Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs Recipe (2024)

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?

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.

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).

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.

• 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.

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.

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• 9 x 13-inch baking dish
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups

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!

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.

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.

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.

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