Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of our family’s favorite Asian recipes! You can add pineapple and peppers and serve with rice or noodles to complete this flavorful dish!

This baked sweet and sour chicken is a family favorite and often served with egg rolls or fried rice. If you love this recipe, you’ll also love our General Tso’s chicken and crock pot Teriyaki chicken.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe in baking dish

A classic with a twist

Every year, at this time, I like to share a few Asian recipes in honor of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations. Today’s recipe is for Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken. It’s simple and delicious and tastes like it came straight from the restaurant.

We don’t go out to eat for Asian very often (since my husband doesn’t like it – crazy I know), so I’m really glad I have tasty recipes like this one that I can make from home!

The sweet and sour sauce is made with only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It all comes together fairly quickly and then you just toss it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

The hardest part is just patiently waiting for it to bake! But trust me, it is well worth the wait because the chicken comes out of the oven tasting DELICIOUS!! I can seriously eat it all by myself.

How to make baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

We’ve tried so many different sweet and sour sauce recipes in the past but feel like we’ve finally found our favorite version. Not only is it simple, but it’s so flavorful and works for any chicken or pork recipe or even as a dip for egg rolls or fried wontons. Here are the ingredients…

  • ¼ cup pineapple juice
  • 2/3 cup water
  • ⅓ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅛ tsp. salt
  • ¼ cup Ketchup
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 3 TB cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water

To make the sauce, combine pineapple juice, water, vinegar, sugars, salt, soy sauce and Ketchup in a medium pot and bring to a boil.

From there, you thicken the sauce with cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water stirring occasionally. Add any pineapple chunks or chopped peppers and you’re set. Just pour over chicken or to use as a dip.

SAUCE NOTES:

Vinegar: I use white vinegar for this recie but you can also use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. You may notice a distinct vinegar smell during the baking process. Don’t worry about it affecting the taste. The vinegar burns off leaving behind a delicious sweet and sour sauce. 

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce over baked chicken

How to Make Baked Sweet and Sour

FRY, THEN BAKE. Other Sweet and Sour Chicken recipes tend to only fry the chicken after being covered in the egg and cornstarch batter. I’ve found that baking it helps thicken up the sauce more and make it even more flavorful.

To make this chicken, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse chicken in water and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place cornstarch and eggs in separate bowls.

Toss several pieces of chicken into the cornstarch to coat and then dip them in the eggs. Set chicken pieces aside on a plate and repeat until all pieces have been coated.

Heat ¼ cup oil in a large pan and cook your chicken for a few minutes on each side until they are slightly browned but not cooked all the way. Place the chicken in a greased 9×13 pan. Set aside and make the sauce.

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken. Bake for half hour turning the chicken at 15 minutes. (NOTE: I like to leave a little sauce for dipping egg rolls or cream cheese wont tons. YUM!)

MORE VEGGIES. We added pineapple chunks and bell peppers and served it on top of white rice. But you could easily add any of your favorite veggies like onions or snap peas, and then serve on top of brown rice or noodles, depending on what your family likes.

CROCKPOT: Add the browned chicken and sauce to a crockpot and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Then, add veggies and pineapple. Cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until the produce is tender. 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe in casserole dish

Make it a Freezer Meal

You can easily turn this recipe into a freezer meal. You will save a lot of time by getting everything prepped for several meals all at once. On a busy evening, all you have to do is brown the chicken and bake.

  • Begin by cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces. Place chicken in its own Ziploc bag.
  • Place the cornstarch into a smaller ziploc
  • In a third Ziplock place all the ingredients called for in the sauce including the pineapple and peppers
  • Place all three bags in a larger Ziplock. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking according to the recipe directions.
  • You can also have bags of frozen rice cooked and ready to heat up: Once the Rice has cooled place the allotted amount in a Ziploc bag. Freeze. To reheat place rice in a microwave bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of water cover and microwave until hot.

Between the consistency and the flavor, this recipe really is to die for! The savory chicken paired with sweet sauce, and complete with your favorite add-ins will make you want to never order takeout again!

