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Dump-and-Bake Sweet and Sour Chicken

Name: Dump-and-Bake Sweet and Sour Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces ((or substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs)); 1 tablespoon cornstarch; ½ cup diced onion; 1 medium green bell pepper, diced; 1 medium red bell pepper, diced; ½ cup ketchup; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup brown sugar; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon minced or pressed fresh garlic; ½ teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot); For serving: cooked rice ((or cauliflower rice for a grain-free option)); Optional garnish: sliced green onions; sesame seeds; chopped peanuts

Published: Jan 12, 2022 by Blair Lonergan

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This Dump-and-Bake Sweet and Sour Chicken is a lighter, healthier version of the Chinese restaurant classic. With just one dish and about 10 minutes of prep, it's even easier and tastes even better than takeout! Serve the sticky sweet and sour chicken with rice, a side of broccoli, or some crispy egg rolls for a quick, family-friendly dinner.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken

When I posted my recipe for Baked General Tso Chicken last winter, one of my kind readers asked if I had a similar dump-and-bake recipe for Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken. I thought that was a great idea, so I got to work in the kitchen and finally arrived at this incredibly delicious version!

Classic sweet and sour chicken is a popular dish served at Chinese-American restaurants. It typically includes small bites of battered and deep-fried chicken (or pork) that are coated in a sweet and sour sauce. The dish also might feature chopped bell peppers, onions, or pineapple. The sauce can be a combination of various ingredients, such as ketchup, chili sauce, plum sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce. Each restaurant has its own version, but we're keeping the ingredient list for this particular homemade sweet and sour sauce for chicken very simple!

Best of all, this recipe is about as easy as it gets. There's no deep-frying or sautéing necessary. Instead, we combine the raw chicken with the vegetables and sauce in a single pan. Bake it in the oven, stir it once, and your job is done!

The Key to Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce for Chicken

The key to a tasty sweet and sour chicken is obviously the perfect sweet and sour sauce! It needs to be thick (not runny and watery like some Crock Pot recipes), and it needs to have the perfect balance of sweetness and tang. You don't want so much sweet that you feel like you're eating candy, and you don't want so much sour that it makes your mouth pucker. It's got to be juuuuuust right, and that's exactly what we have here! Best of all, the sauce ingredients are simple pantry staples, easy to find at any grocery store, and probably already in your kitchen.

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a pan of baked sweet and sour chicken. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work well.
Cornstarch: thickens the sauce and helps to coat the chicken.
Onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper: classic vegetables that add flavor and texture to the dish.
Ketchup: for sweetness and that quintessential orange color in the sauce.
Apple cider vinegar: the "sour" component that gives the sauce tang.
Brown sugar: for even more sticky sweetness.
Soy sauce: gives the sauce salty, umami flavor.
Garlic and ginger: for even more delicious flavor.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken

This baked sweet and sour chicken recipe is so simple, because there's no need to stand over a skillet or wok to stir-fry your meal, and there's no need to spend money on Chinese carry-out. This is seriously one of the tastiest and easiest family dinners that you will find!

Toss chicken with cornstarch.
Stir in onion and bell peppers.
Whisk together sauce in a small bowl, then stir the sauce into the chicken mixture.
Bake, uncovered, in a 425°F oven for about 30-35 minutes, stirring during the final 5-10 minutes. It's done when the chicken is cooked through (and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F) and the sauce has thickened.

What to Serve with Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serve the sweet, sticky chicken over rice (or over cauliflower rice for an even lighter dish), with plenty of extra sauce spooned over top. We love it with steamed broccoli tossed into the mix as well. Additional good options include pasta, ramen noodles, sesame peanut noodles, ramen noodle coleslaw, sesame ginger snap pea salad, or baked store-bought egg rolls. Don't forget fortune cookies for dessert, too!

Storage

Sweet and sour chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Another bonus to the baked not fried chicken? It's doesn't get soggy in the fridge!

Reheat the chicken in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat, just until warmed through. You can also microwave individual servings for 1-2 minutes.

Recipe Variations

Make it spicy by adding crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Substitute rice vinegar for the apple cider vinegar.
A little bit of toasted sesame oil in the sauce adds great Asian flavor, too.
If you prefer dark meat, substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breast.
Stir diced pineapple, canned pineapple tidbits or chunks, or even a splash of pineapple juice into the dish. If using canned pineapple, you can wait to stir it into the dish during the final 5-10 minutes since it's already so soft.
For some bright citrus flavor, add a splash of orange juice or a little bit of freshly-grated orange zest to the sauce.
Cooking Just for Two? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the chicken in a smaller dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.

Tips for the Best Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

If available, use fresh ginger instead of dried, ground ginger. If using fresh ginger, you'll need about 1 teaspoon of the grated root.
The total baking time will vary depending on the type of dish that you use, your individual oven, and the temperature of your meat when it goes into the oven. You'll know that your dish is done when the chicken is cooked through (and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F) and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is too thick, just add a splash of warm water to thin until it reaches the desired consistency.
Garnish each serving with scallions, toasted sesame seeds, or peanuts for even more flavor and texture.
Taste the dish before serving and season with salt and black pepper, if necessary.

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