Are you craving for a sweet and sour dish but don’t have the time to cook it?
This Easy 30 minute recipe for sweet and sour chicken is here to save the day! Made with tender chicken, juicy pineapple, and a delicious sweet and sour sauce, this dish is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a few basic cooking skills to make this dish come together in just 30 minutes.
Serve it over a bed of steaming white rice for a complete meal that’s both delicious and satisfying. So let’s get started and cook up a delicious recipe for sweet and sour chicken dish in no time!
Easy 30 Minute Recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts cut into 1” chunks
- 2 T. oil
- ½ C cider vinegar
- ½ C sugar
- ½ C brown sugar
- ½ C catsup
- 1 C water
- 1 - 20 oz. can pineapple chunks drained
- 1 red or green bell pepper cut into 1” pieces
- 1 small onion cut into 1” pieces
- 4 T. cornstarch dissolved in ½ C cold water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. When it’s hot add your chicken and stir to brown.
- When the chicken is browned, mix in the vinegar, both of the sugars, the ketchup, 1 C water, the bell pepper and the onion pieces all at once.
- Stir everything together and let simmer on the stove for 8-10 minutes.
- In the meantime, stir the 4 T. of cornstarch into the ½ C cold water.
- After the sauce has simmered, gently whisk in the cornstarch mixture and drained pineapple chunks and reheat until the sauce is thickened.
- Serve immediately over cooked rice.
Don’t have pineapple? Or have some pineapple haters in your house?
Pineapple is a key ingredient in sweet and sour sauce and gives the dish its signature flavor and sweetness. If you can’t use pineapple, some alternative options include:
Mango: This fruit has a similar texture to pineapple and provides a sweet flavor to the sauce.
Peaches or apricots: These fruits provide a sweet taste to the sauce and can be used in place of pineapple.
Sweet and sour chicken is typically served with rice, which helps to balance out the sweetness of the sauce. Some other options for sides to serve with sweet and sour chicken include:
Steamed vegetables: A mix of vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, and snow peas, can be steamed and served on the side.
Fried Rice: A side of fried rice, such as vegetable fried rice or egg fried rice, would complement the dish well.
Noodles: You can also serve sweet and sour chicken with noodles, like lo mein or chow mein.
Salad: A light salad, such as a mixed greens salad with a tangy dressing, can provide a fresh contrast to the dish.
These are just a few options. The key is to choose sides that complement the sweetness of the sauce and help to balance out the flavors in the meal.