Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
No need to order take-out anymore – this homemade version is so much healthier and a million times tastier!
I am a complete sucker for sweet and sour chicken when it comes to take-out. But it’s been hard to find a place that has it down perfectly – crisp on the outside yet completely juicy and flavorful with a sweet and sour punch. Thankfully, I found a homemade version from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe that has it down to a tee.
What makes this recipe so perfect is that the chicken is first fried to get that crisp exterior. Then it gets baked in a low temperature for an hour, really letting the sweet and sour flavors meld right into the chicken. I was worried that the chicken would get overcooked but it was actually so unbelievably tender. And the flavor packs in quite a punch!
The cooking time takes a little over an hour but I promise you – this version is well worth the effort!
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
For the sweet and sour sauce
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- To make the sauce, whisk together sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic powder in a large bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cornstarch and gently toss to combine. Working one at a time, dip the chicken into the eggs.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
- Add chicken to prepared baking dish. Top with sweet and sour sauce. Place into oven and bake until the sauce has thickened, about 55 minutes, turning over every 15 minutes to evenly coat the chicken.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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I did use store bought sweet and sour sauce as I cook for 10 people (8 kids) I had a few bottles on hand and it was a last minute addition to a recipe my daughter was making. Anyhow I followed all the steps except poured the bottled sweet and sour sauce over the chicken and halfway through the 50 minutes of bake time I added red peppers and pineapple chunks it turned out delicious, and even though I quadrupled the recipe it was gone in one meal. Needless to say this recipe is a hit at my house and we will definitely be using it again. Also I fried the chicken in peanut oil and it was fantastic! 🙂
Holy Mouth Watery Goodness!
Just made this recipe for the 1st time and OMG! I love sweet y sour sauce anyhow! This recipe is super delicious! I doubled up the ingredients and used two pounds of chicken! I deviated slightly by adding 2tsp of ground ginger, added pineapple chunks,carrots,onion,red and yellow peppers! This dish was sex to my mouth!
I cook for myself and when I do a fantastic job,I path self o the back! Made enough to last for a few days! Even used the sunflower seeds for garnish! Thank you
For putting this recipe out there! OMG I’m sure it will taste even better once the flavor sets through overnight!
I just made this. SO. SO. DELICIOUS. Man oh man is this tasty! I wish I had doubled the amount of chicken and everything so I could have more leftovers…and it’s just me eating this! I substituted raw honey for the sugar and didn’t use that much. Upon tasting the sauce I thought it would be too vinegar-y, but I left it that way, and the final verdict is that it’s perfect that way! I will definitely make this for other people in the future. Thanks for the recipe. :]
Can I substitute the apple cider vinegar with regular vinegar?
I do not recommend using regular vinegar. The flavor(s) of the apple cider vinegar is crucial to this dish.
I’ve made this twice now and followed recipe exactly, it was awesome! Smells so good while it’s baking! Love your recipes! Thank You !
This is one of my families favorite meals now!! Awesome recipe, thanks for posting!!
This was awesome! Thank you!
Can I take out the cornstarch?
You can certainly omit the cornstarch but your sauce will not thicken.
Thanks for all the delicious recipes you have brought to my table. I cooked this tonight for my family and we all loved it. We have also enjoyed your orange chicken and teriyaki salmon recipes.
Wow, this looks absolutely delicious. Beautiful photography, make it look amazing =) Can’t wait to try it! Added to my healthy homemade fast food recipes board. Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious! Just curious what part of it is “healthy”? Almost a cup of sugar 🙂
I made this yesterday and was dying over how good this tasted! It’s going on the regular rotation at our house. My husband was loving it as well, I brought left overs to my work and shared it with multiple people who are all going to be making it now! One of my favorites!
Awesome website, I love how the recipes are very simple. Made this dish last night and it tasted great but it was not crunchy at all. Wife said i should’ve just fried and poured the sauce on top to finish it off. Any thought on what I did wrong?
Raldo, this dish is not meant to be a crunchy chicken dish. If you are looking for crunchiness, then you may want to consider frying these and then using the sauce for dipping. But the beauty of this recipe is really how flavorful and tender the chicken becomes after baking them for an hour.
If I wanted to use the sauce for dipping, can I boil the sauce to thicken it rather than baking for an hour?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Really, really good. Try it.
Hi! Cooked this tonight & it it AWESOME! Made a few substitutions, using what I had on hand.
Used Coconut Palm Sugar, fried in Canola Oil, served over Quinoa, not rice. Still, as I mentioned before it was TOTALLY AWESOME!
Thanks!
Just made this today…absolutely loooved it, will definitely make it again…was so easy to make!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
This is the EASIEST and BEST TASTING sweet and sour chicken recipes I have come across to date. It was delicious and I know it was reall damn good when my husband who doesn’t like his meat baked, said dinner was so good. Of course I’m keeping this recipe to use again! Thanks a lot for the post 🙂
Hi there!
Love your site and use many of the recipes! I am making this tonight and would like to add some sliced peppers and pineapple chunks. When would you suggest adding them? For the entire hour?
Thanks!
I recommend adding the pineapple chunks at the latter half of cooking time, about 30 minutes.
Thank you!
After finding this on Pinterest I have made this several times! It is SOOOO delicious and easy to make. And I don’t feel any guilt after eating it as I would after having take-out. So glad I found this on Pinterest because I have now discovered your amazing blog and delicious recipes!
Hi,
I’ve made this several times now and it’s amazing!!!!!
Just wondering if anyone knows how to do the chicken the same but with a lemon sauce?
I’m going to try and guess and put one together but I’d love it to just come out right without me guessing.
Thanks
Steph
Made this recipe tonight and wow! As a college student, this was incredibly easy and made with cheaper ingredients which I loved. Made a large batch for the week. Will probably double the sauce next time since it is so good! Thank you for this recipe!