Sweet and Sour Chicken

A weeknight-friendly Chinese chicken built around chicken thighs, pineapple chunks and pineapple juice — roughly 125 minutes start to finish, and rated involved to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 19 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At involved difficulty across 19 steps, it's worth setting aside proper time for.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Coat the chicken with egg white:
- In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Make the sweet and sour sauce:
- Whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and brown sugar.
- Stir-fry the chicken over high heat:
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot.
- Add the chicken and spread the pieces out in one layer. Let the chicken fry untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned.
- Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
- Stir-fry the bell pepper and ginger:
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up before adding the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute.
- Add the pineapple, sauce, and then, the chicken:
- Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn up the heat to high. When the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in.
- Let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken.
- The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it.
- If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve:
- Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar or vinegar to suit your tastes, if you’d like.
- Serve hot with steamed white or brown rice.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan · Whisk · Wok
Watch how it's made

Hosted on YouTube — pressing play loads content from YouTube.
Ingredient substitutions
- Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener)
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
What to serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Kung Po Prawns Seafood
- Ma Po Tofu Beef
- Wontons Pork
- Sweet and Sour Pork Pork
Tips & common questions
How long does Sweet and Sour Chicken take to make?
About 125 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 19 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
Try 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Recipe data for Sweet and Sour Chicken via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.







