Sweet and Sour Chicken – tastes just like takeout! Chicken is quickly browned and then baked in a delicious, sticky sweet and sour sauce!
I have recently developed a severe aversion to any recipe that calls for ketchup.
Weird because I heart ketchup and some of my family’s favorite recipes in the past have used the stuff!
But for some reason, I just don’t love the idea of using it these days.
I told you guys that I’ve been having real trouble cooking actual meals, huh?
I’m trying to break the bad habits because… well, for one, they’re bad. And two, eventually I will have to get back to cooking actual meals on an actual normal person schedule. Yesterday I realized that I had all the ingredients for this recipe (including ketchup) and knew it would be a guaranteed winner with my kids.
It was, as expected, well received.
Sweet and Sour Chicken!
I halved the recipe and between my two older kids, there were zero leftovers. The sauce tastes exactly like Chinese takeout sweet and sour! I hadn’t really expected much because of the whole ketchup thing so I was shocked at how similar it was. This one will definitely be made frequently around here.
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Sweet and Sour Chicken
from Life as a Lofthouse
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt + pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil.
- Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Put the cornstarch in a pie plate (or something similar). In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
- Coat the chicken pieces with cornstarch, then dip into the eggs.
- Heat your ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides but not cooked through.
- While your chicken is cooking, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
- When chicken is browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over top.
- Bake for one hour; stirring the chicken every 15 minutes. Serve over rice.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 637Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 1029mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 1gSugar: 41gProtein: 39g
Pam @ The Meltaways says
should I admit I have never had sweet and sour chicken? Probably not. Maybe I should just make this and pretend I never said it. Looks delish!
Cheri @ Kitchen Comments says
Looks delicious! My oldest daughter has been begging me to either make “nachos” or “sweet & sour chicken” so I may have to try this one out (minus the frying) Thanks for your great recipe posts!
nicole @ I am a honey bee says
I would totally have to add pineapple to that. I love pineapple in dishes like this.
Don’t hate on ketchup. I could eat it with a spoon… ew… I know!
:-)
Julie @ Table for Two says
this looks SO good. so much better than takeout. i love how much sauce yours has on it too! i bet it’s got so much flavor :) no wonder your boys ate it all up!
kita says
I usually back away from ketchup in Asian recipes. Something about it freaks me out – but I can see how it would work well in sweet and sour chicken. This looks like something I need to try on ‘take-out’ night.
Gayle Ladd says
I made your non-frying version for dinner last night. When I took it out of the oven, the ‘sauce’ was very runny – wondering what I did wrong, I realized that by not frying the chicken, you omit the corn starch, thereby it wasn’t thick. I mixed some cornstarch with cold water, added it to the sauce and stuck it back in the oven – PRESTO!! It magically thickened and I have to say it was VERY tasty!! Thanks for the recipe!!
amanda says
Dang. I was hoping an hour in the oven would help it thicken up on it’s own. Thanks for letting me know!
[email protected] says
i love ketchup, as in…only eat fries for the ketchup…so i probably need to make this!
ta3mam says
It seems great… I will try for sure !
I boight some sweet and sour sauce a few weeks ago… Bad idea ! Taste was so bad. Thanks for the recipe !
Tracey says
This is so happening in my house next week. Adding it to the menu as we speak :)
Meg says
I made this for tea last night, thanks! Family loved it so much. It tasted really good.