Quick and easy one pot sweet and sour chicken recipe, homemade with simple ingredients on stovetop in 30 minutes. Full of crispy breaded chicken and veggies like bell peppers and onions. It's all tossed in an Asian sweet, sour and spicy sauce. Even better than take out from your favorite Chinese restaurants.
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Today's dinner is different than my One Pot Pineapple Chicken and Crockpot Pineapple Chicken and even this Crockpot Orange Chicken recipes because of the lack of pineapples and oranges. Instead of fruits, the sweetness comes from the use of sugar and ketchup. The sour tanginess comes from vinegar and soy sauce.
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Key ingredients
- Chicken- I like to use frozen breaded chicken chunks because it's quick and convenient without the mess of pan frying, deep frying or baking.
- Sugar- You can use granulated sugar or a combination of granulated and brown sugar together.
- Soy sauce- Please use low sodium.
- Vinegar- Use both apple cider vinegar and distilled vinegar for the best tanginess profile.
- Veggie mix- I like to use a colorful blend of bell peppers, onions, carrots, and edamame.
- Fresh aromatics- Finely minced garlic and freshly grated ginger are the flavor
- backbone.
- Ketchup- Adds sweetness and tanginess.
- Sriracha sauce- Adds a subtle spicy kick.
- Broth- It can be chicken or vegetable flavored but must be low sodium.
- Spices- I like to keep it simple with just salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Oil- Use a combination of neutral flavored oil like canola or corn plus some sesame oil for a nutty aroma and flavor.
Variations
- Instead of breaded chicken- Use 1.5 pounds of fresh chicken breast chunks and
sauté until golden brown and use that in this recipe. If you are not fond of coated chicken, this is a good option. - Tropical twist- Add 1 cup of pineapple chunks a classic fruity sweetness.
- Vegetarian version- Replace chicken with crispy fried tofu mushrooms or cauliflower florets.
- Extra heat- Double the Sriracha and add red chili flakes for a spicy "Dragon"style.
- Try other veggies- Such as baby corn, broccoli, snap peas, cauliflower, zucchini, bok choy, cabbage, bamboo shoots or water chestnuts.
- Use a bag of frozen Asian veggie blend- This will save you the time of chopping veggies.
- Can I use rice wine vinegar instead? Technically yes, but apple cider vinegar provides a specific fruity tang that I really enjoy. Rice vinegar will be a bit milder. You can use a combination of vinegars of your choice that you like.
- For a hint of orange- You can mix in some orange zest or orange juice.
How to make easy one pot sweet and sour chicken recipe?
1. Prepare the sauce- By mixing together oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, soy sauce, broth, ketchup, sriracha sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cornstarch slurry. In the picture here, I added a lot of Sriracha sauce because I love spicy food.
2. Saute ingredients- This includes ginger, garlic, peppers, carrots, edamame.
3. Add final ingredients- This includes breaded chicken and sauce.
4. Mix gently- Until combined and chicken is fully coated. Garnish with sliced green onions.
What to serve with these Chinese/ Asian chicken?
- This is best served alongside steamed jasmine rice or you can try one of these other rice recipes: Kimchi Fried Rice (One Pot), Bacon Fried Rice (One Pot), Vegetable Fried Rice (One Pot), Chicken Fried Rice (One Pot), Cauliflower Fried Rice (One Pot), Garlic Rice (One Pot), Coconut Rice (One Pot) or Pineapple Rice (One Pot),
- This also tastes great with egg noodles, ramen noodles and even spaghetti. You can also serve alongside these Sesame Noodles (One Pot) or Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles).
- For a lighter side, serve with a simple salad. All of these should compliment well: Asian Cucumber Salad (One Pot), Asian Ramen Noodle Salad (One Pot), Asian Cabbage Salad (One Pot), Asian Slaw or Coleslaw (One Pot).
- In terms on condiments, you can try Asian pickles or my Homemade Kimchi (So Easy).
Tips and techniques
- Use a nonstick pan- To prevent the sauce from burning and sticking. The high sugar content in thesauce can become very sticky!
- Always dissolve cornstarch- Before adding it to hot liquids to prevent clumps. Don't just dump the powder in the sauce.
