Host The Toast HomepageHost The Toast

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Press
  • Shop
Home » Gluten Free

Sweet and Sour Chicken

September 16, 2015 by Morgan 23 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

The feeling you get when you're eating Chinese takeout is kind of strange, isn't it? It's part excitement and part self-hatred. Part, "I'm way too full to continue eating," and part, "I'll just eat that delicious egg roll they threw in and then I'm done. Oh, and a bit more rice.  And I can't not eat a fortune cookie, come on."

And as the old chestnut goes, after all of that-- after you've eaten yourself into a pants-unbuttoned, groaning, miserable lump of lamenting your lack of self control-- you still wind up starving and stuffing your face with the contents of your styrofoam-packaged leftovers within the hour. Is there a word for this occurance? Can we call it "The Chinese Takeout Phe-nomnomnom-enon?"

(Ok, maybe it's not my best pun. You dim sum, you lose sum.)

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

So I've been thinking, what if you could indulge in your favorite Chinese food without the guilt? Many takeout orders can be broken down into simple recipes that home cooks could whip up on a weeknight, without dropping a ton of money or taking in a ton of calories. That all sounds pretty good to me, so I've decided to do it for the rest of September! I'll be posting easy, inexpensive, and healthier versions of Chinese takeout dishes and other fast food favorites until November rolls around.

To start it all off, I had to go with Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

Sweet and Sour Chicken was the first Chinese takeout dish that I ever routinely ordered. The tangy, sugary sauce, the coated chicken, the peppers, onions, and pineapple, they all had me mystified. It was so different than the other takeout dishes, yet so perfect for a kid with a sweet tooth and a chicken obsession. But then I moved, and I couldn't find a Chinese place that sold Sweet and Sour Chicken the way I liked anymore. Instead, I got fluffy fried pieces of chicken with a side of orange sauce. No vegetables. No pineapple. Just the Chinese takeout version of chicken nuggets. Bor-ing.

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

15 years later, and I'm finally getting around to making Sweet and Sour Chicken myself, the way I like, but significantly healthier. A light dusting of cornstarch, a conservative amount of oil, and a little less sugar all makes a big difference in shaving off some of the calories from what you'd normally get in your takeout bag. It's easy to make, and honestly tastes better than the takeout version!

There are some surprising ingredients here that you wouldn't expect to see in Chinese food. The first is pineapple, which we already talked about, but there's also ketchup! Yes, ketchup. As someone who hates ketchup, it took a lot for me to concede that it is actually a necessary ingredient. But don't worry, the finished product does not taste like ketchup. Don't let it scare you away.

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

This Sweet and Sour Chicken takes 28 minutes to make, which is probably less time than it'd take for your order to be delivered! Plus, it's only 367 calories per 10 ounce serving (without rice, according to caloriecount.com). Add in a bit of rice, and you have a great, big, filling meal for about 500 calories!

When you try this Sweet and Sour Chicken, don't forget to take a photo and tag it with #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter! I can't wait to see yours!

Sweet and Sour Chicken! A healthy, tasty, easy version of the Chinese takeout favorite! | hostthetoast.com

 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Sweet and Sour Chicken


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Morgan
  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
  • Kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
  • ½ large white onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 (6 oz) can pineapple chunks with juice
  • Rice, to serve
  • Green onion, sliced, to serve

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken chunks with salt and place into a large freezer bag. Pour in ⅓ cup of cornstarch and seal the freezer bag. Shake well and toss to coat the chicken pieces in an even, light coat of cornstarch. Set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup cold water, the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the freezer bag, shake off any excess cornstarch, and place the chicken in the skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, and then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
  4. Add the onion and pepper chunks to the skillet and cook until slightly softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the canned pineapple chunks and juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet and cook together for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
  5. Serve warm over rice and garnish with green onion.
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 13 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @hostthetoast on Instagram and hashtag it #hostthetoast

 

More Gluten Free

  • Smashed Chickpea Salad with Feta and Herbs
  • Garlic lovers rejoice: You can make homemade garlic confit and garlic oil with only a few minutes of prep time. Slowly roasting garlic cloves in olive oil allows them to become mild, caramelized, and tender enough to spread with a butter knife.
    Garlic Confit (and Homemade Garlic Oil)
  • Asian Smashed Cucumber Salad
  • Easy Ultra-Smooth Hummus

Comments

  1. Jesse says

    September 17, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    Great meal - I just made and ate is sans pineapple (I didn't have any and I am lazy so...). It was fantastic. Found this through Reddit btw.

