One Pot Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
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.
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 188kcal
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.
- Some people like to replace apple cider vinegar with rice wine vinegar but I just personally don't like it.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1937IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg