Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

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Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe – chicken, peppers, and pineapple simmered in the best homemade sweet and sour sauce make this easy 15-minute dinner perfect for busy weeknights.

QUICK SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Asian takeout dinners made at home, are my go-to lately. You simply can’t beat a flavor-packed dish that takes under 20 minutes to make. The rice cooks perfectly in the same time the chicken, peppers and pineapple saute and then simmer in sweet and sour sauce. Talk about easy!

This Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken is so much better than the restaurant kind. Instead of deep frying the chicken, we are coating it with cornstarch and cook in the pan until golden brown. Then add veggies and sauce and simmer away!

How to make Sweet and Sour Chicken?

• Sweet and Sour Chicken is a combination of chicken breast cut into bite size pieces, typically coated in batter or breading, cooked in the pan with peppers, onions and pineapple.
• The sweet and sour sauce is whisked in a small bowl and poured over chicken and vegetables. It only takes a couple of minutes for it to cook and thicken.
• Serve the mixture over rice or add cooked noodles to the pan with chicken and sauce and make it stir-fry style. The sauce is based on vinegar and pineapple juice, with the addition of sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and ketchup or tomato sauce. Perfect balance of sweet and sour.

This recipe also works with pork. I think pork goes very well with pineapple and the sweet and sour sauce. It’s delicious!

How to make Sweet and Sour Sauce?

This dish is fresh, colorful and bursting with flavor. The sauce is what really brings it all together. Most sweet and sour sauces use a lot of white sugar. I prefer the combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar. The pineapple juice adds sweetness too so we are able to cut down the amount of sugar.

Craving more? Check out these easy Asian takeout recipes:

Easy Chicken Stir Fry

Quick Cashew Chicken

Easy Asian Takeout Recipes

Skinny Orange Chicken

Moo Goo Gai Pan

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

5 from 5 votes

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Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Chicken, peppers, and pineapple simmered in the best homemade sweet and sour sauce make this easy 15-minute dinner perfect for busy weeknights.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: sweet and sour chicken

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 375 kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

for the chicken:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup pineapple chunks

for the sauce:

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cornstarch and stir with wooden spoon. Make sure each piece is coated with cornstarch.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, oil, ketchup, both sugars, pineapple juice and cornstarch. Make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat up oil. Add chicken and cook until golden.
4. Add diced pepper and onion. Stir in garlic. Saute until the pepper is tender.
5. Add pineapple chunks and stir gently.
6. Add sauce mixture to pan and cook on medium low heat. Simmer until thickened.
7. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken even more.
8. Serve, garnished with chopped green onions, over rice or stir in cooked noodles to make stir fry.

Nutrition Facts

Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 375 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 72mg 24%

Sodium 764mg 32%

Potassium 757mg 22%

Total Carbohydrates 52g 17%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 43g

Protein 25g 50%

Vitamin A 21.5%

Vitamin C 67.5%

Calcium 3.9%

Iron 6.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.