Complete the meal by also making:

For more yummy Asian recipes, check out:

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe

5 from 17 votes
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of our family's favorite Asian recipes! You can add pineapple and peppers and serve with rice or noodles to complete this flavorful dish!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 463 kcal
Author Lil' Luna

Ingredients

  • 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • Pineapple Chunks
  • Chopped peppers

Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe:

  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 TB cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Rinse chicken in water and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place cornstarch and eggs in separate bowls.
  • Toss several pieces of chicken into the cornstarch to coat and then dip them in the eggs.
  • Set chicken pieces aside on a plate and repeat until all pieces have been coated.
  • Heat ¼ cup oil in a large pan and cook your chicken for a few minutes on each side until they are slightly browned but not cooked all the way. Place the chicken in a greased 9x13 pan. Set aside.
  • For the Sauce: Combine Pineapple juice, 2/3 cup water, vinegar, sugars, salt, soy sauce and Ketchup in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
  • Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water stirring occasionally. Add desired amount of pineapple chunks and any optional ingredients. Pour evenly over the chicken.
  • Bake for half hour turning the chicken at 15 minutes. (NOTE: I like to leave a little sauce for dipping egg rolls or cream cheese wont tons. YUM!)

Here is our Sweet and Sour Pork version, 😉

 

Like this recipe?

Pin it now to remember it later! Share it with your Facebook friends (you know they’ll love it). Or tweet it to the world. Maybe even email it to your favorite cousin!

Related Posts

How to Make Sloppy Joes

Once you learn how to make Sloppy Joes, you’ll make these meaty sandwiches from scratch every tune. This recipe is quick and easy, perfect for feeding a crowd! These sloppy…

30 minutes minutes

5 from 12 votes

Summer Dinner Ideas

This collection of summer dinner ideas includes all the best-grilled dishes, sandwiches, and fresh salads that are so enjoyable during the warm summer months. More Collections: Summer Drink Recipes, Summer…

Chicken Lasagna Recipe

Creamy White Chicken Lasagna is a tasty twist on a classic. With homemade white sauce, spinach, and chicken, it’s always a hit! If you love Classic Lasagna, you’ll love this…

1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

4.84 from 24 votes

Baked BBQ Pork Chops

Baked BBQ Pork Chops are tender, juicy, and smothered in homemade barbecue sauce. They are so easy to make for a weeknight family dinner! You’re going to want to drink…

45 minutes minutes

5 from 8 votes

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

Join the Conversation

Rate and Comment

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

Recipe Rating




Comments:

  1. I have had this chicken at Panda Express it is so good let me guess Lily is 6 years old or she could be 5

  2. I’m confused. The intro says bake for an hour, but the recipe says 20 minutes. Which is it? I want to make this but need to know how long to plan for.

  3. The nutritional analysis for the sweet and sour chicken recipe says per serving it’s 2395 calories! The fat 77g, sodium 4696mg, carbs 320g, etc. These are obviously off the charts! I assume these must be for the entire recipe of 6 servings. Is that correct?

  4. 5 stars
    Another win! I’m so glad I found this blog site. I’ve tried this recipe and the 1-hour cinnamon roll recipes and they were both awesome! I’m very eager to try more.

  5. 5 stars
    This is a recipe that everyone enjoys! I prefer homemade sweet and sour chicken the best! so simple to make and was a HIT!

  6. 5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this baked version! My family loved it. The flavor is sweet & tasty & the veggies are nice & tender!

  7. 5 stars
    I love this sweet and sour chicken sauce. I saw one commenter made wings with it. Great idea that I’ll have to try.

  8. 5 stars
    We can never get enough chinese food, we lovE to go out and eat it and make it at home, we make this all the time. A little more time prepping the chicken but so worth it!

    1. I personally have not, but you sure could. I would just follow the recipe & fry your chicken & make sauce on the stove, just keeping it on the stove to simmer until ingredients are all warm.

  9. 5 stars
    Thank you, I love this recipe!! It has tons of flavor & I love that it’s baked. The chicken & veggies are nice & crisp!

  10. 5 stars
    This was absolutely amazing my husband who is very very fussy loved it and making it again tonight for dinner can’t wait to have it again thank you so much for your recipe