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Home Collections Asian Takeout

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

By:Nagi
Published:7 Oct '15Updated:8 Jan '20
281 Comments
Recipe v

A Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe that shows you how to make the Chinese takeout favourite Sweet and Sour Chicken in the oven so the chicken is CRISPY but not dried out inside. Coated generously in a sticky sauce with a perfect sweet-sour balance!

Plate of Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

I don’t like to shout out from the rooftops “this is the BEST baked Sweet & Sour Chicken!” because who’s to say that theirs is the best? But this is a darn good recipe. And it’s MY favourite way of making Sweet & Sour Chicken in the oven. Here’s why:

  1. Not sickeningly sweet. It’s made with 1/2 cup of sugar which is still a lot compared to my usual midweek meals. But it is less than the 3/4 to 1 cup that you’ll see in many recipes.

  2. Not eye-squintingly sour. I don’t know how to properly describe my reaction when I accidentally eat something far too sour! Suffice to say this is tart, not overly sour. 🙂

  3. The Sauce tastes like restaurant sauce. Many Sweet & Sour Sauce recipes taste like they’re missing “something”. Usually that “something” is either Worcestershire Sauce and/or oyster sauce (sometimes also soy sauce). You can omit one of these but don’t leave out all of them, the sauce will taste very “flat”.

  4. The chicken really is crispy! The fact is, you will never be able to make chicken in the oven that is truly as crispy as deep fried (except wings – see my recipe for Truly Crispy Oven Baked Wings!). But this is pretty darn close.

  5. The chicken is NOT DRY. I have seen recipes that call for the chicken to be baked for 45 minutes to 1 hour which I find dries out the chicken. I’m really fussy about dry chicken! Mine is baked for 20 minutes – tops. That’s all you need.

Oven Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken - this recipe is not like the usual. The chicken is crispy, not dry and the sauce is not overly sweet but still really glossy and sticky!

Closeup of pan of Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Pretty hard to pick what I love more about this – the Sweet & Sour Sauce, or the crispy chicken! The chicken itself is so yum, it’s hard to resist nicking the pieces straight off the baking tray before they even make it to the sauce.

Try to resist! I promise it’s worth the wait. 🙂  – Nagi x

PS Oh, the other little thing I think makes quite a difference is using some of the pineapple juice in the can for the sauce. It adds that little touch of fruitiness that I really think makes the sauce similar to Chinese restaurants!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken on rice

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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Chicken, Stir Fry
American Chinese
4.98 from 86 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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My oven baked version of Sweet & Sour chicken which is not like most recipes you will find on the internet. My sauce uses less sugar so it's not overly sweet, the sauce ingredients has a few extra things in it so it really does taste more like restaurant Sweet & Sour sauce, and the chicken is only baked for 20 minutes so it does not dry out (but still lovely and crispy!). The ingredients list for this recipe is longer than most on my site - but it is well worth it!

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 lb / 500 g chicken breast , cut into bite size cubes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg or 2 small eggs , lightly beaten (enough to coat chicken)
  • 1 cup cornstarch / cornflour , placed in a large ziplock bag
  • 3 to 5 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola)
  • Oil spray

Stir Fry

  • 1/2 tbsp oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 small onion , cut into large dice
  • 1/2 red bell pepper , cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/2 green bell pepper , cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 can (8oz/250g) canned pineapple pieces in natural juice. Separate pineapple from juice.

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup sugar (white or brown - I use either)
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 - 3 tbsp pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple pieces)
  • 3 tbsp ketchup (Australia: tomato sauce)
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp Oyster Sauce (Note 1)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Thickener

  • 1 tbsp cornflour / corn starch + 4 tbsp water , mixed together

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
  • Place chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with salt then add the egg. Mix to coat all chicken with egg, then drain out excess egg. (Note 2)
  • Working a handful at a time, shake excess egg mixture off chicken then place chicken in ziplock bag. When all the chicken is in the bag, seal (trap as much air in it as you can to make a "balloon") and shake well to coat chicken in cornflour. Discard excess cornflour.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet on high. Add chicken (in 2 batches if your skillet is not big enough) and cook briefly for 2 minutes, turning, just to make the outside light golden and a bit crispy. The chicken should be raw inside.
  • Transfer to baking tray, spray with oil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until it becomes a little more golden brown and is crispy.

