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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is there the possibility of using a packet sweet and sour sauce rather than making the sauce?
You can certainly use store-bought sweet and sour sauce but it just won’t taste the same as making the sauce yourself. At the end of the day, nothing beats homemade!
Hello! I plan on making this tonight and substituting the chicken for pork, do you know how long I should put it in the oven for and at what temp?
Thanks!
I haven’t actually tried using pork but I’m sure you can keep the same time and oven temp.
Thanks!!! 🙂
Hi! This looks fantastic, and I’m planning to try it tomorrow. Just one question: is Kosher salt necessary?
You can omit or add as needed.
Hi! Just a follow-up to say that it turned out WONDERFUL. My little brother’s been craving sweet and sour chicken for ages, so I think this hit the spot for him. Thank you!
This was amazing! My husband, who loves our regular Chinese restaurant in the neighbourhood, agreed that this dish was a million times tastier and so easy to make. Totally making this again – thank you!!!
I have a 5 yr. old with severe food allergies. He is a pretty well rounded eater, but has an incredibly strong will to NOT put anything in his mouth that he’s not 100% sure about. He has thrown food up (purely unvoluntarily) and well, to say that he is sensitive is an understatement.
He ate this. And LIKED it. Woooooeee! Home run. 🙂 🙂 🙂 it is delicious!!!
P.S. does anyone have any tips on how to make this without looking like a splattered oily mess afterwards? :/
I’m so happy to hear that! As for the splattered oily mess, I like to use a splatter guard – it makes clean up so much easier.
Thank you 🙂 btw your recipes are time savers and a hit in my house 🙂 my sister recommended your website 🙂
Silly question, but can I use pork tenderloin for this?
Sure, but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed though.
Could you prepare up to the frying part beforehand and then come home and bake it, do you think?
I do not recommend making this ahead of time, even if it’s just the first step of frying.
Can I substitute white vinegar or rice vinegar for the apple cider vinegar?
You can certainly use white or rice vinegar but please remember that by using a substitution, I cannot speak for how much this will change in the overall taste or texture of the dish. I recommend using the specified ingredients listed in the recipe whenever possible for optimal results.
can I omit the frying and just put straight in the oven?
Chris, you can certainly give that a try but I cannot speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of the overall dish.
I’m going to have to try this! The Chinese restaurant near me makes absolutely to die for sweet and sour chicken but their prices are so high!
DELICIOUS!! So much better than take-out! I sauteed up carrots and pineapple and after the first 15 minutes, stirred them in….to me, the juicy pineapple bites added just that little bit extra. Even my picky 3-year-old ate this up. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I made this for my family today! It was so good! Thanks for the recipe!
We made this last night. I was really, super impressed. One of the better new recipes and definitely one we will make again. Thanks!!
Made this last night and it was a BIG hit!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Keep the recipes coming 🙂
This was absolutely one of the best dishes i have made in a long time. This sweet and sour chicken does taste just like something you had ordered from your favorite Chinese restaurant probably better. This recipe is definately a keeper. And by the way your house smells delicious while its baking
Fantastic and my teenage kids love it (along with us adults) I’ve had to make double the serve as they are disappointed when its gone!
Has anyone tried using sugar substitute like Splenda?
I love sweet and sour chicken. I am going to make this tonight. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks so yummy! Trying to avoid corn starch… any ideas what I can use as a substitute? Some kind of flour maybe? Want to eat this right now!! Yum!
Ashley, I’ve had some readers substitute all-purpose flour instead of the cornstarch. Hope that helps!
I used Arrowroot powder and it worked like a dream. Used cornstarch the second time and didn’t like it!
If you use Arrowroot, would it be the same quantity as the cornstarch?