• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Special✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Collections Asian Takeout

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

By:Nagi
Published:26 Sep '16Updated:1 Aug '20
151 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is super fast to make! The sweet and sour sauce is truly like what you get at good Chinese restaurants, but not tooth-achingly sweet. This is not a deep fried version of Sweet and Sour Chicken, it’s a much healthier stir fry.

Make this using whatever veggies you have, switch up the chicken with prawns/shrimp, pork, beef or even fish. This is a winner!

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

I know my local supermarkets pretty well. I know exactly where to go for most items (except cling wrap, which, for some reason, I always forget which aisle it’s in and Woolies people tell me it’s the single most asked question) and I know the aisles pretty well.

At least, I thought I did. It dawned on me the other day that there is one whole section of the supermarket that I don’t know at all – the prepared meal base aisle. You know the section of the supermarket that sells things like Honey Mustard Sauce in jars and vacuum seal packs?

I am honestly not trying to sound snobby because I don’t judge. She who does the drive through of shame through KFC and Maccers on the odd occasion cannot judge. 😉

Anyway, I actually stopped to take a look the other day and was quite astonished at the range of meal bases that are on offer. Everything from Chow Mein, to Chicken Cacciatore, Goulash, Chilli Con Carne – all the favorites. Including Sweet and Sour Sauce.

I have no idea what the jar stuff tastes like, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be as nice as homemade. And it’s so darn fast to mix together!

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

PS It looks watery but once simmered, it thickens. 🙂 See? Look how nicely it coats the stir fry?

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

Oooh – quick little tip for you for chopping capsicum / bell peppers. Doesn’t it annoy you when the seeds inside fly around all over the place?

Well, maybe it doesn’t annoy you, but it annoys me! So this is how I chop capsicum. Fast and mess free!

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

I like to use chicken thigh for stir fries because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.

Now, when it comes to stir fries, I am very generous with my sauce. Because the 7 year old inside this 30 something year old body still thinks that the best part of stir fries is scooping up the rice soaked in the delish sweet and sour sauce.

So as with all my stir fries, there is plenty of sauce. Plenty!! – Nagi x

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Dinner, Stir Fry
Chinese
4.91 from 50 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 134
This bright and colourful stir fry is made with a classic Sweet & Sour Sauce which is truly like what you get at good Chinese restaurants. This is not made by deep frying the chicken - it's tasty enough as it is without adding more calories!! Also see Baked version of the fried Sweet & Sour Chicken - recipe here. I know 1/2 cup of sugar sounds like a lot, but it works out at 1 1/2 tbsp per serving, which isn't too bad!

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup white sugar (Note 1)
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple pieces)
  • 3 tbsp ketchup (Australia: tomato sauce)
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp Oyster Sauce (Note 2)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Thickener

  • 1 tbsp cornflour / corn starch + 2 tbsp water , mixed together

Stir Fry

  • 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable)
  • 1 garlic clove , minced or finely chopped
  • 1 onion , halved and sliced (brown, yellow or white) (see photo in post)
  • 400 g / 13 oz chicken thigh fillets , cut into bite size pieces (Note 3)
  • 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 green or yellow capsicum / bell pepper , cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 can (8oz/250g) canned pineapple pieces in natural juice. Separate pineapple from juice.
  • Sliced shallots / scallions , for garnish

Instructions

  • Mix together Sauce ingredients. Mix together Thickener in a separate small bowl.
  • Heat oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
  • Add chicken and stir fry until it it is white all over but still pink inside.
  • Add capsicum and stir fry for 2 minutes.
  • 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.
  • Serve immediately with rice - or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! Garnish with shallots if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. I know 1/2 cup of sugar sounds like a lot, but it works out at 1 1/2 tbsp per serving, which isn't too bad!
I use 1/4 cup when I'm trying to be healthy. 🙂 It's still quite sweet, but not restaurant sweet. Using 1/2 cup makes it closer to restaurant sweet, but definitely not tooth-achingly sweet. I use less sugar than many recipes you'll find on the internet - some use 1 cup of sugar!!
2. 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.
3. If you are using chicken breast which is leaner, I would recommend tenderising it to make it juicier - see How to Velvet Chicken the Chinese restaurant way.
4. Nutrition per serving, stir fry only. If the sugar is reduced to 1/4 cup, then it reduces to 351 calories per serving.Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 290gCalories: 398cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 44.7g (15%)Protein: 28.3g (57%)Fat: 12.2g (19%)Saturated Fat: 2.8g (18%)Cholesterol: 82mg (27%)Sodium: 455mg (20%)Potassium: 511mg (15%)Fiber: 2.1g (9%)Sugar: 38g (42%)Vitamin A: 500IU (10%)Vitamin C: 107.3mg (130%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

