Description
Baked sweet and sour chicken brings together crispy chicken pieces with a tangy-sweet sauce that coats everything in flavor, and you get dinner on the table in under an hour. Your family gets tender chicken with caramelized edges and a glossy glaze that tastes just like your favorite takeout, but made fresh in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
Sauce and Seasoning:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 0.5 cup rice vinegar
- 0.5 cup brown sugar
- 0.25 cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 0.5 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 0.25 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Vegetables and Fruit:
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 white onion
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Pat your 2 lb chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season each side with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in your large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until the surface shimmers.
- Place the chicken breasts in your hot skillet and sear them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown, then move them to a plate.
- In that same skillet, add your minced 3 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp ginger, stirring constantly for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour your 1 cup ketchup, 0.5 cup rice vinegar, 0.5 cup brown sugar, 0.25 cup soy sauce, and 0.5 cup chicken broth into the skillet, stirring well to combine.
- Whisk 2 tbsp cornstarch with 0.25 cup water in a small bowl until smooth, then add this mixture to your sauce and stir for about 2 minutes until thickened.
- Return the chicken to your skillet and add 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 diced yellow bell pepper, 1 diced white onion, and 1 cup pineapple chunks.
- Sprinkle 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes over everything and stir gently to combine.
- Cover your skillet with a lid or foil and transfer it to a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that your chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part.
- Remove your skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Drying the chicken thoroughly before seasoning helps the skin brown evenly and gives you a better golden crust on each piece.
- Don’t skip searing the chicken in hot oil since this step locks in the juices and creates better texture throughout the cooking process.
- The cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce quickly, so stir it constantly for those two minutes to prevent lumps from forming in your dish.
- For a lighter version, reduce the brown sugar by half and use low-sodium soy sauce to cut back on sweetness and salt while keeping the flavor balanced.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Baked Chicken
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 389 kcal
- Sugar: 29 g
- Sodium: 1030 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg