tender, you can add them right after you saute the garlic.
I hope you enjoy the dish!
More easy restaurant-style stir fry recipes
- Orange Chicken
- Chicken and Broccoli (Chinese Takeout Style)
- General Tso Tofu
- Ginger Beef Stir Fry
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
![Restaurant-style crispy juicy sweet and sour chicken without deep frying or a wok! {Gluten Free Adaptable}](jpg/1709_sweet-and-sour-chicken_550-200x200.jpg)
Sweet and Sour Chicken (Without Deep-Frying)
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 grams) boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cut to 1-inch (2-cm) pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Stir-fry
- 1/3 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 small white onion , chopped
- 1 bell pepper , chopped (I used a mix of colors in this recipe)
Instructions
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine chicken pieces, vegetable oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Add the beaten egg into the bowl with the chicken. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.
- Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet until hot, until it just starts to smoke. Add chicken all at once and spread out into a single layer in the skillet. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks.
- Cook without touching the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Place the pan back onto the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Add garlic. Cook and stir a few times until it releases its fragrance.
- Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens, when you can draw a line on the bottom with a spatula without the sauce running back immediately.
- Add back the chicken pieces, white onion, and bell peppers. (*Footnote 1) Stir to coat chicken with sauce, 30 seconds. Transfer everything to a plate immediately.
- Serve hot as main over steamed rice.
Notes
- This recipe yields very crispy veggies that are only briefly cooked, to retain their vibrant colors. If you prefer your veggies to cook more, add them right after the garlic. Then stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the sauce.
Video
Nutrition
The recipe was originally published in July 20, 2016, using a wok and a deep frying method. I’ve completely altered the steps to make the cooking easier in this new version, which was published on September 14th, 2017. Please update your recipe with the new one if you saved it earlier.
My daughter is nuts for this dish! I’m going to share this wonderful recipe with her. Thanks Maggie – pinning!
This was my first time making this recipe and I have to say, this was so delicious. There is absolutely nothing I would change about this recipe. My family was more than satisfied with it’s savory and sweet taste that made everyone want more. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
I didn’t realize how much I needed sweet and sour chicken till this recipe-its off the hook delicious. Writing I recipe scrap book so I can make it again and again!
This looks absolutely delicious! One of my favourite dishes 🙂
Yum! This looks infinitely better than my local take-out! Love how easy you make it too!
Super easy to make
Wow, I love your tutorials, Maggie, and I am truly motivated to make this for our next family get together. This looks so darn delicious!
Merci Maggie pour cette recette de poulet à l’aigre doux. J’adore !
Looks so delicious !
thank you for this very explanatory video !
Yuuum! Love the idea of being able to make my favorite take out dish anytime I want… although it maaaay be a bit dangerous 🙂
I love Chinese food, but we don’t have any Chinese restaurants nearby, so this will be a great fix!
I made this last night for my family and Chinese homestay student. Everyone had seconds! I used chicken breasts for the meat. This was inexpensive to make, easy, kind of messy, and really yummy! Thank you for posting.
Maggie: could this be made with Japanese katakuriko, potato starch, instead of cornstarch? Sometimes, I think katakuriko is more crispy…..??
Can I use something instead of the ketchup?
Use tomato paste !
I refuse to use ketchup again from previous Asian recipes that I made.
Oh my word, this is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I have ever cooked. It was so good that I had to battle very hard not to eat it all myself in one go! Thank you Maggie.
Thanks so much for taking time and leaving a comment Emma! And I’m so glad to hear you like the dish. I have the same problem too, always finish a whole plate myself 😛
Hi,
Your pics shows some pineapple chunks but none in your recipe. Could it be that you missed out this in your ingredients?
Thanks
Hi Dona, actually I used yellow bell peppers but they look like pineapple chunks 😛 We usually don’t use pineapple in sweet and sour chicken (but in another sweet dish that uses a fruity sauce), but you can add 1/4 to 1/3 cup at the end of the cooking if you want to.
