🍍🍗 Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken (Crispy + Sticky Oven Version)
Baked sweet and sour chicken is a lighter oven version of the classic takeout dish—crispy chicken pieces baked instead of deep-fried, then coated in a tangy-sweet sauce.
🧾 Ingredients
🍗 Chicken
- 500–700 g chicken breast or thighs (cubed)
- 1 cup cornstarch or flour
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- Salt & pepper
- 1–2 tbsp oil (for coating tray or chicken)
🍍 Sweet & sour sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)
- 1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice (or canned pineapple juice)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water (slurry to thicken)
🫑 Optional add-ins
- Pineapple chunks
- Bell peppers (red/green)
- Onion chunks
👨🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Dip chicken in egg, then coat with cornstarch/flour.
- Place on greased baking tray.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway for crispiness.
- Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer.
- Add slurry to thicken sauce.
- Toss baked chicken in sauce.
- Add pineapple and vegetables if using.
- Serve hot over rice.
⭐ Tips for best results
- Cornstarch coating = crispier oven texture
- Don’t overcrowd the tray
- Sauce should be balanced: sweet, sour, and slightly salty
- Toss chicken right before serving to keep crispiness
🧠 Bottom line
This is a homemade baked version of a takeout favorite, not a secret recipe. The key difference is baking instead of frying and using a thick sweet-sour glaze.
If you want, I can also show you a air-fryer version or a low-sugar healthier version.