    Keep it up!

    Cheers

    Reply
  2. Ida says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    Tried it and it was great! I used flour on the chicken as I ran out of cornstarch and it made no difference. I did ease up a little on the sugar. Both my husband and I said "we should add cashews the next time"! Great recipe, looking forward to trying more.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 24, 2015 at 9:51 am

      I love the idea of adding cashews, and I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Frl. Bummelei says

    September 28, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Just prepared this amazing dish and I love it! It tastes so much better than the take-out version and it is easily cooked, so I am definitely repeating the savoury home-made experience! Omnom...

    Reply
  4. Ali says

    October 23, 2015 at 1:22 am

    I made this recipe last week and it came out great.

    Reply
  5. Sheena says

    August 28, 2016 at 10:01 am

    Tried it. Was easy and the familsy loved it. Only complaint said I didnt cook enough!!!

    Reply
  6. Nancy C Bricks says

    January 11, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    Made it tonight. Had no pineapple juice but it didn't matter.Used apple cider vinegar.
    OMG IT IS THE BEST. WILL ALWAYS USE THIS RECIPE.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 11, 2017 at 10:12 pm

      I'm so glad to hear it, Nancy! =)

      Reply
  7. Karen says

    January 14, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    I have been looking for the PERFECT recipe for sweet and sour chicken and this is it! Thank you. The only problem I had was to choose a pan that was not large enough. Easily fixed tho.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 14, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      I'm so glad to hear that you liked the sweet and sour chicken so much, Karen! Thank you for commenting!

      Reply
  8. Steve (GA) says

    January 20, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Morgan: You outdid yourself with this one. Made it last night for dinner. Substituted chicken thighs for chicken breast and reduced sugar to 2 1/2 tablespoons. No need to order out anymore. Simple and fast..

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 20, 2017 at 12:49 pm

      That's great to hear, Steve! =) Thank you for letting me know!

      Reply
  9. Beverly Hawley says

    March 24, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    I made it tonight for my new hubby. 69 years young and have been married to this sweet man 3 months. We love it.

    Reply
  10. Peggie says

    March 09, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    Yum

    Reply
  11. Sharon says

    April 24, 2018 at 7:26 am

    DELISH!!

    Reply
  12. Sheri U. says

    July 05, 2018 at 7:32 pm

    Good but a little too sweet. Will cut down on the sugar next time

    Reply
  13. Amanda says

    November 07, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    I don't normally do reviews , unless it's GREAT ! As good as in restaurants.
    My husband and I both loved it.
    Thank you

    Reply
  14. Pamela says

    November 17, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    The whole family loved it. Delicious!

    Reply
  15. Jean says

    July 20, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    This is very good. I did cut back on the sugar added water chestnuts and a few red pepper flakes because I like spicy. I didn’t have green peppers so I subbed yellow peppers. The rest was just the way it was written. Will make again.

    Reply
  16. Nancy colburn says

    November 29, 2019 at 1:08 am

    I just made it Its delish I love it

    Reply
  17. Donna says

    February 10, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    This is delicious even though I forgot the ketchup. In fact, I'm having leftovers of it tonight. Thanks for yummy recipe

    Reply
  18. Ak says

    April 22, 2020 at 10:27 pm

    This recipe has always been my “go-to” for sweet and sour chicken. My family absolutely loves it.

    Reply
  19. Jim says

    November 16, 2023 at 5:52 pm

    I've made this a few times with
    both breasts and thighs. Turned out great every time. Tonight I made it with chunks of pork roast. It's the sauce! I can't wait to try it with shrimp.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
READ MORE »

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Host The Toast
Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Press
  • Shop