This is an easy, healthy, 8-ingredient, no-deep-fry version of the classic sweet and sour chicken favorite.
It’s kind of surprising to me that sweet and sour chicken is so much more popular than sweet and sour pork. Maybe because sweet and sour pork is definitely what I grew up with. But, pork or chicken, this sweet and sour sauce goes very well with fluffy white rice. Forget pickup or delivery, that’s better.
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
This is a twist on our authentic Sweet and Sour Oven Roasted Pork with Chicken. The chicken finishes juicy with a bit of crunch thanks to a coating of cornstarch. In addition to no cleanup, no expensive oil to throw away, and no splatter, it’s also much better for you, so you can feel good about eating it every night and you’ll want to. It tastes just as good as the fried version without any of the guilt.
How to make sweet and sour chicken
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF and season your chicken with salt and pepper.
- Coat the chicken. We use corn starch, it creates an authentic light and crispy coating. Any other starch like potato starch is fine too.
- Bake the chicken. 20 minutes, then flip and bake another 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce while you wait. Roughly chop your onions and pineapple.
- Coat the chicken and cook the onions and pineapple a little at the same time.
- Enjoy!
Sweet and sour sauce ingredients
- Ketchup?! I know you’re thinking, why? But the real reason is the ketchup used and loved in many Chinese kitchens. We used a lot of ketchup as an extra flavor enhancer when we were growing up and the truth is that many restaurants use it too. It’s the secret to getting that unique sweet and sour taste in sweet and sour dishes.
- Pineapple or no pineapple? There is usually pineapple in sweet and sour dishes, but we didn’t have any on hand and I didn’t want to go out and buy a can (or piece). Feel free to add any vegetables – any crunchy, juicy vegetable is always a good bet – like the red onion and yellow peppers pictured. However, pineapple is a classic, and fresh is best!
Tips and tricks
- Don’t forget to lightly oil the wire rack you cook your chicken on, this helps keep it from sticking and also makes the chicken a bit crispier in the end.
- If you want even more crunch, crank up the heat at the end of the roasting session and brown everything deep – just make sure you pay attention.
If you love Chinese food
Serve this with some:
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
An easy, healthy, 8-ingredient, no-deep-fry version of that classic favorite: Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
It serves 4
- 1 £ boneless skinless chicken thighs in cubes
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 CUP sugar
- 3 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon I am willow
- 1 bell pepper in cubes
- 1/2 red onion in cubes
Serves 2 as a main or 4 with other dishes.
Nutrition facts
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Amount per serving (4 oz)
Calories 307
Calories from fat 77
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.5 g13%
Saturated fat 2.3 g14%
cholesterol 101 mg34%
Sodium 450 mg20%
potassium 409 mg12%
Carbohydrates 22.9 g8%
Fiber 0.8 g3%
Sugar 17.2 g19%
Protein 33.7 g67%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
