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.
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This was the best recipe we loved it. This is a keeper! Thank you
Hi, I tried this recipe and it came out great! It was so easy to make and my family loved it. Thanks so much for this and other great recipes.
We had this chicken for dinner tonight. I made it with boneless chicken thighs and used fresh minced garlic in the sauce. I served it with green beans and spring rolls. What a delicious supper!! Great recipe and easy to do too.
Want to try this today but I do not have cornstarch. Can I dredge the chicken in all purpose or self rising flour instead?
I recommend using all-purpose flour.
what can I use if I do not have apple cider vinegar on hand?? Thank You
There really is no good substitute for the apple cider vinegar. I recommend using all of the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible. You can certainly try substituting other ingredients but I honestly cannot speak for how much this will change in taste/texture of the overall dish.
Wow! I found this recipe about a few weeks ago, and OMGeeeee! I try to cook a variation of different foods. Mexican, Soul food, Italian. Now I can add Asian to my list! Saturdays are now my families Asian night! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I made this! Turned out very well except the sauce was a bit too sweet so can you plz tell me how to modify it? Also what have you used for garnishing?
You can reduce the amount of sugar, to taste. As for the garnishes, I have used sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
The sweet & sour baked Chicken is fantastic!! Easy, tangy and oh, so good!! New to your site, found you on Pinterest. Look forward to choosing the next recipe! Thanks!
We made a few changes due to diet restrictions and the end result was superb. I list the ingredients first and short explanation why. TD Organic coconut sugar-its 70 to 79 percent sucrose and only three percent to nine percent each of fructose and glucose, kuzu root-a healthy, non-GMO cornstarch substitute, TD Orange Muscat Vinegar-gave the dish nice sour and infused with orange flavor that reminded us of Chinese Orange Chicken (a 2fer), Tamari-no wheat/gluten in tamari vs regular soy, brown rice-considered healthier because it still has the side hull and bran. We used all organic ingredients where possible. Thx for the recipe!
*TD is Trader Joes brand
Any way you could suggest to make this a little spicy without totally changing the flavor?
We like using Sriracha to add a little bit of heat.
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Hey i am looking at your pictures and notice that seseame seeds and the green onion are not added to the ingredients!! Is there anything else that is added that is not mentioned! and have people been trying it like the picture or sticking to the recipe as written!
Rebecca, the sesame seeds and green onion were simply added as a garnish. The addition of these ingredients do not alter the taste of the dish. You can feel free to add or omit as needed.
Every Friday I help my mum get out of the kitchen by cooking dinner myself. I’m really into Asian food and the culture so you can see how I ended up here. I actually tried it today with white rice and steamed veggies! My family enjoyed every bite of it and I was really happy about this recipe! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! 🙂
I made this dinner last night and it was fabulous! I didn’t change a think about the recipe and it turned out perfect! Even good for a party appetizer as little chicken bites!! Fabulous!
Hi! I’m making this tonight and looking forward to it! Do you think adding pineapple, onion and bell pepper to the chicken while it baked would be good? I would cut them all about the same size as the chicken.
Thanks!
Yes, that sounds amazing. I”ll definitely have to try that next time!
Hi – Just found your website and this is the first recipe I tried. Great stuff! I like learning new things in the kitchen, and this technique of cornstarch and egg fry is new to me. Came out great! I had to cover it as it had to sit in the oven for a few hours on warm before we ate, still was good, perhaps not as crispy as it might have been. I will likely try adding some fruit juice or pineapple chunks to the sauce. Not exactly the same but I bet it would be good. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
My mom sent me your website– the sweet and sour chicken was easy and delicious! My partner (who is VERY picky) LOVED it. Thank you!
I am eating this as I type because it is AMAZING! I couldn’t even finish my plate before commenting on how great this meal is! Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be trying more of yours!
This was amazing! I did make a slight modification as far as the light batter goes but my family was extremely pleased with the results. Adios takeout, there’s a new hit recipe in town.
This looks divine! Baked sweet sour chicken is a dish I always wanted to try but not sure how to do it (I thought I need to cover the dish during baking but obviously I was wrong!). Thanks for the thorough recipe and I will definitely try this out. Even thinking about using the whole chicken leg for this one! 🙂
I came across your blog on Pinterest and I’m so glad I found it. You photos are beautiful and make me hungry. Great work and I’ll keep following. 🙂