More Stir Fries

Close up of saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry, ready to be eaten
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (extra saucy!)
Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com
Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
A real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce that takes minutes to make and lasts for weeks. Perfect standby for fast meals! recipetineats.com
Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce (Charlie!)
Chop Suey / Chicken Stir Fry on a rustic white plate, ready to be served
Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
Chinese Satay Chicken Stir Fry - This is the Chinese takeout version of satay! Chicken stir fried in a satay sauce, this is made from scratch and tastes incredible. And easy! www.recipetineats.com
Chinese Satay Chicken Stir Fry
20 Asian Meals you can make in 15 Minutes, from scratch.
20 Asian Meals On The Table in 15 Minutes
Chop Suey - Chicken Stir Fry in a skillet, fresh off the stove ready to be served
Stir fries

Life of Dozer

I can’t help but think that if he was just 10 cm / 4 inches shorter, he wouldn’t be able to see what’s on the table and he wouldn’t suffer so much……

dozer-sweet-and-sour-chicken-stir-fry-12

SaveSave

Previous Post
Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna
Next Post
Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Hi, I'm Nagi!

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!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Chopsticks picking up Supreme Soy Noodles

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Chopsticks pulling up Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

Pile of ultra crispy Honey Prawns

Honey Prawns – stays crispy!

More Asian Takeout

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




151 Comments

  1. Michal says

    January 25, 2019 at 5:21 am

    Wow
    I’m 14 just cooked this with yesterday’s chicken nuggets, first time cooking and I LOVE this. Easy and quick to make with great results! Thanks so much Nagi!

    Reply
  2. Shawn from Canada says

    December 11, 2018 at 10:42 am

    5 stars
    Wow, just wow! I cant believe it took me this long to find such an easy to follow recipe blog for Asian cooking! Thank you so much for sharing your AMAZING recipes and tips and tricks! Ive subscribed to your YouTube channel and cant wait to scour the rest of your blog! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 13, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      HI Shawn! So glad you found me and I hope you enjoy many more of my recipes ❤️

      Reply
  3. Catherine says

    November 16, 2018 at 3:29 am

    5 stars
    Loved, loved this meal! Big hit with the family. Only change I made was to include some broccoli – another vehicle for that delicious sauce 🙂 Thank you Nagi! As always, your recipes are perfect and simple.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 17, 2018 at 9:02 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it Catherine!! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂 N x

      Reply
  4. Marie says

    May 8, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    You do say you answer all questions but I have posted mine twice and received no response. I’m wondering if my question was somehow inappropriate.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 13, 2018 at 4:39 pm

      Hi Marie! Not at all. I work very hard to respond to all questions but sometimes when I am travelling, I can miss some accidentally. 🙂 I’m afraid I am not familiar with cooking with xylitol so I could not tell you. Sorry!

      Reply
  5. John says

    April 9, 2018 at 8:43 pm

    5 stars
    This is really, really nice. Just like our Chinese restaurant. Yum. Thx Nagi.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 11, 2018 at 7:55 pm

      Love hearing that John! Thanks for letting me know – N xx

      Reply
  6. Catherine says

    April 8, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, this is one of our very favorite recipes . Tomorrow I am making this using pork, your beef and broccoli and chicken and cashew recipes for friends coming over. I was wondering if it would be ok to make the sauces up ahead of time (maybe an hour or so) so that I am ready to wok and roll in the kitchen?! I am working my way through SO many of your recipes – your site is now my go to for tasty 😊 Never been disappointed – huge THANK YOU 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 11, 2018 at 7:24 pm

      Yesssss! So glad you enjoyed this so much Catherine! Absolutely fine to make the sauces ahead – get it all chopped then cook it up when you’re ready! N xx

      Reply
  7. Pamela Jaspers says

    April 7, 2018 at 2:56 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! This recipe is by far the best I have ever had for Sweet and Sour Chicken. Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 8, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      Fantastic to hear Pamela! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️

      Reply
  8. Marie says

    March 22, 2018 at 4:28 am

    After reading all the comments on this recipe I am very keen to try it but would really like a reply to my xylitol question. We avoid sugar if at all possible

    Reply
  9. Marie says

    March 18, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    Can I substitute xylitol for sugar. We don’t eat sugar, only the dry smallest quantities.

    Reply
  10. Cindy Nott says

    February 15, 2018 at 7:23 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,
    I was just wondering if I’m doing sweet & sour pork instead of chicken, do I do the same thing with the pork as you do with the chicken regarding putting baking soda over the meat and then rinsing it off? Thanks for the wonderful recipes
    Cindy

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 17, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      Hi Cindy! You absolutely can 🙂 The texture ends up like the chicken when you do that technique, it’s so tender!

      Reply
  11. Laura says

    January 23, 2018 at 7:56 am

    5 stars
    Another one of your recipes which was an absolute triumph!! I have tried a couple of sweet and sour recipes but they never fully recreate the restaurant version until now! I followed your tip and used the reduced amount of sugar as well as adding in a few more veggies and we loved it. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes!

    Reply
  12. Cheryl says

    January 18, 2018 at 2:43 am

    5 stars
    I wish I could give this 10 stars! A beautiful dish! I saw this recipe in your Asian takeout cookbook and made it last night. The sauce was positively magical. The only thing I changed was to cut the sugar in half and it was more than sweet enough (and I’ve been known to have candy for breakfast 🤪 so I have a high tolerance for sugar). I used fresh pineapple instead of canned only because I happened to have it around, but otherwise followed the recipe down to the teaspoon. The only downside was there were no leftovers for lunch today because my family couldn’t stop eating it. 😄 Yet another recipetineats recipe that makes it into the official dinner queue.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 19, 2018 at 9:02 am

      Love hearing that Cheryl! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N xx

      Reply
  13. oto says

    January 12, 2018 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    this was … actually hard to find words to describe what I feel

    Reply
  14. a r miller says

    October 13, 2017 at 6:22 am

    5 stars
    awesome recipe family loves it

    thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 15, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      I’m so pleased to hear that A R! Thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️

      Reply
  15. Ai tang says

    November 7, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    Hi Nagi

    Cooked this dish tonight, 1/2hr or less dinner on the table (I have the chicken cut before hand). Again thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 11, 2016 at 6:02 am

      Thanks for trying my recipe Ai Tang, and for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! N x

      Reply
  16. Maggie says

    November 3, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    Yum! Thanks for the recipe Nagi 🙂
    Will be making this soon!

    Aww poor Dozer… but he’s so cute as always 😉

    Reply
    • Maggie says

      November 3, 2016 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner and it was lovely!
      Boyfriend and I both enjoyed this with some brown rice. 🙂 Thanks Nagi!

      Reply
      • Nagi says

        November 4, 2016 at 4:59 pm

        I’m so glad Maggie! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x

        Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 4, 2016 at 4:57 pm

      Hope you enjoy it Maggie! N x

      Reply
  17. Bridget says

    October 9, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    Made it- always tough convincing my husband that I can make food better than takeout- this sold him!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 10, 2016 at 5:14 pm

      YESSSSSSSS!!!! N x

      Reply
  18. Sherry B says

    October 1, 2016 at 10:27 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight, and it was delicious!! There are just two us, and if there had been two more, they would have left very hungry! I tossed in some broccoli near the end. Loved the sauce with the half cup of sugar. Thanks, Nagi. You’re the best!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:25 pm

      Touchdown! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it Sherry, THANK YOU for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  19. Donna G says

    September 30, 2016 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night, reduced the sugar slightly as per the notes to 1/3 cup and added a few extra vegies. We loved it. Very similar to the take-away style sweet and sour but so much nicer.
    Thanks for another great recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 30, 2016 at 2:07 pm

      Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed it Donna, thanks for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  20. Anita says

    September 30, 2016 at 2:16 am

    3 stars
    I made this dish last night I liked it, the only thing I would do differently is salt the chicken before cooking it. I thought with all the soy and oyster sauce it wouldn’t need it, but the chicken tasted a little bland. Looking forward to cooking the cauliflower recipe. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Anita

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 30, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Anita! I find that with all the sauce, I didn’t need to salt the chicken but yes definitely salt it if you think it needs more salt! N x

      Reply
Older Comments
Newer Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

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! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2022 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top