Happy cooking and let me know how the dish turns out 🙂
Tried it for last night’s dinner. Tasty and enjoyable. Recipe/instructions are clear and easy to follow. Thanks Maggie
Loved this recipe. Worked really well. Kids
& husband all agree. It’s one that will make a return in the house.
So the bell peppers are raw, are they?
Hi Jules, I used the raw bell peppers to cook the dish. I always prefer to add them at the end of cooking to keep their crispy texture. If you like your peppers cooked a bit more, you can add them right before adding the sauce. That way the peppers will taste be a bit more tender but retain their color.
Happy cooking and hope your dish turns out great 🙂
This recipe is spot on and super delicious!! Very easy to follow
So happy to hear that you like the recipe Cindy!
Hi Maggie, I made this for dinner tonight and it was the best we have ever eaten. Puts the take out versions we have here to shame! I decreased the ginger as some don’t like ginger, but it still had the flavour I like. Hope to convert them to like ginger more! Thanks for showing us how good food should taste.
Very easy and delicious and filling. Definitely a keeper recipe.
Hello Maggie, I tried your sauce last night with pork. I like my recipe but I wanted to try your sauce, so I followed the instructions and I ended up with an amazing dish because of it. Thank you!
I cna’t find the video for this recipe. All I see is the “my latest video” box that place a variety of recipes, but not the video for this one.
Just made this yesterday. It was beyond scrumptious! Next time I will use a flat bottomed frying pan (easier to sort the chucken). I will also pay better attention to the egg/cornstarch/chicken mixture amounts. That being said, nothing was hurt and I will make it again. Thank you for keeping this simple Maggie! i may add a bit of pineapple next time but NOT really needed!!! Maggie I am slowly amassing the pantry ingredients so I find your site amazingly helpful, thank you so much!! Just got the right bean paste yesterday !!!
These pieces are totally perfect as weekend snack with movies <3 I'm absolutely giving it a try this weekend!
– Natalie Ellis
Amazing, such a flavourful recipe! Maggie, it is so good to have such a good sweet and sour recipe. Its the first time I have cooked sweet and sour chicken and this recipe was rated better than our local takeout! Many thanks, really enjoy your blog!
Amazing first time. Will never buy another stir fry chicken again EVER. My wife LOVES IT. I’m trying the same recipe tonight with pork belly sliced similarly. If it’s good I might try again with the shoulder! THANK YOU FOR THIS AWESOME RECIPE!! (I’ll update on the pork version)
the wife and I have now had recipe three time and have now converted the daughter and her husband. Will be going through your recipes with a fine tooth comb. looking forward to more tasty meals.
Just tried the sweet and sour – it was delicious and loved your step by step instructions. Would you pls post a recipe for main course satay
Love this recipe. I’ve been makin it for a couple of months now. The texture is perfect and I like that it does not require deep frying.
And a great side effect is that the cleanup is great.
Finally, I’ll say it her Love many of the other dishes on your site. Well thought out and described. I’d love to see a dish I’ve had in China. It is eggplant stuffed with pork in a deep brown sauce (not soy).
I have just discovered your fab site-I feel like I’ve discovered gold! Chinese is one of our favorites and I’m so excite to learn here. Will be making this very soon! Wonderfully written post and detailed instructions. Maggie!
My Son is fan of chicken but have not tried this type of recipe yet. Will definitely cook it. All your recipes that I tried were delicious and this will be yummy too.
great chicken recipe thank for sharing
How many grams/litres does the sauce make up for in this recipe ?
The recipe yields slightly less than a cup of sauce (approx 200 ml).
Hello Maggie, I searched for an authentic egg drop soup last week and came across your recipe. It came out really good. My wife wanted egg drop soup, I am a more wonton soup person myself, my daughter really enjoyed it too. We had had as a first dish with some stir fry I made. I noticed on your site a recipe for sweet and sour chicken which we made tonight. I followed your instructions and oh my it turned out better than I could imagine. Amazing how crunchy the chicken was and especially pleased with the sauce! I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you very much for your recipes and website. I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Your recipe for sweet & sour chicken sounds good however, as you stated that the Japanese explanation is more accurate as they elaborate on the quantities etc…
Your recipe states ONE WHOLE EGG BEATEN but the video shows ONE EGG YOKE BEATEN.
