For the best sweet and sour chicken, use boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces. Chicken breast has a mild flavor that doesn't overpower the signature notes of the sweet and sour sauce. It also cooks quickly and evenly, making it perfect for fast frying recipes, without drying out. To help prevent the chicken from becoming dry during cooking, some chefs will marinate the meat briefly first, to retain moisture.
Or you could use chicken thigh meat for this recipe, as it’s typically juicer than breast meat. If you want to explore the different cuts of chicken to find the preferred one for your cooking, take a look at our detailed guide to chicken cuts.
We’ve kept the recipe fairly simple above, but you can add an additional step of dredging the chicken pieces in cornstarch prior to cooking. This creates a crispy exterior if you’d prefer your sweet and sour chicken a little crunchy.
Sauce Tips and Variations
Sweet and sour chicken is all about finding balance in the sauce between the various flavors. A classic Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe features a mixture of vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice for a traditional base. Some chefs will even add ingredients such as ketchup, which brings an additional tanginess to the sauce. The cornstarch mixture is a vital component if you want to finish your dish with the appealing, glossy sauce that sweet and sour chicken is known for.
To introduce additional heat to the sauce, try adding chili flakes or sriracha, for a welcome kick in the sweet and sour flavors. To enhance the fruitiness of the base, you can add other citrus fruit, such as orange segments, for a brighter note in your final dish.
Sweet and sour is a classic sauce to master in your kitchen and once you’ve perfected this recipe, try exploring other key sauces such as hollandaise and chimichurri, to expand your repertoire.
What to Serve It With
Sweet and sour chicken is typically served over a bed of steamed white or jasmine rice, but it also works well over egg noodles or alongside a colorful stir-fry with carrots and bell peppers.
To garnish, add a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds or chopped scallions to bring additional texture to the plate.
Storage and Reheating
Sweet and sour chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It’s better to keep the sauce and chicken separately if you know you want to store the ingredients ahead of time.
To reheat, return the chicken to a skillet and warm the sauce separately in a saucepan. Coat the chicken with the sauce just before serving.
