Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (2024)

4.75 from 4 votes

ByStacie VaughanOn Updated

17 Comments

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You might think that this sweet and sour chicken thighs would be similar to old-school Chinese takeout. But instead of getting breaded morsels of chicken, you’ll be making a tender, healthy, and flavorful dish bursting with tangy sour notes and an unbeatable level of sweetness. Now, doesn’t that sound better than grabbing a boxed-up dinner?

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (1)

I love that you can switch up the cut of chicken you use based on what your family’s into. Thighs, drums, wings, and breast all work beautifully with the smooth and zingy sauce.

Simply serve everything over a bed of fluffy rice and let it seep up the goodness! And that pop of color and crunch from the green onions? Delightful.

Why You’ll Love This Sweet and Sour Chicken

  • It’s ready in a flash and is a perfect family meal (even for fussy eaters).
  • The sweet and sour sauce is better than anything you’d get from a Chinese takeout joint.
  • It’s made with just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients.
  • The mixture of sweet and umami flavors in this recipe is seriously satisfying over rice.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (2)

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

  • Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: Chicken thighs stay moist while cooking, making them an awesome alternative to chicken breast!
  • Soy sauce: For a classic, umami flavor.
  • Vegetable oil: To cook your chicken and form the base.
  • Chili powder: For a (slight!) burst of spice.
  • Celery seed: Gives the dish a distinctive, tangy twist with a heady flavor.
  • Garlic powder: Offers a subtle hint of savory flavor.
  • Brown sugar: To sweeten things up.
  • Tomato sauce: For an acidic burst of flavor that contrasts against the brown sugar.
  • White vinegar.
  • Green onions (for garnish).
Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (3)

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

  • Step One: Preheat oven to broil on high.
  • Step Two: Place chicken thighs in a casserole dish.
  • Step Three: Add soya sauce and vegetable oil to a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over chicken thighs.
  • Step Four: In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, celery seed, garlic powder and brown sugar. Sprinkle over chicken thighs.
  • Step Five: Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (4)
  • Step Six: In a medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce and vinegar. Pour over chicken.
  • Step Seven: Bake for 50 minutes at 375°F. Serve over rice.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (5)

Equipment Needed

You honestly don’t need much equipment to pull this sweet and sour chicken recipe together. I recommend picking up these handy tools to have on standby in your kitchen.

This post contains affiliate links.

What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken

I honestly think this sweet and sour chicken works best with rice. The rice soaks up all the yummy sauce and makes everything far more delicious.

You can also serve it with slices of green onion or some jazzy fried rice if you’re feeling fancy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (6)

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  • It’s a strange one, but I recommend reserving some of the sauce to save for later. You can pour it over virtually anything for a few days!
  • If you want the spices and sauce to truly seep into the chicken, feel free to let it sit in a marinade for a few minutes. Don’t leave it too long before placing it in the oven, but a few minutes can make all the difference.

Variations and Substitutions

  • If you’re not a fan of chicken thighs, you can replace them with wings, breast, or drumsticks. Just use whatever you have lying around.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (7)

Storage Instructions

You can store this sweet and sour chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Past this point, you’ll probably need to throw it out.

Can I Freeze?

You can totally freeze this sweet and sour chicken in an airtight, lidded container. Make sure you let the dish cool completely before freezing it.

Oh, and remember to label any containers to make sure you eat everything within 3 months!

To defrost this dish, pull it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw. You can then reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (8)

Chicken Recipes

  • Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
  • Orange Chicken
  • Sticky Chicken
  • Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
  • One-Pan Lemon Thyme Chicken
  • Honey Curried Chicken
  • Peking Chicken
  • Hawaiian Chicken
  • Peach Chicken
  • Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Follow me on Instagram@simplystacieblog, Facebook atSimply Stacie, TikTok@simplystacierecipesor Pinterest at@simplystacieand let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (9)

Rate this Recipe

4.75 from 4 votes

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

Created by Stacie Vaughan

Servings 5

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Make this easy chicken recipe your family will love in one hour! This Asian-inspired weeknight dinner lets you skip takeout.

Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp celery seed
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • green onions for garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to broil on high.

  • Place chicken thighs in a casserole dish.

  • Add soya sauce and vegetable oil to a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over chicken thighs.

  • In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, celery seed, garlic powder and brown sugar. Sprinkle over chicken thighs.

  • Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

  • In a medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce and vinegar. Pour over chicken.

