Sweet and Sour Chicken

March 17, 2022 by Beth Pierce 158 Comments

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This one skillet Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe brings crunchy pan-fried chicken together with sweet bell peppers and pineapple chunks in a lightly sweetened sauce. It tastes so much better than Chinese takeout, and it comes together in about thirty minutes.

This one skillet recipe brings crunchy pan fried chicken together with bell peppers and pineapple.

This scrumptious recipe is one of our favorite stir-fries. The chicken pieces are pan-fried, so this recipe does not require any deep frying. The chicken has a nice mellow crunch to it and is moist and tender on the inside. The sauce is full of flavor and is not overly sweet, which is perfect for bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions and peppers. I add just a couple of pinches of crushed red pepper, which balances the sweetness of the pineapple perfectly and adds just a touch of pizzazz.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Whisk together the pineapple juice, garlic, water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. On low to medium heat, simmer the mixture until slightly thickened. Cover the sauce and remove it from the heat.

In a large Ziploc bag or bowl, combine the chicken and cornstarch. Shake the bag until well coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken shaking any excess cornstarch off the chicken. Cook until nicely browned on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate while you cook the vegetables.

Add a little more oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until slightly tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan with peppers and onions. Pour the sauce into the skillet, and add the pineapple, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste. Gently stir to combine and heat until warmed. Serve over cooked rice or Chinese noodles. Garnish with green onions or toasted sesame seeds.

Lightly breaded chicken, bell peppers and onions in an easy to make sweet and sour sauce.

How to store leftovers

Everyone loves fresh pineapple. It is so incredibly delicious. Have you ever made a recipe with fresh pineapple and chicken or pork and packed the leftovers in the fridge with the intent of enjoying the meal a second time? After all, it was so delicious. Instead, you pull it out of the refrigerator, nuke it in the microwave, and put it in your mouth, and the texture is awful. It looked good and smelled good, but something weird happened to your meal.

Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. This is perfect for a short-term marinade but not so great sitting beside the chicken in the glad ware container. The ending result is like mush meat. That does mean that you should not cook with fresh pineapple. Just adjust accordingly, knowing that you should cook just what you will consume for that meal or put a certain amount aside for leftovers with the pineapple separated.

You can pull this crispy chicken with sweet and sour sauce together in about thirty minutes.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

Cut your chicken into small bite-size pieces so that they cook all way through when browned.
Cook the sweet and sour sauce until it is slightly thickened, as it will thicken more upon cooling.
Use fresh bell peppers and, when seasonably possible fresh pineapple.
Or try chopped carrots or thick mushroom slices.
For a little kick, add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
This dish should be served immediately so the chicken and peppers remain crunchy and crisp. Therefore do not mix it all together until you are ready to eat.
I love pineapple, but it can quickly overpower this dish, so don’t get carried away.
If using fresh pineapple, be aware it contains the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. Hence this recipe makes an awesome first meal, but it is not great for leftovers unless you plan accordingly and separate the pineapple from the chicken. Or make a half recipe.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The chicken in this dish has a nice mellow crunch to it and is moist and tender on the inside.

You can pull this dish together in about thirty minutes, including prep time. It is a wonderful dish all by itself, or you can serve it over rice or Chinese noodles. What more could you ask for? Put the ingredients for this recipe on your shopping list today, and your loved ones will be singing your praises.

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