? ? ?
Hi Jack, I’ve improved and updated the recipes since I made the video, so the ingredients are slightly different.
I found out the batter will be crispier and stand better in the sauce if you use the whole egg. The old recipe (in my video) generates a more fluffy coating, which tastes good, but I like the new version better.
Sorry about the confusion!
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Although I am occidental, I rarely eat western food. ( only when absolutely necessary )
Chinese is my favourite but, – Japanese – Korean & Vietnamese make up the rest of my diet.
I am always looking for improved & new recipes even though in most cases I still prefer the originals.
I will try this one tonight.
Thank you.
Tasted amazing!!!! All the family enjoyed it and said it was just like takeaway. Only healthier!
Hi Maggie, I love all of your recipe bsc it’s truly follow your rule: make the measurements accurate, the directions easy to follow, and dishes practical to make at home. Hope you have more recipe to share.
This was amazing and one of the few dishes I have followed online that didn’t need any tweaking or “I swapped this for that” – it was spot on! Even the fussy 5 year old loved it and the ever so critical 15 year old! Thank you so very much for sharing 🙂
This is the third time I have made this dish and since I hate to deep fry your method works very well for me. It is sooooooooooo delicious! I never cared for sweet and sour chicken but my wife loves it so I learned how to make from your recipe and now I’m eating it as well. Thank you so much.
So easy to make. Glad I didn’t cave in to the Friday temptation to get takeaway. This was so much better! Yum!
Hi Maggie, Wow loved this recipe. Firstly it was easy to prepare thanks to your clear instructions, secondly it actually looked like the glamorous photos (that doesn’t often happen), and lastly it tasted so good. We were decorating and I wanted to prepare something quick and this was perfect. Thank you
Hi there! I had fun cruising around your website/blog. Your recipe for Sweet & Sour Chicken caught my eye. I always have frozen chicken thighs on hand, and I had everything else called for in your recipe. So it was a natural. We had friends over for dinner and we all really enjoyed the Sweet & Sour Chicken. Thanks for sharing!!
I love this, it makes for a great base which is super malleable.
I had no rice vinegar so I used malt and a bit of balsamico. I also used flour instead of cornstarch.
It was absolutely fantastic and way better than any take away (not to mention it lasted 2 days and costed like 10 bucks!)
Hi Maggi. Hoping to make this over the weekend. Looks delicious, however in the method it says to add ginger and garlic, but doesn’ state ginger or how much in the ingredients.
Hi Marjorie, I just updated the recipe and deleted ginger from the instruction. I used it in my test recipe but decided to skip it to keep the ingredient list a bit shorter. Happy cooking!
Thank you very much Maggie for this simple and very tasty recipe. I just cooked this one tonight since I have some guests coming over for dinner in the house. Everybody loves it and gives a “10”! Perfect! Would definitely cook it again and try your other recipes. Again, you saved my day!
Thank you very much.
Made this for lunch today and it was wonderful. The perfect blend of sweet and sour.
I made this for dinner yesterday and followed the recipe exactly. Today we are fighting over leftovers!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Whole family loved. Can’t wait to make more recipes from omnivores cookbook. Thank you Maggie
Wow. Thanks to this recipe I can honestly say…NAILED IT!!!
This recipe was fantastic and oh so easy. I made it exactly as written and it was delicious. We ate it all!
This is an absolutely fantastic recipe – easy to make and better than takeaway. We’re self isolating and this was a lovely treat. Will become a regular dinner.
