Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe (Easy Dinner Idea)

This Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe is a fun and tasty way to prepare chicken for dinner! It’s a little bit crispy, a little bit tangy, and perfect for serving over a pile of rice, with a side of broccoli.

Sweet and Sour Chicken (No Baking, No Deep Frying!)

Alas, here I am with a long time favorite of ours: Sweet and Sour Chicken. (Aka Japanese Chicken.)

But first, I’ll just preface this by saying, this is not your standard meat-and-potatoes, Mennonite-style recipe like you might expect from me. (So I may or may not be a little out of my lane here!😅) This one is Asian-inspired, and we love it! 

Fun fact, if we’re going out to eat (which is rare, we cook almost all of our meals from scratch at home!), but if we are eating out for some reason, Japanese and Chinese restaurants are some of our all time favorites. Those sauces! Mmm, so good.🤤

Anyway, today’s recipe is just regular boneless skinless chicken, covered in seasoned flour and fried in a little bit of butter (like I mentioned, no deep fat frying or baking!) and tossed in a simple sweet and sour sauce.

I love to serve it with rice and a side of steamed broccoli for a simple, tasty dinner. Oh, and with a sprinkle of sesame seeds (and maybe sliced green onions) on top just for fun. 

Supplies You’ll Need (and what we used!)

• Cutting board and Kitchen Knife – to dice the chicken into blocks
  
• Large bowl – for coating the chicken in the flour mixture
  
• Large skillet or frying pan – I’m using my large 12-inch skillet. I use all stainless-steel cookware these days, though a non-stick pan would also work great for this recipe!
  
• Measuring cups and spoons
  
• Small bowl and Whisk – to whisk together the sweet and sour sauce
  
• Meat thermometer – to check the temperature of the chicken
  
• Separate bowl – to hold the chicken momentarily, after it’s done cooking

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The Ingredients List

• Butter (or oil) for frying
  
• Chicken – boneless skinless chicken breasts are my personal pick, though chicken thighs are ok, too.
  
• Flour – all purpose flour. I use fresh milled whole wheat flour.
  
• Seasonings – seasoned salt, garlic powder, and paprika.

The sweet and sour sauce:

• Soy sauce
  
• Vinegar – I use white vinegar
  
• Brown sugar
  
• Corn starch (for thickening!)
  
• Salt

⬇️ Find the full recipe (and directions) on the printable recipe card below! ⬇️

How to make Sweet and Sour Chicken

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and paprika. 

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel (so the flour sticks), then cut it into blocks.

Melt the butter in the skillet on medium heat. Then coat each chicken cube in the flour mixture and place into the pan (in a single layer if you can) and fry, flipping occasionally, until they turn golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. (You might need to work in batches!) Then transfer the chicken to a separate dish.

Whisk together the sweet and sour sauce ingredients, then add it to the hot pan. Let it heat and simmer a little until it thickens slightly. Add the chicken back into the pan and toss to coat. 

Serve and enjoy!

How to Store and Re-heat Leftover Sweet and Sour Chicken

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

When you’re ready to re-heat, there’s several ways you can do it:

• Microwave: zap the chicken for a minute or two at a time, stirring in between, until the chicken is nice and hot.
  
• Oven: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F, add just a little bit of water to the baking dish with the chicken, cover and baked for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is hot.
  
• Stovetop: put the chicken in a pan and heat (you may want to add some water), stirring often, until the chicken is heated.

Ways to Serve Sweet and Sour Chicken

With rice:) I like to make a pot of rice and beans and a side of steamed broccoli to serve with sweet and sour chicken. 

As a main dish, with several sides. You can serve Sweet and Sour Chicken on its own, with sides like potatoes and a vegetable. (Mennonite style:)

​With fried rice or stir-fry. Fry some rice, bell peppers, broccoli, onion, any and all of your favorite stir fry foods, and serve with sweet and sour chicken.

Tips, Tricks + Notes

• Don’t forget to pat the chicken dry before tossing in the flour! Otherwise those juices like to make a paste with the flour and nothing wants to stick to the chicken.
  
• Taste test! Get in there with a spoon and taste a little piece of chicken and sauce. You can add a little more vinegar, sugar, or salt, (or even butter), whatever you think it needs. Only thing you cannot just add more of, is cornstarch. If you want the sauce to be thicker, you’ll have to mix a little bit of cornstarch with a little bit of liquid, then add it to the pan. (Otherwise it might turn lumpy!)

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As always…

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’til next time,

We love you and we’ll be praying for you,

Julie