This easy crockpot sweet and sour chicken recipe is going to rock your world!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Contents
Healthy Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
If you frequently find yourself too busy to make a homemade crockpot sweet and sour chicken dinner, then you are very familiar with the benefits of ordering take-out. Ordering food is fast and easy because you can order exactly what each member of your family wants. Furthermore, it saves you time.
However, if you have entered into this take-out habit then you also know all of the downsides such as high prices and questionable nutritional value.
Also, you really don’t know what you’re getting. But when you make the same type of easy sweet and sour chicken meal at home, you know exactly every ingredient that goes into the dish. Above all, it tastes better too!
So wouldn’t it be great if there was an easy way to replicate your favorite take-out crockpot chicken dish that you love so much?
Well, there is. I have just the recipe solution for you…. sweet and sour crockpot chicken!
This slow cooker sweet and sour chicken dish is easy to make for dinner and much healthier than take-out.
So let’s dive into my favorite and delicious crockpot recipe with chicken! Shall we?
How to Make Healthy(ish) Sweet and Sour Sauce
It all begins with the perfect sweet-sour sauce when you’re making this crockpot chicken.
My favorite sweet and sour sauce for this crockpot chicken dinner recipe is super straightforward and tastes just as delicious.
Sweet and Sour Chicken with White Rice
The prep items listed below are all mixed together to create a perfect blend for our sweet-and-sour sauce:
- brown sugar
- vinegar
- ketchup
- soy sauce
- water
- garlic
If you are looking to make this easy sweet and sour chicken crockpot dinner recipe even more healthy, try using low sodium soy sauce. Low sodium has the same exact taste as the regular version so you will never miss the extra salt.
Preparing Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Next on our sweet and sour chicken recipe prep list comes the chicken. Simply cut the chicken breasts into 1″ chunks with a high-quality chef’s knife. Then cover them in a quick coating of cornstarch (8 tablespoons cornstarch) and eggs( two large ones). Next, you brown the chicken briefly in a sauté pan or wok before moving it into a crockpot. Most importantly, browning the chicken caramelizes the meat. It also gives it a nice rich flavor that you can’t quite get in a crockpot alone.
The slow cooker is my absolute favorite kitchen appliance. The idea that you can throw a bunch of items into a pot while it will do all the cooking for you is just amazing. That is another reason that I absolutely love this chicken crock pot dinner recipe.
After that, the sautéed chicken and sauce are poured into the slow cooker, then it’s just cook and cover! Prep time is quick and easy for this delicious crockpot sweet and sour meal.
Come back in a few hours to enjoy the perfect sweet and sour chicken crock pot dinner!
A Simple and Savory Meal
Slow cooking the chicken allows it to absorb the full flavors of the sauce. It also gives me comfort knowing that my chicken is fully cooked (no worrying about salmonella here!).
While keeping with the traditional take-out theme, I usually serve this crockpot sweet and sour chicken meal with some cooked rice(tip: for best results use a japanese rice cooker). I prefer white rice but brown rice tastes great too. You could also try using noodles, lo mien or rice noodles as well. Certainly, all three will taste delicious with this chicken crock pot meal. They’ll be plenty of servings to go around too!
By now it is probably clear why this crockpot sweet and sour chicken recipe is far superior to just ordering take out. In addition, it’s less expensive, healthier, super simple to make(just cook and cover!) and tastes better than anything you could order over the phone.
So pull that slow cooker out of the cupboard and make this delicious sweet and sour chicken crock pot recipe!
Hope you Enjoy! =)
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- Crockpot Shredded Mexican Chicken
- 8 Crockpot Meals for Busy Nights
- Best Crockpot Cookbooks
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*This sweet and sour chicken recipe was previously published on Simple Green Moms. We’ve updated and expanded the post on 10/1/19 to make it even better for our readers!
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Sweet and Sour Chicken Crock Pot
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This amazing sweet and sour chicken will be a family favorite! There are plenty of servings for everyone to enjoy! You may even have left overs!
Ingredients
- For the Chicken breast:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” chunks
- sea salt + pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup or 8 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large eggs (beaten )
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- For the Sauce:
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of ketchup
- ¼ cup of soy sauce
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. In a separate bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper then stir in cornstarch and eggs.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until light golden brown (about 4-5 minutes cook time). Transfer chicken to crockpot and cover with the sweet and sour sauce.
- Stir to evenly coat the chicken, then let it cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 6 hours). Serve over cooked white rice or noodles.
This recipe was great! I didn’t find it until later so I cooked chicken on stove top and baked it. I also added so e peppers broccoli and pineapple and it was amazing with your sauce! Thanks so much!
Thank you! It is definitely a family fav =)
OMG!!! This recipe was so easy to make and it was delicious!!!! The boys loved it and requested that I make it every night.
Thank you! =) Glad you loved it!!!