Sauce

  • Meanwhile, discard oil in the skillet and wipe briefly with paper towels. Reduce heat to medium high and heat 1/2 tbsp oil. Add garlic and sauté for 20 seconds, then add onion and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add bell peppers and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add Sauce ingredients. Stir until sugar has dissolved and the sauce begins to bubble.
  • Add Thickener. Bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Then cook until it thickens to a syrup consistency - about 3 minutes.
  • Stir through pineapple pieces (just to warm) and remove from stove.
  • When the chicken is done, add it into the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce.
  • Serve immediately with rice - or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! Garnish with scallions if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. These 3 ingredients are what makes this sauce more like the Sweet & Sour sauce that is served at Chinese restaurants. They are my "secret ingredients"! You can omit one (substitute with more of one of the others) and it will still taste similar. But please don't leave out all 3! The sauce will taste quite flat and bland.
2. I just use my hand to stop the chicken from falling out while allowing the excess egg to pour out.
3. Nutrition assuming 4 servings. Approximately 1 tbsp of oil is discarded so I have taken this into account.
Sweet Sour Chicken Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 312gCalories: 528cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 54g (18%)Protein: 42.7g (85%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 1.7g (11%)Cholesterol: 148mg (49%)Sodium: 825mg (36%)Potassium: 526mg (15%)Fiber: 1.7g (7%)Sugar: 34.8g (39%)Vitamin A: 1150IU (23%)Vitamin C: 92.4mg (112%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 2.3mg (13%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

 

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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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281 Comments

  1. Mary Grace says

    October 27, 2016 at 7:21 am

    5 stars
    Omg!! This sweet and sour recipe is amazing!! Love it! THe best home made sweet and sour chicken. Thank you so much for this recipe. I always check your website for recipes ☺☺

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 28, 2016 at 5:52 pm

      I’m so glad Mary!! Quite different to that thick overly sweet stuff some places serve up, isn’t it? It’s the real deal! 🙂 N x

      Reply
  2. Carolyn says

    September 15, 2016 at 2:06 pm

    5 stars
    Sweet & Sour Chicken was our dinner tonight, another winner, that’s three for three…
    Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 19, 2016 at 7:06 am

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Carolyn, thanks for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  3. Natasha Parsons says

    August 19, 2016 at 4:43 am

    Your recipe is amazing, better than take out. Going to use with pork and teach my older son. Loved, loved, it.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 19, 2016 at 5:56 pm

      Thank you Natasha! I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed it!! N x

      Reply
  4. Donna says

    August 17, 2016 at 6:59 am

    I would like to take this to a group. Can i fry the chicken and delay the cookibg in the oven unit i get there/

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 17, 2016 at 10:51 pm

      Hi Donna! I would recommend cooking the chicken all the way through in the oven, then reheat later 🙂

      Reply
  5. Vanessa Baggio says

    July 26, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi, your recipes NEVER FAIL,
    When our 19 yo daughter discovered what we were eating tonight, she had to Instagram it to her followers ! You see, Sweet n Sour has always been her favourite meal of ALL TIME. and your recipe did not disappoint. It was sensational, even when I forgot the Apple Cider Vinegar, but I saw another follower asked if plain white vinegar was ok. So I went with it, and it was PERFECT. sometimes the cook loses her appetite after all the prep, etc – but not tonight. I kept saying this is amazing – I’m amazing – Nagi is amazing !
    I’m eyeing off some leftovers, but 16 yo son arrives home soon from flipping burgers @ Maccas. I know what he would prefer any day. YAY YOU!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 27, 2016 at 7:34 pm

      AWWWW Vanessa! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this!!! PS Your daughter ROCKS!!! PPS Flipping burgers is good learning ground for him! N x

      Reply
  6. Catherine says

    July 21, 2016 at 12:52 am

    5 stars
    Update on my previous post! My daughter made this last night for us and it was OUTRAGEOUSLY good. We never order Chinese food anymore because it’s usually very oily and salty. Your recipe was so simple that you gave her the confidence she needed in the kitchen. Thank you so much! She will be making more recipes from your blog 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 21, 2016 at 7:45 am

      THANK YOU Catherine!! I am so glad you enjoyed this, and what a fantastic daughter you have!! You are SO LUCKY!!!! If you liked this, I have a whole collection of Asian takeout recipes that I think you might both like! -> https://www.recipetineats.com/indexes/recipe-index/asian-takeout/

      Reply
  7. Catherine says

    July 20, 2016 at 2:46 am

    Hi Nagi – I LOVE your recipes! My daughter is 20 and is just starting to learn to cook. So many of your recipes are nice and simple. She will be trying this one this week. What is your favorite rice? And also – any tips for cooking rice? Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 20, 2016 at 8:59 pm

      Hi Catherine! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes!! For rice, I use medium or long grain day to day. 1 cup of rice + 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat lid on, as it comes to a boil turn down to low. Cook for 12 minutes or until water is absorbed (tilt saucepan to check) then remove and rest for 10 minutes (most important step!). Fluff rice and serve!

      Reply
      • Catherine says

        July 21, 2016 at 12:53 am

        I’ll do it that way next time. Thanks so much!

        Reply
  8. Karen says

    June 5, 2016 at 10:30 pm

    Hi Nagi
    I am going to make this tomorrow night. Can I substitue brown or white vinegar for the Apple Cider Vinegar?
    Would it alter the taste very much

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 6, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      Nope, it will be pretty close!

      Reply
  9. Sveta says

    May 29, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    Omg, how good the sauce is. And so easy to make. Kids polished the plates and even ate the capsicum and onions. Thank you for sharing another restaurant secret. Happy days 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 30, 2016 at 8:55 am

      Thanks for trying this recipe Sveta, I’m SO GLAD you and the kids enjoyed it! And thank you for coming back to let me know! N x

      Reply
  10. Ana says

    May 27, 2016 at 7:40 am

    Being complete fan of your Charlie Brown sauce, I knew this had to be good. It was! Thank you for a great sweet and sour chicken recipe. Complete success!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 27, 2016 at 8:34 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this Ana! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Raquel says

    May 11, 2016 at 12:16 am

    Hi Tin,

    if i will be using Fish instead of chicken can i make the same procedure. except i don’t need to bake it.. am i correct?
    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 13, 2016 at 1:07 pm

      Hi Raquel! You are absolutely spot on 🙂 The fish will cook much faster so you can skip the baking step, just cook it through on the stove!

      Reply
  12. Maggie says

    May 2, 2016 at 4:43 pm

    Hi Nagi,

    Can I use cornstarch as a thickener instead of cornflour? I don’t have cornflour.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 2, 2016 at 8:10 pm

      Gosh Maggie, I should have written it in the post – cornstarch and cornflour are the same thing! 🙂 So YES! I will update the recipe

      Reply
      • Maggie says

        May 3, 2016 at 11:15 am

        Awesome, thanks Nagi!

        Reply
        • Maggie says

          May 5, 2016 at 2:52 pm

          5 stars
          Made this dish for dinner tonight and it was pretty darn delicious!
          Thanks again for another yummy recipe, Nagi!

          Reply
          • Nagi says

            May 9, 2016 at 3:29 pm

            Yay!! I am so SO glad you loved this too Maggie, thank you for letting me know! N xx

  13. Maia says

    March 24, 2016 at 6:50 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely LOVE your recipes!! So far I’ve made the spaghetti and meatballs twice and the sweet and sour once but will definitely be making it again! These recipes are so easy and delicious, my whole family loves them and there a few fussy eaters! I will definitely be venturing further into the website to find more tasty meals

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 25, 2016 at 6:36 am

      WOO HOO! I am so glad you love my recipes Maia, thank you so much for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  14. Beth says

    March 23, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    One word-YUM! I made this tonight for my husband and I, and it was top of the line stuff! Loved it. The best homemade Chinese receipe this far!
    Thanks so much for posting this.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 25, 2016 at 6:22 am

      WOO HOO! Thanks Beth, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
    • Beth says

      March 23, 2016 at 12:22 pm

      P.S. I ran out of eggs so I had to find a substitute for the egg coating. I used plain Greek yougurt and thinned it (to the consistency of egg yolks) with milk. Worked perfectly. A great substitute for those with egg allergies too.

      Reply
      • Nagi says

        March 25, 2016 at 6:26 am

        Great tip, thanks Beth!! 🙂

        Reply
  15. Steve says

    February 23, 2016 at 3:00 pm

    I would assume one could use thigh meat as a substitute for breast meat. Would that change the recipe at all?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 24, 2016 at 7:38 am

      Hi Steve! Nope, not at all 🙂 Hope you love it! N x

      Reply
  16. Michi says

    January 31, 2016 at 6:48 am

    5 stars
    I am a big fan of your website, whenever I wanna make something that’s tasty but not spend a long time making it, I always come here (ooh your pictures always make me drool)! Today I made this for the first time and I must say, its soooo good that I will never waste my time and money ordering this from a Chinese restaurant again! I didn’t have any pineapple juice or chunks so I used mango juice instead and I cannot tell the difference! Keep up the good work Nagi~

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      February 1, 2016 at 7:03 pm

      WOW Michi, thank you so much for your wonderful compliment! So glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  17. danni says

    January 20, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    wow! This is a great recipe! My hubby and boys went into raptures over it and definitely want me to make it again. I don’t eat chicken so for me just I added a bit of the sauce to some prawns that I had coated in cornflour and fried – delish!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      January 20, 2016 at 7:30 pm

      Into raptures?? I’m SO FLATTERED!!!! All you 🙂 You’re the talent in the kitchen!!!

      Reply
  18. Cathy Lavoie says

    November 11, 2015 at 2:56 am

    5 stars
    Next time, I will add some onions, just to annoy my kids. They loved it, really. We all enjoyed it. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      November 11, 2015 at 2:37 pm

      I’m so glad Cathy! Thank you! 🙂 Very cheeky, adding onions just to tease your kids!!! N x

      Reply
  19. Gloria | Food Oh Glorious Food says

    November 6, 2015 at 9:50 am

    Made this glorious dish last night. I made a major change to the recipe – I replaced the chicken with lean pork – but otherwise, I followed the entire recipe to the letter. And… It was the BEST Sweet & Sour Pork I’ve ever made!!! J Daddy went so far as to say this was BETTER than any snd all Sweet & Sour Pork we’d ever eaten in restaurants.

    Coating the pork was a bit of a mess, and flash frying the pork saw me set the stove top on fire for just a second (hot oil on hot plate = live flame + heart palpitations!), but this step was well worth the effort. I baked the pork for 20 minutes and the meat was still tender with a lovely crunchy coating. The sauce was amazing – the sweet and sour sauce of my dreams. Oh my gosh, this was SOOOOOO good. And it looked so colourful and fun too!

    OK, so I lied about not making other changes – but they were only very very small ones: replaced the onion with some celery, used a whole red capsicum instead of half, and used a slightly bigger can of pineapple (the 400g can was all I had in the pantry). Amazing. Definitely making this again!!!

    https://instagram.com/p/9sw7RyqycS/

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      November 6, 2015 at 10:57 am

      I love that you change up my recipes!! Besides, you didn’t change the most important part – the SAUCE! And I’m SO SO GLAD you loved it!!! I know it’s quite different to most recipes on the internet – it’s far less sweet and the addition of the little extra worcestshire sauce really makes a difference. I haven’t shared sweet and sour pork yet, when I do, I’m coming to you first to cross check my recipe!

      Thank you so much for sharing and I’m glad the little flash fire didn’t end up being anything worse! 🙂 N x

      Reply
      • Gloria | Food Oh Glorious Food says

        November 6, 2015 at 12:26 pm

        I wouldn’t dare change up anything in that incredible sauce. Seriously, it was the BEST Sweet & Sour Sauce we have ever had. Just the right amount of everything – and flavour KAPOW to the max! x

        Reply
  20. Norma says

    November 4, 2015 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, I made this recipe last night and it was AWESOME. Wasn’t sure how my husband was going to like it, but he loved it and said this is a “keeper”. So so yummy. Thanks you Nagi.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      November 5, 2015 at 12:38 am

      YAY! I’m so glad Norma!! Thank you for coming back to let me know! 🙂

      Reply
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