  • Bake for 50 minutes at 375°F. Serve over rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.3g | Protein: 48.8g | Fat: 15.6g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.8g | Cholesterol: 224.1mg | Sodium: 581.7mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 10.4g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, sweet and sour chicken

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is sweet and sour chicken breading made of? ›

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

For the batter: cornstarch, self-rising flour, vegetable oil, an egg, salt, and white pepper. Chicken: Cut eight boneless, skinless chicken breast halves into 1-inch cubes for this sweet and sour chicken recipe.

What is sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

How to get more flavor in chicken thighs? ›

12 Ways To Add More Flavor To Chicken Thighs
  1. Buy thighs with the skin on. ...
  2. Salt or brine thighs before cooking. ...
  3. Use a splash of spirits in your marinade. ...
  4. Use leftover pickle juice for an easy marinade. ...
  5. Give the thighs a poke before marinating. ...
  6. Cook them low and slow. ...
  7. Use dairy as a marinade. ...
  8. Don't shy away from sweetness.
Jan 29, 2023

Does Chick Fil A use sugar in their breading? ›

Sugar -- while not traditional in breaded chicken, sugar is listed as an ingredient on Chick Fil A's own website so it's in this recipe.

What is Chick Fil A chicken breading made of? ›

INGREDIENTS: Chicken, cornstarch, enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, mustard powder, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, cultured nonfat milk, cornstarch, salt, Vitamin A palmitate, Vitamin D3, apple cider ...

Do chicken thighs get more tender the longer you cook them? ›

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

Should I cover my chicken thighs when baking? ›

The best oven baked chicken thighs start with seasoning! A blend of garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt and fresh cracked pepper brightens up plain old chicken thighs and adds wow-worthy flavor. But I know you are wondering– should you cover chicken thighs when they are baking? The simple answer is, no.

Should I flip chicken thighs when baking? ›

Few things beat the combo of crispy, sizzling skin and juicy, tender meat. Hands off. Once you send the chicken thighs off to the oven to bake, that's it! There's no need to flip the thighs or rotate the baking pan while they roast.

What can I use instead of pineapple juice in sweet and sour? ›

From personal experience of not having canned/fresh pineapples in the kitchen, I just used a bit of lemon juice and an orange cut into large chunks. Chinese plum sweet & sour mix is one of my favorites.

What is the actual Flavour of sweet and sour sauce? ›

Sweet and sour sauce tastes just like it sounds. A little bit sweet and a little bit sour at the same time. You will also have notes from whatever you flavour it with. The sweet and sour tastes can be made with a simple sugar and vinegar mix.

What is a substitute for vinegar in sweet and sour sauce? ›

Lemon or lime juice are the two most common substitutes for white vinegar. You can also use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar but the taste of your sauce might be a tad different. Soy Sauce – I used low sodium.

How to make sauce stick to chicken thighs? ›

You can achieve this by patting it dry with a paper towel before applying sauce, or coating the chicken with a light layer of corn starch first. Or just allowing the chicken to rest on a rack in the oven or fridge until it's dry before adding the sauce.

What tenderizes chicken thighs? ›

Restaurants use marinades made from a combination of acidic ingredients (such as vinegar, citrus juice, or yogurt) and flavorful herbs and spices. The acid in the marinade helps to break down the proteins in the chicken, making it more tender. Put it in a double boiler and steam it.

What is breading made of? ›

A breading is defined as “a dry mixture of flour, starch, and seasonings, coarse in nature, and applied to moistened or battered food products prior to cooking” (Suderman 1983).

Does sweet and sour chicken contain egg? ›

Season the chicken with light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, egg and flour. Mix until combined and marinate for 20 minutes. In a bowl, mix together ketchup, brown sugar, white vinegar, chicken stock and cornstarch. In a large bowl, mix together the Dry Seasoning Mix ingredients.

What is the Chinese breaded chicken called? ›

What is General Tso's chicken? It's an American Chinese takeout dish that is made with breaded chicken thigh (or chicken breast) pieces that is then fried to create a crunchy chicken bite. It is then tossed in a sauce with sweet and tangy flavors made of ginger, garlic, and staple Chinese sauce ingredients.

What is in crispy fry breading? ›

Crispy Fry Breading mix is a special blend of flour, starch, seasonings and spices. Ingredients: starch (tapioca, maize), wheat flour, iodised salt (salt, iodine), garlic powder, spices (black pepper, paprika), flavour enhancer e621, sodium bicarbonate, stabiliser e461. Product of Philippines.

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