- Be sure to keep mixing while adding cornstarch slurry- To prevent lumps and ensure a smooth consistency.
- Texture control- If you prefer your vegetables very crunchy, only sauté them for 2-3
- minutes before adding the chicken and sauce.
- Use low sodium ingredients- Especially when it comes to soy sauce and broth to prevent this meal from becoming over salty.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can add them. Just make sure they are canned and the juice is discarded.
Yes! You can use unbreaded chicken breast or thighs. Just sear them in the pot with a little oil until golden brown and then toss them in sauce along with veggies of your choice.
If it's too thick, mix in a splash of broth or water. If it's too thin, simmer uncovered for a little longer to reduce excess liquid or add a tiny bit more cornstarch slurry.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note that the breading on the chicken will soften over time and the sauce will become thicker.
- Freeze- I don't recommend this since it doesn't thaw well. The chicken becomes very soggy and the sauce can separate. The veggies will also become very soft and "mushy."
- Make ahead- The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in a jar in the fridge. This makes the final assembly take less than 20 minutes.
- Reheat- To regain some crispiness, reheat in an air fryer or oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn. Microwaving works well too but will result in softer chicken.
More one pot Asian recipes
- Easy Thai Green Curry (One Pot)
- One Pot Asian Meatballs (Korean)
- Szechuan Chicken (One Pot)
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- Instant Pot Ginger Beef
- Thai Chicken Salad (One Pot)
Recipe
One Pot Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil I like to use a combination of sesame oil and another neutral flavored oil like canola or corn
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Freshly grated
- 1 cup Peppers Cut into large 1 inch chunks, Use combination of colors like red, green and yellow
- 1 cup Onion Cut into large 1 inch chunks
- ½ cup Carrots Cut into 2 inch long thin matchsticks
- ½ cup Frozen shelled edamame
- 1 bag Frozen breaded chicken chunks 24 oz. bag. Prepare them according to box instructions. Can also use frozen popcorn chicken or high quality breaded chicken nuggets
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
- ½ cup Granulated sugar Can also use half granulated sugar and half brown sugar
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Distilled vinegar
- ¼ cup Soy sauce Low sodium
- ¼ cup Broth Low sodium, Can be chicken or vegetable flavored broth
- 3 tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce Can use more or less depending on your spice preference
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch Dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pot, add oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, soy sauce, broth, ketchup, sriracha sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and mix until combined. It won't be very smooth yet.
- Cook uncovered on medium heat until mixture starts bubbling and sugar has dissolved completely.
- Add the cornstarch slurry while constantly mixing to prevent lumps.
- Continue cooking uncovered until sauce has thickened but it's still smooth.
- Remove this sauce from the pan to a bowl and keep aside.
- In the same pan, add oil, garlic, ginger and saute on medium heat until fragrant.
- Add peppers, onions, carrots, shelled edamame and cook until veggies are partially softened.
- Mix in cooked breaded chicken chunks. You can use the whole bag of chicken chunks or just some of it.
- Pour prepared sauce and toss until chicken and veggies are fully coated.
- Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and serve over steamed jasmine rice or fried rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you like a lot of sauce, then double the sauce recipe.Â
- Some people like to replace apple cider vinegar with rice wine vinegar but I just personally don't like it.Â
- Add more sugar if you want the sauce sweeter.
- Add more vinegar if you want the sauce more sour.
- Use low sodium ingredients to keep this meal from becoming too salty.
- Prepare the sauce in advance and once it cools, store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. This will make dinner time so quick and easy.Â
- I used frozen breaded chicken to make this a very quick and easy meal but you can make your own breaded chicken, if you like. You can even make my Crispy Fried Chicken Bites.Â
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- For additional spice, you can add more sriracha sauce and even some red chili flakes.
- I used onions, carrots, edamame, peppers in this recipe but you can use other veggies of your choice.Â
- Garnish options: toasted sesame seeds, toasted chopped almonds for crunch, red chili flakes, thinly sliced green onions.
- This tastes best when served fresh and immediately but leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Please note that the chicken won't be as firm and crispy any more and will become slightly soggy. Â
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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