Takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken comes together so quickly, it’s faster than ordering take-out! The sweet, tangy sauce and the crispy fried chicken chunks are oh so delicious!
We’ve had a love affair with sweet and sour chicken for what feels like forever. We didn’t get around to making it at home until recently, and always just used it as an excuse to grab takeout. The problem is, half the time we get takeout it’s barely luke-warm by the time we get home, and that is super disappointing. Learning how to make our favorite takeout meals at home has been revolutionary. We still get to enjoy our favorite meals, but they are always hot and fresh, and we can have them anytime we want! Win win!
Takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken is not an authentic Chinese recipe, but rather a typical American version of Chinese-American takeout restaurants. The Stay At Home Chef uses ingredients that are easily accessible for most people in the United States and Canada so that anyone can easily celebrate world cuisines even if their opportunities for travel or access to regional ingredients are limited.
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Additions:
This recipe is great by itself, but we love adding pineapple chunks, onion chunks, and slices of green bell pepper to it.
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To Wok or Not to Wok:
Woks are fantastic if you have a gas stove, but they are certainly not necessary. Feel free to use one if you have one, but you can always just use a large bottomed skillet.
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Soy Sauce:
Feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce in this recipe if you are trying to reduce your overall sodium intake.
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Make Ahead Instructions:
This meal is best made fresh, but you can always cut up your chicken and make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time. Simply store it in the fridge up to 24 hours before you’re ready to use.
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Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat with a scant amount of oil until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Asian inspired recipes:
Quick Sweet and Sour Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
- Vegetable oil for frying
Quick Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup pineapple juice
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Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
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Put the cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Put the eggs in a separate bowl.
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Add oil into a pan so that it is at least 2 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium heat. The amount of oil used is based off of how large your pan is. If using a smaller circumference pan, you will need to do multiple batches and you may need to add oil throughout the process.
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Work in small batches, dip the chicken into the egg and then toss the chicken in the cornstarch mixture. Add the coated chicken into the hot oil and brown the chicken on all side. Once sides are all browned and chicken is safely cooked, move to a paper towel lined pan to drain off any excess oil.
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Continue working in small batches until all chicken is cooked. Add extra oil if needed. Make the sauce.
Quick Sweet and Sour Sauce
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For the sweet and sour sauce, whisk together brown sugar, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Pour in pineapple juice and whisk to combine.
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Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, sauce will thicken. Remove from heat and pour over the cooked chicken when ready to serve.
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*Canned pineapple chunks and bite size pieces of bell pepper are optional but if adding them in, add 1/2 cup of chunk pineapple and 1 cut up bell pepper into the sauce once it is finished simmering.