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+ servings
chicken chunks with bell peppers and pineapple in rich sweet and sour sauce in a bowl garnished with chili slices and scallion

How To Make Sweet And Sour Chicken Stir Fry

Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Sweet, sticky, easy to make, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is perfect to serve over rice or noodles and is kid-friendly as it is not spicy and made without deep-frying. The dish comes together in 30 minutes!
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 portions
Calories 381 kcal

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INGREDIENTS
  

Chicken

  • 2 large chicken breasts, medium chunks, or cubed
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • salt and pepper to taste

Stir Fry

  • 1 small bell pepper, yellow, cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
  • 1 small bell pepper, red, cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
  • 1 medium yellow/brown onion, cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
  • ½ cup pineapple chunks, canned or fresh
  • 1-2 tablespoon scallion for garnish, thinly sliced
  • 1-2 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish
  • 1-2 small hot peppers, thinly sliced for garnish
  • Vegetable oil for cooking

Sauce

  • cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium, gluten free
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoon cold water
  • ¼ cup ketchup, make sure it's gluten free
  • 1 ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or paste

INSTRUCTIONS
 

  • Sweet and Sour sauce. In a small saucepan add oil over medium heat and saute garlic and ginger for about 1 minute. Stir in sugar, vinegar, honey, ketchup, soy sauce. Simmer until sugar dissolves.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together cornstarch and water and pour the mixture into the saucepan. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until the sweet and sour sauce starts thickening. Set aside.
  • Chicken prep. In a medium bowl add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the cornstarch. Make sure all the chicken pieces are covered in cornstarch. Set aside.
  • Stir fry. In a large skillet or wok over medium to high heat add 2-3 tablespoon of vegetable oil and cook the chicken until golden brown on all sides (about 3-4 minutes.) Remove from pan and set aside in a plate lined with a paper towel.
  • In the same skillet add vegetables, cook for few minutes until they get almost tender and throw in the pineapple. Stir well and return the chicken to the pan, pour the sauce on top. Stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Taste the sauce for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed.
  • Serve with scallions, sesame seeds, and rice, noodles, or another favorite side.

VIDEO

NOTES

Can you freeze stir fry? Sweet and Sour Chicken is a great dish to freeze, it remains very delicious after thawing.  Just let the stir-fry cool completely before freezing and then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight glass container (freezer-safe). Thaw in the fridge or room temperature and reheat in the skillet over the stovetop. 
However, on this note, pineapple may not retain the same flavor and texture after thawing. If you’ll add pineapples here, prepare as much as you will consume or remove the chunks before thawing and add fresh ones when reheating. 

ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES

NUTRITION

Calories: 381kcal
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