Sweet and Sour Chicken (Better than Takeout!)

We are finishing the year strong with everyone’s favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken!

Juicy tender chicken coated in a tangy and savory sauce, Sweet and Sour Chicken hit the spot every single time.

Sweet and Sour Chicken pairs well with everything; you can serve it with my Classic Egg Fried Rice, Taiwanese Chow Mein, or my better than takeout 20 minutes Chow Mein noodles. 

I promise that homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken will taste better than any takeout!

For starters, the chicken is crispy and juicy at the same time.

To make crispy yet light Sweet and Sour Chicken, I use my secret ingredients, rice flour and soda water.

Rice flour is gluten-free and lighter compared to traditional flour. At the same time, the soda water provides air into the batter, which gives it a light, fluffy texture instead.

Let the chicken sit in the batter for 20 minutes, which will help the batter stick better.

All you need for the Sweet and Sour Chicken glaze is soy sauce, ketchup, plum sauce, oyster sauce, and rice vinegar.

The plum sauce, rice vinegar, and ketchup provide tanginess to the sauce, while the soy sauce and oyster sauce provide a savory flavor.

Best part about home cooking is adjusting the recipe to your liking, taste before adding in the chicken to see if you want the sauce to be more sweet, tangy, savory, or spicy.

Sweet and sour Chicken is an easy one-pot weeknight dinner with protein and vegetables.

You can add any vegetable of your choice for Sweet and Sour Chicken.

I use bell peppers today, but broccoli, baby corn, or snap peas can also be used.

Pair the chicken with rice, fried rice, chow mein, or shanghai noodles for the perfect better than takeout dinner! 

Here are some of my favorite better than takeout recipes that are EASY to make at home! 

• Din Tai Fung Egg Fried Rice (20 Minutes!)
• Soy Sauce Pan-fried Noodles (15 Minutes!)
• General Tso Chicken (Better than Takeout!)
• Honey Walnut Shrimp (Better than Takeout!)

Ingredients

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh (cut into bite-sized pieces) 
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour 
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch 
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• Salt and Pepper to season 
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water 
• 1 Egg 
• 3 Pepper of your choice 
• 2 tbsp of minced garlic 

Sweet and Sour Sauce 

• 3 Tbsp of Ketchup
• 2.5 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar
• 1.5 Tbsp of Plum Sauce 
• 2 tbsp of  Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce 
• 1 Tbsp Sugar (optional) 

1. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg. 
2. Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
3. Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, plum sauce, and sugar. 
4. Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Optional: remove the chicken, set it aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. In a separate pan, add in oil and turn the heat to medium-high—next, add in minced garlic and chopped bell pepper of your choice. Saute together for 1-2 minutes. 
7. Drizzle in the sauce and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes a thicker consistency. 
8. Add in crispy chicken and saute on high heat for 1 minute. 

Print

Sweet and Sour Chicken

We are finishing the year strong with everyone’s favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken! Juicy tender chicken coated in a tangy and savory sauce, Sweet and Sour Chicken hit the spot every single time. Sweet and Sour Chicken pairs well with everything; you can serve it with my Classic Egg Fried Rice, Taiwanese Chow Mein, or my better than takeout 20 minutes Chow Mein noodles.

Prep Time20 mins

Active Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Noodles, Asian Recipe Easy, Asian Recipes, Asian Recipes for Dinner, Authentic asian recipes, chicken, Chicken Recipe, Chinese american food, Chinese Food, dinner Ideas, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried Chicken, One Pot Dinner, QUICK RECIPES, take out

Yield: 4 People

Materials

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh cut into bite-sized pieces
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
• Salt and Pepper to season
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water
• 1 Egg
• 3 Pepper of your choice
• 2 tbsp of minced garlic

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 3 Tbsp of Ketchup
• 2.5 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar
• 1.5 Tbsp of Plum Sauce
• 2 tbsp of Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sugar optional

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg.
• Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
• Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, plum sauce, and sugar.
• Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.
• Optional: remove the chicken, set it aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
• In a separate pan, add in oil and turn the heat to medium-high—next, add in minced garlic and chopped bell pepper of your choice. Saute together for 1-2 minutes.
• Drizzle in the sauce and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes a thicker consistency.
• Add in crispy chicken and saute on high heat for 1 minute.

Notes

You can add any vegetable of your choice for Sweet and Sour Chicken. I use bell peppers today, but broccoli, baby corn, or snap peas can also be used.