Authentic Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Discover how to make authentic Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken at home—just like in your favorite restaurant. This classic Chinese dish combines crispy, golden-coated chicken with tender meat, crunchy vegetables and a vibrant sweet-and-sour sauce made from pineapple juice, vinegar and sugar.

Sweet and Sour Chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners or serving at gatherings. The key to great Chinese cooking is mise en place: have all ingredients prepped and ready so you can cook quickly over high heat. Fast cooking preserves juices, vitamins and texture, while delivering maximum flavor.

Texture matters as much as flavor here: expect a crisp coating on the outside, soft velvety chicken inside and crunchy peppers and pineapple for contrast. The sauce balances the sweetness of pineapple and sugar with the tang of vinegar—an unexpectedly delightful combination that’s made this Cantonese favorite popular worldwide.

If you prefer, serve the chicken alongside Garlic Fried Rice or other Chinese dishes for a full spread.

Follow the steps below—making the sauce, marinating and coating the chicken, frying, then quickly stir-frying everything together with the vegetables and heated sauce. The final assembly takes only a few minutes, so time it to serve immediately for peak crispiness.

Instructions

Prepare everything before you start cooking—the chicken, vegetables and sauce—so the final stir-fry is quick and efficient.

Preparing the meat

1. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces (about half the length of your thumb).
2. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine in a bowl (do not add the beaten egg white yet). Add the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare the vegetables

1. Cut peppers into 2 cm squares after removing seeds and pith.
2. Cut the onion into quarters or eighths and separate layers so they cook evenly.
3. Chop spring onions into ½ cm pieces and keep them separate for garnish.
4. Peel and finely chop the ginger.

Prepare the sauce

1. In a measuring jug, combine the cornflour with the pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, tomato purée and pineapple pieces. Mix until the starch is dissolved.
2. Add hot water to reach about 1 pint (roughly 2 1/2 cups / 0.6 quart) total liquid.
3. Transfer to a saucepan, bring to a simmer and stir constantly until the sauce thickens to a yogurt-like consistency and deepens to an orange-red color. Taste and adjust sugar or vinegar to preference.

Coat the chicken

1. After marinating 20 minutes, add the beaten egg white to the marinated chicken and mix to coat.
2. Set up three stations: beaten eggs (2 eggs + reserved yolk), cornflour in a shallow dish, and a floured tray for the coated pieces.
3. Dip each piece into the egg, then coat thoroughly with cornflour. Repeat the egg-and-flour step once more for a double coating. Place coated pieces on the floured tray without overlapping.

Cooking the meat

1. Heat oil in a wok or deep pan. Test by dropping a little flour—if it sizzles and rises, the oil is ready.
2. Fry chicken pieces in batches until light golden and cooked through, turning once. Drain on kitchen paper and avoid stacking pieces so the coating stays crispy.

Bringing the recipe together

Start this final stage just before you’re ready to serve so the chicken remains crisp.

1. Reheat the prepared sauce until bubbling, stirring to avoid lumps.
2. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a hot wok, add ginger and stir briefly.
3. Add the prepared vegetables (except the spring onions) and stir-fry on high until just tender.
4. Add the fried chicken to the vegetables and toss gently to combine, using high heat. Take care not to break the coating.
5. Pour in the hot sauce and toss until everything is evenly coated.
6. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the chopped spring onions.
7. Serve immediately with fragrant jasmine rice and enjoy.

Well done—you’ve made a classic Cantonese dish that’s beloved around the world. Adjust the sauce to suit your taste for sweeter or tangier notes and feel free to swap vegetables or protein to make this recipe your own.

Recipe Card

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield:
4

Prep Time:
40 minutes

Cook Time:
10 minutes

Total Time:
50 minutes

Learn how to make this restaurant-style Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken, complete with a homemade sweet and sour sauce.

Ingredients

For the meat

• 2 chicken breast fillets
• Vegetable oil to fill your pan about 1 inch deep (approximately 1 cup)
• Kitchen paper

The marinade

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp Chinese rice wine
• 1 beaten egg white (reserve yolk for coating)

The coating

• 500 g (about 4 cups) cornflour / cornstarch
• 2 eggs plus reserved yolk, beaten

Other ingredients

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 onion
• 6 pineapple rings (canned in juice, not syrup)
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 2 spring onions/scallions
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

The sauce

• 3 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
• Juice from the canned pineapples
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 pineapple ring, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• Hot water to make total liquid about 1 pint (2 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Mix soy, sesame oil and rice wine; add chicken and marinate 20 minutes (keep beaten egg white separate until ready).
3. Prepare vegetables: dice peppers, separate onion layers, chop spring onions and ginger.
4. Combine sauce ingredients (except hot water) and dissolve cornflour. Add hot water to reach 1 pint total, simmer until thickened, then turn off heat and adjust seasoning.
5. Add beaten egg white to the marinated chicken and coat well. Set up stations: eggs, cornflour, floured tray. Dip chicken in egg, then cornflour, repeat, and arrange without overlapping.
6. Heat oil and fry chicken until light golden. Drain on kitchen paper; fry in batches if needed.
7. Reheat the sauce. Stir-fry ginger in 1 tbsp oil, add vegetables (except spring onions) and cook until just tender. Add chicken and toss gently on high heat.
8. Pour in the hot sauce, mix until everything is coated, transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle spring onions on top. Serve immediately with jasmine rice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4

Amount Per Serving (approx):
Calories: 1116
Total Fat: 55g
Protein: 17g

Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary.