The Best Fried Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken is diced chicken dipped in a light batter and fried to crispy deliciousness! Served with my sweet and sour sauce, this makes the perfect anytime meal!

Pin

I’m a huge lover of takeout food. But I also love when I can make my favorite takeout recipes in the comforts of my own home and this Sweet and Sour Chicken is one we have been doing for many years.

I’m finally getting the chance to update this recipe, it was one of the first ones that I posted on my site way back when I first started…that was many moons ago.

This Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe is one of those recipes that tastes just like the kind that you get at your local takeout joint! I’m not even kidding.

Plus it is super easy to throw together, and you know me when it comes to good food and the ease of recipes. They are my absolute favorite.

I think out of all the recipes that we make, this is one of the ones that we do honestly make the most often. It is just that good, and I’m not even being biased at all.

Once you try it you will be wanting to make The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken over and over. I mean we can’t stop, and it’s always requested when my parents come over, they are the toughest critics you know!

The best part of this is that you can choose to either dip your chicken in the sweet and sour sauce or drizzle it all over your chicken pieces and toss to coat.

I like it either way, so feel free to do with that however you’d like! Either way, this Sweet and Sour Chicken will still taste amazing and goes great with so many other dishes as well.

Pin

1. This all comes together from start to finish in 30 minutes.
2. Using my homemade sweet and sour sauce, you can’t go wrong.
3. This can be doubled to serve larger crowds.

• Chicken breasts
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Cornstarch
• Pepper
• Soy sauce
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• Ice-cold water
• Egg
• Oil for frying
• Sweet and sour sauce

Pin

1. Add the diced chicken to a medium-sized bowl, add the onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, pepper, and soy sauce. Stir to combine, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
3. Add the water and egg to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just combined, some lumps are okay. Add the chicken to the batter and stir to combine.
5. In a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides, fill it up 2-3 inches with the frying oil. Heat the oil to 350°F over medium heat. Fry the chicken pieces, not touching in the oil. You will need to fry in batches, do not crowd the pan. Flip the chicken halfway through until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
6. Drain on a rack over a cookie sheet to let the excess oil drip off. Serve with sweet and sour sauce for dipping or toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over rice.

Pin

CAN I ADD PINEAPPLE AND PEPPERS TO THIS?

Yes, you can add the peppers and pineapple if you like that with yours.

I know some take-out places do serve theirs with these ingredients so just saute your peppers and add the pineapple and toss together!

WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE?

There are so many good sides that go with this recipe!

You can pretty much serve anything with this, some of our favorites include: 

• Vegetable Lo Mein
• Easy Vegetable Fried Rice
• Cream Cheese Wontons
• Chinese Garlic Green Beans
• Egg Drop Soup

These are just a few of our favorites, but feel free to serve this with any of your favorite sides!

IS IT BEST TO SERVE THE SAUCE ON THE SIDE OR OVER CHICKEN?

This is a personal preference, we do both.

We like to dip our chicken in the sauce and then sometimes we like to just drizzle and toss our chicken in the sauce. 

Either way tastes great and is perfectly acceptable, so whatever you’d like to do would be fine. 

Pin

Want more recipes? Follow us on Pinterest!

ANY ADDITIONS?

You know I love to change up recipes. Check it out!

• Stir in pineapple chunks (fresh or canned pineapple) along with some green bell peppers for a true chinese restaurant feel.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds or green onions on top after cooking for a quick pop of color and flavor.
• Add a drizzle of sesame oil near the end of cooking for a slight nutty taste.
• Swap part of the sauce for a tangy sauce like orange chicken glaze if you want a new twist on flavor.
• Cook extra sauté veggies like onions, carrots, and peppers in a large skillet before adding the chicken, creating a stir-fry style dish.
• Use a dash of apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar to make the sour chicken tastes a little more complex.
• Combine pineapple juice and a bit of brown sugar to the sauce ingredients for added sweetness and tang.
• Toss in a handful of red bell pepper chunks for extra color and crunch.
• Serve over white rice or lo mein noodles if you prefer a noodle dish.
• Garnish with extra black pepper or chili flakes for a spicy twist next time you make it.

ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?

You want to swap things out? Nothing says you have to stick with the original!

• Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for juicy chicken pieces and a richer flavor.
• Replace vegetable oil with avocado oil or olive oil if you prefer a different frying medium (though keep in mind the best way is to use a neutral oil with a high smoke point).
• Try potato starch instead of corn starch for a crispier bite if you’re exploring new ways to make crispy chicken.
• If you’re watching your calorie diet, use a cornstarch slurry with less sugar in your simple sauce to cut back on the sweetness.
• Swap out white vinegar for apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar depending on the flavor profile you want.
• For a non-fried version, you can air fry the chicken pieces at medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F) until golden, then toss with the sweet and sour sauce.

While we find that this is served best fresh as it is crispy at that point you can store this in the refrigerator where it should keep for up to 5 days.

You can remove from the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave until heated through, your chicken might be slightly soggy especially if you stored it in the sauce.

Pin

Looking for takeout but don’t want to pay the price?

Then you have to make The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken! Super easy and quick.

If you’ve tried this SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!

[mv_video aspectRatio=”true” doNotAutoplayNorOptimizePlacement=”false” doNotOptimizePlacement=”undefined” key=”sehbdtmlsajmsvcu6w0u” sticky=”false” thumbnail=”https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/sehbdtmlsajmsvcu6w0u.jpg” title=”The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken” volume=”70″]

Pin

Rate this Recipe

Pin

5 from 16 votes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Author Dana DeVolk

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken is diced chicken dipped in a light batter and fried to crispy deliciousness! Served with my sweet and sour sauce, this makes the perfect anytime meal!

Servings 4 servings

Print

Pin

Rate

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the batter:

• ▢ ¾ cup cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ⅔ cup ice-cold water
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ Oil for frying
• ▢ 1 recipe sweet and sour sauce linked below

Instructions

• Add the diced chicken to a medium-sized bowl, add the onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, pepper, and soy sauce. Stir to combine, set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
• Add the water and egg to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
• Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just combined, some lumps are okay. Add the chicken to the batter and stir to combine.
• In a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides, fill it up 2-3 inches with the frying oil. Heat the oil to 350°F over medium heat. Fry the chicken pieces, not touching in the oil. You will need to fry in batches, do not crowd the pan. Flip the chicken halfway through until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Drain on a rack over a cookie sheet to let the excess oil drip off. Serve with sweet and sour sauce for dipping or toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over rice.

Video

Notes

1. Recipe for sweet and sour sauce.
2. Nutritional value includes chicken only.
3. Easily double this recipe to serve more people.
4. This is best eaten the same day that it is made.
5. If you want to add peppers and pineapple to this you can.
6. Serve with the sauce on the side or with the chicken tossed in the sauce.
7. We like to serve this over rice.
8. Serve with any of your favorite sides, see above for some of our favorites.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 969mg | Potassium: 567mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Love This Recipe?

Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!

Rate this Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe

FacebookPinterest