Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken starts with a quick sear and finishes slowly in the oven. The chicken gets a light cornstarch-and-egg coating, then bakes in a sauce made with sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. As the sauce reduces, it settles around the golden pieces and leaves a glossy coating that is especially good spooned over rice.

This is the version to make when you want a sweet, tangy sauce and are happy to let the oven do the longer part of the cooking. The finished coating is saucy rather than crunchy. There are two cooking stages, so have the baking dish ready before the chicken goes into the skillet.

What to have ready before you start

Allow about 90 minutes altogether: around 20 minutes for preparation and 70 minutes for searing and baking. Those are estimates, and the oven portion alone takes one hour. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set out a large skillet, a zip-top bag, a shallow bowl for the eggs, and a bowl for mixing the sauce.

Ingredient notes

The full measurements are in the recipe card below. These notes will help you get the coating right and understand what gives the sauce its sweet and tangy flavor.

For the chicken

• Chicken breasts: Use boneless, skinless breasts and cut them into similar 1-inch pieces. Even pieces are easier to coat and turn in the skillet.
• Cornstarch: This goes directly onto the chicken before the egg. It forms the base of the light coating that becomes glazed during baking.
• Eggs: Whisk them until smooth, then dip the cornstarch-coated chicken into them just before searing. The egg forms the outer layer of the coating.
• Vegetable oil: A neutral oil works for the brief skillet step without adding another strong flavor to the sauce.
• Salt and black pepper: Season the chicken lightly before coating it. The soy sauce and sea salt add more seasoning later.

For the sweet and sour sauce

• Granulated sugar: Provides the sweetness that balances the vinegar. Use the amount in the card to keep that balance.
• Apple cider vinegar: Gives the sauce its pronounced tang. It is a key part of the flavor, so keep it in the sauce as written.
• Ketchup: Adds tomato flavor, color, and some body to the sauce. Whisk it in thoroughly so there are no thick streaks.
• Soy sauce: Adds savory flavor and saltiness to the sweet and sour mixture.
• Garlic powder and sea salt: Round out the seasoning. Whisk both into the sauce before pouring it over the chicken.

Cornstarch first, then the egg

Pat the chicken pieces dry and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Aim for pieces close to one inch across so they cook at a similar pace. Put the cornstarch in the zip-top bag, add the chicken, seal it, and shake until the pieces are coated.

Whisk the eggs in the shallow bowl until smooth. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Take a coated chicken piece from the bag, dip it in the beaten egg, and transfer it directly to the hot skillet. Repeat in batches as needed. This order matters: cornstarch goes on the chicken before the egg.

Give the skillet one job: a little color

Turn the chicken as needed until the coating is lightly golden. Leave room between pieces so you can turn them without knocking the coating off their neighbors. If the skillet is crowded, use another batch. The goal here is to color the outside; the chicken finishes cooking in the oven.

Transfer the browned pieces into the prepared baking dish. Spread them across the dish rather than leaving a mound in the middle. A fairly even layer makes the sauce easier to distribute and gives you space to turn the pieces during baking.

Mix the sauce before it meets the chicken

Whisk the sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and sea salt together in the mixing bowl. Work around the bottom and sides so there are no pockets of ketchup or dry seasoning. At this point, the sauce is fluid; it thickens during baking.

Pour the sauce across the chicken, then gently toss the pieces to coat them. Some sauce will sit at the bottom of the dish. That is expected at the start, so avoid judging the finished texture from the unbaked mixture.

Bake for an hour, with one turn halfway

Bake uncovered at 325°F (165°C) for one hour. After 30 minutes, carefully turn and toss the chicken so pieces from the edges and center get coated again. Bring sauce up from the bottom as you turn, and handle the coating gently.

Return the dish to the oven for the remaining baking time. Leaving it uncovered allows the sauce to reduce around the chicken. By the end, the coating should look glossy, with sauce that clings more readily to the pieces than it did at the beginning.

Check that the chicken has reached 165°F (74°C) in the center before removing the dish. Use the temperature as the doneness check rather than the sauce color. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.

Spoon the sauce onto the rice, too

Serve the chicken over warm rice and spoon a little of the extra sauce from the dish over each portion. Plain rice gives the sweet and sour glaze somewhere to go without adding another strong flavor.

The recipe card uses an estimated yield of four servings. Chicken breast sizes vary, so the amount on each plate will vary too. Serve the pieces with their coating intact, and keep enough sauce with each portion to dress the rice underneath.

A few questions before cooking

Is the chicken fully cooked in the skillet?

No. The skillet step lightly browns the coating. Transfer the chicken to the dish and finish the full oven step, checking the center temperature before serving.

Will the coating stay crisp?

Expect a soft, glazed coating once the chicken has baked in the sauce. The quick sear gives it color and helps it hold together, while the oven step makes it saucy.

Does the baking dish need a cover?

Bake uncovered for this recipe. The sauce needs the oven time to reduce, and the chicken is turned halfway through so it gets coated again.

Can I switch the order of the egg and cornstarch?

Follow the order in the card: cornstarch first, beaten egg second, then the skillet. This keeps the preparation consistent with the recipe.

More chicken dinners to try

For chicken with rice and vegetables in one dish, try Teriyaki Chicken Casserole. If you want a shorter ingredient list for another night, see 3-Ingredient Chicken Charleston.