Do you have to grill the chicken first before putting on crockpot? Or can i just put it all on crockpot?
Also, how long do i leave in crockpot?
Sorry for so many questions, not much of a cook n want to make sure i do it right
Mariana, put it all in the crockpot – you don’t have to grill it. I would add an extra cup of water and put it on low for 4 hours. Also spray the sides of your crockpot with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Do you stir the eggs & cornstarch together before pouring over the chicken? Just want to make sure I do everything right!
Believe me we have done them both ways and it honestly does not make a difference. Stir them separately or just pour and mix – both work! 🙂 Let us know how you like it!
Delish! I had myself convinced this was going to be just another ‘all tastes the same’ crockpot recipe. Boy was I wrong. It looks just like your photo and tastes wonderful. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Thank you so much Pat!!! 🙂
Would it make a difference if i didnt add the apple cider vinegar. Sounds likena great recipe have everything beside that.
Hello–white vinegar or any other kind will work fine—something about the vinegar that brings out the asian flavors we love =)
Rice vinegar would be really good.
Sounds delicious and I have all the ingredients, just need to get chicken! Thanks for sharing. Excited for dinner tonight! 🙂
I don’t have a crockpot, but your recipe looks and sounds so amazing I wanna make it anyway! Do you know how long and at what heat level I can cook this on stovetop or bake it?
Diya, I have made it on the stove top and then baked it and you can get the same outcome! After you brown the chicken, transfer it to a 9×13 pan (spray it) and then pour the sauce on top. Bake it at 400 for about 30-35 minutes. 🙂
This looks great! I have never made this before, so I am curious about the eggs mixed with the chicken and then cooked in the skillet first. I assume this step will cook the eggs when I brown the chicken. Is that correct? If yes, then all of that will be put in the crock pot, right?
Kelly-you are correct! 🙂 Good luck!!
I am thinking of trying this tonight and I have some fresh pineapple I need to use. Would you just throw it in with all the ingredients? Is it better 6 hours on low on 3 hours on high?
Thanks!
Hi! I personally think its better 6 hours on low. And the pineapples sound delish! I would throw it in with the ingredients for sure! 🙂
I don’t have cornstarch. Can I sub with flour?
Yes, you sure can!
Did anyone else taste the chicken right out of the pan?! I found a cooked edge and it tasted exactly like fast food nuggets! Another whole recipe on its own and way healthier than going to McDonalds! My kids love this!
Great idea! So glad you liked it =)
Would you add the pineapple on the beginning with everything else, or wait and if so wait till when? Thanks
We do not add pineapple to the crockpot at all, but it would be delicious! I would go ahead and add it at the beginning so it mixes in with the flavors real well! You will love it!
My family loved it, they suggested next time adding veggies.
If you are just going to put it all in the crockpot without browning the chicken first, would you still add the eggs and cornstarch to the crockpot with everything else?
It is best to brown the chicken. It helps to seal in the juices and makes the chicken have the right consistency. Throwing it all in the crockpot may not have a good result.
i made this with pork and pineapple ,it’s very good !
when I made this I stirred the cornstarch and eggs into the chicken. Then whenever I cooked it it smelt/cooked the eggs. Is this normal? Just wondering because my daughter isn’t a fan of eggs
Once you put them in the crockpot, it will mix in with the juices and not make a difference. Enjoy!
think i could add chicken breasts frozen??
I would let them thaw first to make sure they are cooked through. Enjoy!!
This looks delicious! Do you think gluten free soy sauce would work just as well in this??
Thanks!
Wouldn’t see why not? Would love to hear how it turns out! =)
Sounds delish, but we need a veggie, too. If broccoli is added, at what point would it go in?
If you are adding broccoli, and its fresh (not frozen) I would put them in during the last 30 mins to avoid them getting too soft.
This was great. Especially for those of us who are gluten free and miss Chinese food. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Am I the only one who ended up with someone scrambled eggs and pale looking chicken?? I think it will taste good, but it certainly doesn’t look like the picture. Any guesses what I did wrong?
Without knowing more about your process I could only randomly guess…
I have mine in the crockpot now, I’m guessing the sauce will thicken?
Yes it should thicken a bit as it cooks.
Wow! That was easy, delicious, and fast (for a crockpot recipe). I had all the ingredients in my pantry. Thanks!
★★★★★
So glad to hear you liked it!
This was amazing! I love that it’s clean, lean, simple & delicious with basic ingredients. I entered it into Myfitnesspal and came up with these numbers: Calories: 236 Fat: 1g Protein: 28g. I subbed egg substitute for whole egg, arrowroot powder for cornstarch, Splenda brown sugar blend & used low sodium soy sauce. Over brown rice with stir fry vegetables it’s a complete & healthy meal. thank you!
Sounds great, thanks for sharing your changes 🙂
This sounds yummy! Will have to try it. Thanks for sharing
★★★★
I don’t have a crockpot, so I cooked the chicken in a Dutch oven, added the sauce and stirred frequently on medium high heat. I added hot water as needed while the rice cooker. When rice was done I served it. Very good, if of course I added some honey for the sweet aspect of the sweet and sour, lol!
That sounds like a great way to do this, thanks for sharing.
I’m making this with rabbit tonight. Kids are excited! Looks TASTY!
I would love to hear how that turns out 🙂
Tried this today for our 20th wedding anniversary (modern twist on the China tradition). It was a hit! All of the family enjoyed it and it was very easy to put together. I subbed thighs for breast and it was great! It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
That’s so great Charlotte! thanks for sharing
We are a family of 8 and rarely agree on anything at dinner… there is usually one or two that dissent from liking something.. But we all agreed that this was awful… I’m a good cook and was making this recipe so I could give it to the kids in the future for something very simple that they could make… The ingredients are simple and the process was very simple… I don’t know if it was the ketchup that ruined it or what but the flavor in general was gross and tasted nothing like sweet and sour it tasted more like a rancid BBQ sauce… Even my young ones that can power through things that a more sophisticated palate can’t, didn’t like this… The texture wasn’t all that great either… So disappointing because we had such high hopes for this. I give it no stars
I’m so sorry you didn’t like this recipe. I hate it when things don’t turn out the way I expected 🙁
The recipe is excellent! Tastes just like takeout. I will be adding to my meal rotation. Mmmm!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you like it! I find I’m making it at least once every other week 🙂 Healthier and MUCH cheaper than takeout 🙂
Made this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly but added green bell pepper and onion the last 30 minutes since that’s how it’s usually served in restaurants. I was super excited since the house has smelled so good for the last 6 hours! Unfortunately, this did not taste like sweet and sour at all, but more like a BBQ sauce. It definitely needs something. Maybe pineapple juice? Sorry, but I won’t be making this again 🙁
Hello,
I’m very excited to make this sweet and sour chicken but I’m wondering if you could explain the egg and cornstarch part? Do i coat the chicken in cornstarch then dip in egg and then brown? Or do you mix cornstarch and egg together and cook with chicken. Im assuming the first is correct. Do you then discard the remaining egg mixture? And if I want to add pineapple do I add it at the end of the cooking time? Juice as well or just the pineapple?
Your correct, its the first one. What I tend to do is stir in the eggs and cornstarch first. Then I let the seasoned chicken sit in the liquid for a little bit. Then I transfer over to be browned.
This recipe was easy to.mske and super delicious! My hubby and I loved it! I actually added canned pineapple chunks without the juice and strips of pepper in the last half an hour of cooking and it just made the recipe even better. Definitely doing this one again!
★★★★★
That’s great! Glad to hear!!
I’m currently maki g the recipe as I write this but I have a concern it’s been cooking for about an hour and it seems the sauce is evaporating is this supposed to happen
Hi Sonya, no that’s not supposed to happen. Do you follow the recipe exactly?
This is an unbeatable recipe Meghann…and it looks soo delicious with too yummy…it perfect for healthy family dinner….i can’t wait make it…Thanks for sharing…a beautiful recipe till now…!
★★★★★
Thank you, Patricia! Let us know how it turns out!!
Well i am vegetarian so i don’t prefer chicken but to compensate i use sweet potato with indian touch gravy
Great! Sounds good
Hi!
I had an epic fail. When I added the chicken to the pan the corn starch and egg mixture separated from the chicken and I basically had scrabbled eggs and chicken. Am I missing a step??
Hi Tina,
Sorr to hear that! Just go back under instructions toward the bottom of the page and be sure to follow everything step by step.
Made this tonight and it turned out awesome!! I added fresh pineapple chunks, diced onion as well as a bit of ginger. I also had to substitute a couple of things as I was missing a couple of ingredients. I ended up using honey and white vinegar. Will definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy to hear this Melanie! Glad you loved it!! Thank you!
I will be making this tonight as I have chicken that needs using. I normally do a baked version of this that is amazing, very same ingredients. But instead of mixing the egg and corn starch the chicken is dipped in corn starch then egg and fried in batches until just browned. The egg makes a gorgeous crust. I have read comments about this turning into a scrambled egg with chicken which does not sound nice. Hoping for the best in the crockpot.
Let us know how it turned out Mary! Thank you.
Made this yesterday and it was so good. I overcooked it slightly, my own fault, but it didn’t diminish the flavour. Never thought you could do the battered chicken in the slow cooker, genius. I had to convert to grams and did 3/4 of the recipe as that was all the chicken I had. Honestly, this was such a tasty meal and it will now be on a regular rotation, I served it with sticky rice and next time I am going to add some pineapple. Cant wait to try some more of your slow cooker recipes.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!
Thanks for sharing our recipe! Hope you all love it = )