Great recipe! I doubled this and used diluted tomato paste instead of ketchup since I never have ketchup on hand. The crispy chicken (before adding the sauce) was perfect in taste and texture even on its own. I cooked it in batches so it could get nice and browned, and actually found it helped not to separate the pieces until after they’d been flipped – just made it easier to flip when they were in one big connected piece. My big mistake was getting impatient at the end when I put the sauce in the pan and adding all the chicken and veggies in at once – I ruined the crispiness I’d built. BUT the flavor was still so good! I added green beans at the very end, and with 3 chopped up bell peppers and 2 lbs chicken thighs + rice it made leftovers for the whole week!
This is my second stab at this recipe.
I didn’t apply your ‘mise en place’ principle so things got a bit scrambled toward the end and the veg got slightly overcooked..
I realise that the great thing about Chinese cooking in particular is preparation.
Technique follows.
But I’m getting better at them.
Cheers
Thanks for this useful informative blog to sharing step by step.
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! thank you! everyone loved it (me, my husband and 18 and 19 yr old boys) I had just over 2 lbs of chicken so I cooked it in three batches first. Doubled everything else and it was perfect. I used my 14″ wok. Thank you for the video, that helped with the chicken. It came out nice a crispy. Loved the egg drop soup as well 🙂 and I just purchased your cookbook . Looking forward to cooking more of your recipes.
Hi Maggie, I’m relatively new to your site, and I tried the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe. My family and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went ahead and bought all the ingredients you recommended in your “crash course” in order to continue making your recipes. And, although I already had Kikkoman soy sauce in the pantry, I purchased superior light soy sauce and superior dark soy sauce because i wanted to be as authentic as possible. So can you please tell me, when one of the ingredients in your recipes calls for “soy sauce,” which one should I use? I hope this is not a silly question, because you may have already specified this somewhere and I forgot! Thank you so much for your recipes–I’m excited about continuing to make them. P.S. I also purchased The Chinese Stir Fry Sauce Cookbook, and I’m looking forward to delving in! Thanks again!
Olwyn
So happy to hear you like my recipes and would like to learn more about Chinese cooking! To answer your question, when I mention soy sauce in the recipe, you can either use the Kikkoman soy sauce or the light soy sauce. The regular soy sauce adds a bit color to the dish, and the light soy sauce won’t but will make the dish slightly saltier. They are pretty much interchangeable. For dark soy sauce, I use it whenever I want to add color to a dish. For example, when you make beef chow fun, soy sauce fried rice, or braised meat.
Excellent recipe, everyone loved it. I used pork tenderloin instead of chicken because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I make it I will double the sauce, there wasn’t quite enough for my liking.
This is really good. It’s a bonus that it’s simple and quick and it keeps well for leftovers. Total winner. Better than at restaurants.
This is a really great way of preparing the chicken!! I also appreciate your workflow directions, very helpful. I did tweak the recipe a little by adding pineapple chunks and juice to it. The recipe just needed a little more sauce, since I added another thigh. I had been planning to make another recipe, and then I came across yours. Yummy, definitely a keeper!
I see no-deep-frying and I think this recipe is for me, cause I prefer to use my oil-free fryer for every meal.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I have a question, can I replace 2 tablespoons rice vinegar with Mirin (Japan cooking wine)?
Hi Marina, I do not recommend using mirin because it’s a sweet wine and taste very different from rice vinegar. You can use another vinegar as replacement, for example, apple cidar vinegar or distilled vinegar. It will change the balance of the sweet and sour sauce but it should be OK.
Hello-this has become a favorite in our house. Any suggestions on how to cook the chicken in an air fryer rather than the pan?
Hello Maggie, a special thanks for sharing your recipes with all to enjoy. I just tried this recipe for the third time- 3 times is a charm here. My girlfriend/roommate wanted Chinese take out really bad. I explained that we can enjoy this recipe here at home and the taste will be better than takeout and all in 45 minutes. She is so skeptical and lazy this day. But she agreed and I had her make my ( your ) sauce. I used my 14” stainless steel frying pan this time and NAILED the recipe. The flavors were bursting in our mouths. She enjoyed every bite, and the next day I ate the rest for lunch- and I was so surprised of its flavor still bursting and no lost texture. I now have bragging rights- because I have my very own Chinese Chief .
