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Home » Recipes » Chicken

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken (+ video)

By: Kathryn Doherty | Last Updated: Mar 5, 2025 | Published: Aug 9, 2018
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Easy sweet and sour chicken with vegetables is a one-pot meal that’s ready in 25 minutes and features a 5-ingredient, 5-minute homemade sweet and sour sauce. It’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!Close up of a wooden spatula resting in a dark skillet full of a homemade sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, peppers and snow peas.

*First things first... happy birthday to my sweet baby boy! Who's not a baby anymore...

J turns 5 today and I am just amazed by that.

Amazed that it's been 5 years since he was born, amazed that I've watched him grow into the wonderful, sweet, adorable kid that he is today, and amazed that my youngest is now 5. How in the world?!

It's definitely bringing a tear to my eyes... but also a smile to my heart. ❤️

We'll celebrate this weekend with a superhero party at our house. The birthday boy has requested a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting, so that's what I'll be making.

Moving on... earlier this week I shared my homemade sweet and sour sauce, which is just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make. Talk about a great takeout fakeout!

Healthy, easy sweet and sour chicken with veggies in a large skillet

And now we’re putting it to good use with this healthy, easy sweet and sour chicken with vegetables recipe.

This restaurant classic is super easy to make at home. It’s just one pan and ready in 25 minutes!

It’s great for an easy weeknight dinner that’s got major flavor and all kinds of pretty, colorful veggies! Plus, you can customize this stir fry to use the veggies your family loves best.

(You might also like this sweet and sour pork recipe for a slight variation.)

Seared chicken breast pieces in a skillet A wooden spatula resting in a large dark skillet full of a homemade sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, peppers and snow peas.

OK, let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make easy sweet and sour chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making easy sweet and sour chicken:

  • I of course use my homemade sweet and sour sauce — it just takes 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make! — but you could substitute a store-bought version. (I won’t tell.)
  • You’ll need to make the sauce ahead or work on it while the veggies are sautéing.
  • Feel free to substitute in any of your favorite veggies that you love in a stir fry. Mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts and those cute little baby corn ears would all be great here too. You’ll want about 3 total cups of veggies.
  • I haven’t included it in the recipe below but you can certainly make this sweet and sour chicken with pineapple. Just add some cut fresh pineapple chunks at the very end to get them mixed in with the sauce.

Healthy, easy sweet and sour chicken with vegetables served in a blue bowl

Healthy, easy sweet and sour chicken with vegetables served in a blue bowl with a bite being lifted out

As for serving...

We love this served over steamed brown rice or cauliflower rice. Classic and delicious.

You could also stir in some cooked noodles (such as spaghetti or rice noodles) and maybe some extra sauce or pasta water to make a sweet and sour chicken pasta dish.

Ta-da, dinner is done!

So put down the takeout menu, break out your wok or skillet and get to cooking tonight.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Psst… Don’t miss my other chicken recipes in under 30 minutes and my whole collection of easy chicken dinner recipes.

A wooden spatula resting in a large dark skillet full of a homemade sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, peppers and snow peas.
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5 from 2 votes

Easy sweet and sour chicken with vegetables

Easy sweet and sour chicken and vegetables is a one-pot meal that’s ready in 25 minutes!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 cup snow peas
  • 1 cup homemade sweet and sour sauce (see notes for link to recipe)

Instructions

  • Combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to coat the chicken pieces.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add chicken and sear on first side for 3-4 minutes.
  • Flip chicken over, sear for 1-2 minutes on the second side and then add the onion, pepper and broccoli. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the veggies have softened and chicken is almost cooked through. (If you haven’t already, make the sauce now.)
  • Add the snow peas and ¾ cup of the sweet and sour sauce. Stir well to mix and warm through, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 1-2 minutes more. Add extra sauce as desired.
  • Serve warm over brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Notes

I use this homemade sweet and sour sauce — it just takes 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make! You could also substitute a store-bought version. You’ll need to make the sauce ahead or work on it while the veggies are sautéing.
Feel free to substitute any of your favorite stir fry veggies. Mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts and those cute little baby corn ears would all be great here too. You’ll want about 3 total cups of veggies.
You can also add cut fresh pineapple to this recipe at the very end to get them mixed in with the sauce.
We love this served over steamed brown rice or cauliflower rice. You could also stir in some cooked noodles (such as spaghetti or rice noodles) and maybe some extra sauce or pasta water to bring it all together.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 403mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!
A wooden spatula resting in a dark skillet full of a homemade sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, peppers and snow peas with a text overlay on the photo.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess

    November 12, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    Hi,

    I just made your chicken recipe with honey and soy sauce. Very tasty!
    Thank you. Will you send me your sweet and sour recipe?

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      November 15, 2018 at 7:00 am

      I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe Jess! Here's my 5-minute homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/5-minute-homemade-sweet-and-sour-sauce/

      Reply
  2. Cat

    October 14, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    I tried this tonight and unfortunately, it just wasn't a winner. It was a little bland for my taste. It was definitely worth a shot though!

    Reply
    • Kathryn Doherty

      October 16, 2019 at 9:32 am

      Hi Cat, I'm sorry to hear this wasn't a good fit for you; I know that's disappointing.

      Reply
  3. Guarana

    November 22, 2020 at 3:18 am

    I do not even understand how I ended up right here, however I assumed this put
    up was great. I do not know who you're however definitely you are going to a well-known blogger if you aren't already.
    Cheers!

    Reply
  4. Diana

    June 05, 2023 at 10:13 pm

    We enjoyed your Sweet and sour Chicken recipe very much. I also used your sweet and sour sauce, and it was very good. I am adding both recipes to my recipe file. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Kathryn Doherty

      June 06, 2023 at 8:28 am

      I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Meet Kathryn

Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

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