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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This delicious Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken features tender chicken coated in a tangy sauce, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 528 kcal

Equipment

  • Skillet
  • baking tray
  • Large ziplock bag

Ingredients
  

Chicken

  • 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite size cubes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg or 2 small eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup cornstarch placed in a large ziplock bag
  • 3 to 5 tablespoon oil (vegetable, canola)
  • Oil spray

Stir Fry

  • ½ tablespoon oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 small onion cut into large dice
  • 1 can canned pineapple pieces (8oz/250g) in natural juice. Separate pineapple from juice.

Sauce

  • ½ cup sugar (white or brown – I use either)
  • cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple pieces)
  • 3 tablespoon ketchup (Australia: tomato sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Thickener

  • 1 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch) + 4 tablespoon water mixed together

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • 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.
  • 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 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 Preparation

  • Meanwhile, discard oil in the skillet and wipe briefly with paper towels. Reduce heat to medium high and heat ½ tablespoon 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 option, try Cauliflower Rice! Garnish with scallions if desired.

Notes

These ingredients are what makes this sauce more like the Sweet & Sour sauce that is served at Chinese restaurants. You can omit one (substitute with more of one of the others) but please don’t leave out all 3! The sauce will taste quite flat without them.

Nutrition

Serving: 312gCalories: 528kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 42.7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1.7gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 825mgPotassium: 526mgFiber: 1.7gSugar: 34.8gVitamin A: 1150IUVitamin C: 92.4mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2.3mg
Keyword Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chicken Recipe, dinner recipe, Easy Recipes, Healthy Meal, Homemade Sauce
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