My home to your home-Thank you.
Hi Dennis, thanks so much for your kind words and I’m so happy to hear that you and your girlfriend both enjoyed the dish 🙂 Have a great day!
I cooked this meal tonight and my fiance and I were shocked how yummy this meal turned out! We were saying that it tasted like a meal from a Chinese restaurant!
Thank you so much!!!
Great! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe
Going to make this tonight as well as your Egg Drop Soup. Wife and I love ginger and in reading the reviews of this dish I noticed it once had ginger as well. You mentioned updating the recipe and taking that out to simplify the ingredient list. I assume if I put it in there it would go in the skillet with the garlic. How much would you use and would you recommend against using it?
Yeah I did skip the ginger later on to shorten the recipe. If you want to add some (I always do!), 1 teaspoon minced would be great.
Happy cooking!
Thank you, for the formula to creating crispy chicken without deep frying
We are love it
This result of this recipe was delicious. Our 15 year old grandson wants it again. It will become a staple in our house.
Its not easy to find thos peanut oil. I did not buy in grocery the one which is gold colored. I keep searching for the amber colored one. Question:whats the reason to marinate the chicken with vegetable oil and than fry it with peanut oil.?
Just a oil that’s quite nutty and flavorful so I like to use it in daily cooking. You can totally use a vegetable oil to replace it, such as canola, grapeseed or sunflower oil.
First time, I managed to prepare this meal. The sauce has a good flavor. I think i used to much 0.5 kg chicken, 3 peper and 1 onions. The garlic here has no garlic tast a d i burned it also. Oil was too hot. In 5 second the whole garlic was almost coaled. In summation:the sauce was a little shallow. I expected more strong flavor . Next time i will use less vegetables.
Really easy to make ! Just found it little more sweet to our taste..shall reduce the sugar but apart from that it was perfect !
I made this last night, doubling it to serve five. We all agreed it was okay, but the sauce lacked that punch of flavor we’re used to in sweet-and-sour dishes. If I make it again, I’ll increase the vinegar and sugar by at least half.
Hi Maggie,
I’m planning on making this for dinner tomorrow since I don’t have any peppers on hand right now but I have a question on the sugar. I use either Swerve or Monk Fruit sugar replacement in everything that requires sugar in the recipe because our household has diabetics. Will that have an effect on the crispness of the chicken? Also, I’m the only one who likes bell peppers in this house. Is asparagus or green beans a good alternative?
I’ve never tested the recipe with any sugar alternatives. I think it’s possible but:
1- I read about the Swerve sugar is less sweet than sugar, and Monk is sweeter. I think you need to replace the amount according to the package indicated to have the correct sweetness.
2- The regular sugar in this recipe helps thicken the sauce a little bit once it’s melt. I’m not sure if the sauce will not be thick enough if you use a sugar alternative. The solution is, dissolve 1 extra tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. If the sauce doesn’t thicken up enough at the end of the cooking, slowly drizzle the extra cornstarch slurry slowly and stir the sauce to thicken (you might not need all of them).
I think asparagus would be a great alternative for bell peppers. You can slice them to 1″ pieces at an angle so it’s easy to cook through. If you use larger cut, you can also lightly blanch the asparagus first to make sure it’s cooked through.
Thank you so much for this recipe! We LOVED it- the directions were easy to understand, the flavors were excellent, the chicken was crispy and moist, and the outcome was better than most take-out we can get (and we get pretty good Asian takeout here in Seattle)! We were floored at how it turned out. We try to eat low/no sugar, so we substituted Golden Monkfruit from Lakanto (1 to 1) and it was perfect. We also served it over steamed broccoli. It was delicious! We can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
This is my husband’s favorite dish. (Mine too) after cooking for him for 62 years he requests this more than anything I’ve ever made. It is a flawless recipe and I encourage everyone to try it. Don’t change a thing.
Beautiful it was,Sweet and Sour Chicken
Great reci-e
Great recipe
Looks amazing – does this work with Tofu?
