Quick & Easy Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

This quick and easy sweet-and-sour chicken comes together fast, with no coating or frying the chicken needed. Chicken, veggies, rice, and a sweet and tangy sauce to coat everything. Yum!

I love Chinese takeout as much as the next gal…there’s no cooking, minimal clean-up, and almost always enough left over for the next day.

But I’m not really a huge fan of that MSG-induced post-meal bloat. You?

I usually make Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken or Kung Pao Chicken instead, since both are ready in less than 30 minutes. But now that I know how easy it is to make Sweet and Sour Sauce, my new favorite homemade take out is sweet-and-sour chicken!

SWEET-AND-SOUR CHICKEN

Sweet-and-sour chicken can be made in less than 30 minutes, especially when you use your Instant Pot (I have this 8-quart model). It goes even faster if you make some of the meal components ahead of time. For example:

The only component I might not have ready is the sauce, but it whips up on the stove in just a few minutes. Plus, the sauce freezes really well, so it can be ready for the NEXT time a craving for takeout hits!

My weeknight sweet and sour chicken may not be authentic Chinese food, but I can tell you this: it’s delicious! The whole family will love it!

It’s also a great meal for the end of a meal plan when you know you need to use up leftovers but don’t want to eat the same thing again!

And it’s perfect for those busy nights when you’re not home until just before dinner time – you can prep everything but the sauce when you’re not as busy. Or you can freeze the sauce and the meal becomes just a matter of thawing and heating everything – can it get any easier?

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Let’s break down exactly what you need to pull off this sweet and sour chicken recipe in record time.

• Chicken. Ideally, you want to use chicken you have already cooked. I almost always have cooked chicken in the freezer leftover from either Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken, or Oven-Roasted Whole Chicken. If you don’t have chicken already cooked, I included a note in the recipe.
• Rice. Sweet and sour chicken is traditionally served with rice, and my Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe is not only hands-off, but it comes out perfect every time. (I have this 8-quart Instant Pot and can make a 3x batch of brown rice without increasing the cooking time!) Of course, you can use White Rice if you prefer, or you can serve it with Vegetable Fried Rice.
• Vegetables. I almost always see sweet and sour chicken served with broccoli and carrots, and you can easily steam vegetables in the Instant Pot. You can add whatever vegetables you want though…cauliflower, green beans, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, zucchini…I recommend using whatever is growing in your garden or is on sale. In the winter, don’t overlook a bag of frozen mixed veggies!
• Pineapple (optional). I LOVE sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, but you can make it without pineapple as well. Here’s the easiest method for how to cut a pineapple, or you can use a can of pineapple chunks. A can of bamboo shoots or water chestnuts would be a great addition, but only if you have them.
• Sauce. I much prefer my easy Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe (which contains pineapple juice and brown sugar) over any store-bought sauce. It’s healthier, super easy to make, and as I mentioned before, it freezes really well.

You’ll notice we’re not coating the chicken in a corn starch and flour mixture or frying it up before moving on to the next steps. I’ve tried those methods and honestly? The chicken loses a lot of the crispiness when it’s coated with the sauce, and it makes a big mess to begin with. Instead, this is a simple (but still super yummy!) version of sweet-and-sour chicken.

HOW TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN WITH SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Ready to make sweet and sour chicken with sweet and sour sauce? Here’s how!

Prepare the Sauce:

Step 1. Combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring JUST to a low boil, whisking the ingredients every few minutes so the sugar dissolves thoroughly.

Step 2. In a mug, make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Add the slurry to the sauce while whisking quickly. Cook for one minute and then reduce the heat to low and set aside.

Prepare Sweet and Sour Chicken:

Step 3. Prepare the rice and/or chicken if necessary. Note that this recipe starts with both cooked rice AND cooked chicken. **

Step 4. Steam the vegetables on the stovetop or follow the instructions for Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables.

Step 5. Layer the rice, chicken pieces, and vegetables in serving bowls. Pour sauce over the top and serve hot.

If desired, garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Note: ** If you don’t have chicken already cooked, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake your chicken at 400F until it’s cooked through, about 25 minutes for boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 45 minutes for skinless chicken thigh. Cut into bite-sized pieces before serving.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN RECIPE SHORTCUTS

We could all use a few extra hands and a few extra hours, right? So here are a few shortcuts I like to use when making sweet-and-sour chicken.

• Freeze extra chicken. Not just from this dinner, but from ALL of my chicken dinners. Anytime there’s leftover chicken, I add it to a resealable bag I keep in the freezer. When it’s full, I know I have enough to make sweet and sour chicken!
• Freeze extra sweet and sour sauce. Freeze any extra sauce you have in either ice cube trays (2 Tbsp per cube) or ½ cup increments. Be sure to label your container clearly!
• Use frozen vegetables. I prefer the taste and texture of fresh steamed vegetables, but I also grab a bag of frozen onions and bell peppers, or a California-style mix when I’m short on time.
• Make rice in bulk and freeze it. I ALWAYS make extra rice for the sole purpose of freezing it, because I know how much time this saves me later!
• Instant Pot Quinoa is ready in one minute and it’s a great alternative to brown rice (and it freezes well too!).
• Use your kitchen appliances! This is the 8-quart Instant Pot I use multiple times each week. I use this 6-quart slow cooker as well. Between the two, I can get dinner on the table quickly without having to do much work!

MORE SWEET AND SOUR RECIPES…

Once you have a batch of sweet and sour sauce, you can easily make a bunch of other similar recipes.

RECIPE FOR SWEET SOUR CHICKEN FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS TAKEOUT-INSPIRED DINNERS

When you’re craving takeout and don’t want sweet and sour chicken, I recommend: