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–+ servings
Close-up of Sweet and Sour Chicken with crispy fried chicken, pineapple, red and green bell peppers, onions, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Skip the takeout! This crispy sweet and sour chicken recipe features juicy fried chicken, bell peppers, and pineapple tossed in a tangy homemade sauce made with a secret broth infusion.

Better-Than-Takeout Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients 

For the Sauce

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup water for sugar
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • ½ red bell pepper chopped
  • ½ green bell pepper chopped
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger sliced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup cranberry juice
  • ¼ cup ketchup

For the cornstarch slurry

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp water

For the Marinade

  • 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine or 1 teaspoon soy sauce

For the Batter

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 cup club soda or seltzer water
  • Neutral oil for deep frying

For the final assembly

  • ½ red bell pepper chopped
  • ½ green bell pepper chopped
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1 can of pineapple chunks (20oz)

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken (20 minutes)

  1. Toss chicken with 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder and 2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine (or 1 tsp soy sauce). Let sit while you prep the sauce base and batter.
    A glass bowl filled with raw, diced chicken pieces sits on a wooden cutting board, ready to be transformed into a delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe.

Make the Sauce Broth

  1. In a small saucepan, add ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, ½ onion, 1 inch piece fresh ginger, 1 cup chicken stock, and ½ cup cranberry juice.
    A pot filled with ingredients for Sweet and Sour Chicken—chopped onions, red and yellow bell peppers, ginger slices, and liquid—sits on a wooden cutting board with metal tongs nearby.
  2. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. This is your flavor infusion.

Mix the Tempura Batter While Broth Simmers

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
  2. Stir in 1 egg and 1 cup club soda or seltzer water until just combined (lumpy is fine).
    A large metal mixing bowl with pale batter inside sits on a wooden surface, ready for a delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe. A metal whisk rests in the bowl, partially covered with bubbly batter streaked along the sides.
  3. Set in the refrigerator to chill batter while heating oil. Cold tempura batter sticks better and creates a thicker crust.

First Fry

  1. Fill wok with 2–3 inches of oil and heat to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Dip marinated chicken pieces into batter, then fry in batches until golden (3–4 minutes per batch). Use a fork, spoon, or pair of chopsticks to separate the pieces in the oil to prevent clumping.
  3. Cook until they are golden. Don't overcook here or chicken will be dry. Drain on a wire rack.
    Golden batter-coated Sweet and Sour Chicken is being deep-fried in hot oil, creating bubbles and a crispy texture as the pieces cook in a pan.

Second Fry

  1. Turn up the heat on your oil until its between 380-390°F.
  2. Flash fry the chicken for about 60 seconds to get extra crispy. This second fry removes the excess moisture and helps achieve that crunchy texture.
    Golden brown pieces of Sweet and Sour Chicken are frying in hot oil in a pan, with bubbles forming around them. A metal utensil is partially visible, submerged in the oil.

Flash Fry the Veggies

  1. After all of the chicken is fried, turn off the heat. In the same oil, flash fry (30 seconds) ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, and ½ onion for the final assembly. You don't need to keep the heat on because there is plenty of residual heat to cook the veggies. Remove from oil and drain.

Make the Sauce

  1. In another small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water. Heat over medium until dissolved and slightly thickened (3–4 minutes).
  2. Stir in ½ cup white vinegar, simmer 1 minute.
  3. Strain the sauce broth (from Step 2). Discard solids.
    A metal strainer with a black handle holds chopped yellow and orange vegetables, perfect for a homemade sweet and sour chicken, resting on a wooden surface.
  4. Add sauce broth to sugar-vinegar mixture. Whisk in ¼ cup ketchup until smooth and glossy.
  5. Add cornstarch slurry and simmer 1–2 minutes until glossy and thick.

Combine & Serve Immediately

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add fried chicken, fried veggies, 1 can of pineapple chunks, and sauce. Toss to coat or fold with a rubber spatula.
    A metal bowl filled with Sweet and Sour Chicken, featuring battered chicken pieces, bell peppers, and onions in tangy sauce, sits on a wooden cutting board with a spoon inside the bowl.
  2. Serve over hot rice while crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 578mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 1229IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
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