I think you totally can!
This recipe was absolutely perfect! We loved the taste and all without deep frying. Making it again tonight. Thank you
Great recipe, my family loved it!
As I couldn’t find any Shaoxing wine except salted, I replaced it with dry sherry.
I couldn’t obtain the crispness so it was a bit mushy. It was still tasty though.
Maybe the oil wasn’t hot enough… I have difficulty controlling the heat level.
I’m going to make this recipe again until I get it right!
Maggie you are magic, crispy chicken in a sauce out of a frying pan, Incredible 10/10, thank you
So tasty and so simple & quick!
Thank you!
Even after a very hectic, long day I was able to make this dish quickly! I’ve never had Sweet & Sour Chicken but my daughter’s school served it and she asked if I would make some. It was DELICIOUS! We had no left overs and I wish I had doubled it. Today, we’re trying the tofu version. This is a dish you can easily make any time of the week with any protein of your choice. It’s a keeper!
Nice recipe but I simple cant understand a marinade with just oil and salt, plus a short time. Oil cannot penetrate at all. Salt a little. Marinades usually have acids and sometimes sugar. What is this achieving please?
I think maybe it’s more accurate to call it a coating than marinade. The salt seasons the chicken (like you salt a steak before cooking). The oil helps with the chicken pieces to separate (the pieces tend to stuck together when you add cornstarch) and crisp up. And of course you can use a longer marinating time. Some traditional recipes uses garlic and ginger in the marinade and you can even do it overnight. But these days I found it unnecessary because you will get all the flavors from the sauce.
Dear Maggie, I made this recipe last year for a family cooking competition and won!! Says it all really! This year they are all coming to stay again and they have asked me to make it again. So I have a QUESTION… is it OK to cook the crispy chicken ahead of time? There are so many in my family that I don’t think I could do it all in one go.
Thank you for an absolutely First class recipe site. I have never seen better recipes or more helpful explanations.
Hi Sue, I think it’s fine to cook the crispy chicken ahead of time as long as you don’t put the sauce on. You can heat it up by pan frying, or in an oven (air fryer might be better if you have one). You can prepare the sauce ahead of time as well and heat it up in the pan, then add the reheated chicken. But I recommend to prep the ingredients for the sauce and make it right before serving.
Looks great for those who do not have salt and sugar issues. On both of these flavorings, the contents are way too much loaded of these not so healthy items. The question is, is there an alternative way to make this beautiful dish more friendly to those of us sensitive to salt and sugar? Love to hear from you on this subject.
Excellent recipe. The only thing I did differently was double the sauce – cause we love sauce.
Can you provide recipes using the air fryer, please?
I will work on one soon 🙂
Fantastic. I made a couple of changes. I used a small tin of Pineapple and used two tablespoons of the juice instead of the water. Tastes so good and is as good as a takeaway.
I made this tonight, the sauce was a bit too strong but good, the next time I will add some broth or reduce amount of the spicy ingredients Thank you
Can the battered chicken be fried with an air-fryer?
I have an air fryer version here: https://omnivorescookbook.com/air-fryer-sweet-and-sour-chicken/
The batter is slightly different.
2nd time I’ve made this and it’s excellent. I added some pineapple though and it just gave it a little bit more flavor. It’s very easy to make and well worth the effort.
Did this recipe tonight as part of the daily recipes I signed up to. Delicious!
Can’t hear you in the video for the music is too loud !
This recipe is my all time favourite and is cooked regularly
So delicious !!
We loved this recipe. I just found your site last week. Went to the local Asian market to get your recommendations for pantry staples. This was the first recipe I tried. Great directions and some new techniques for me. A 12 inch stainless sloped skillet pan worked perfectly. No sticking and crispy chicken. I had a request for extra sauce next time. Thanks so much!
This was the best sweet and sour chicken I’ve ever made! It really stays crispy and has so much flavor. Easy to prepare. I’m enjoying learning new asian recipes! Thank you!