Consider this a healthier alternative to sweet and sour pork, made with skinless, boneless chicken breasts quickly deep-fried for flavor and texture before being finished off in the oven with a spunky sauce of apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Steamed white or brown rice is an essential accompaniment.

For extra dipping sauce, learn How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce with our easy recipe.

For more, check out our Easy Thai Grilled Chicken Breasts, Easy Teriyaki Chicken, and Asian Marinated Backed Chicken.

  • Yields: 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 20 mins 
  • Active: 20 mins

Ingredients (11)

  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • Peanut or canola oil for frying
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with a couple of layers of paper towels and set aside.
  2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and, in a large mixing bowl, toss the pieces with salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cornstarch and toss the pieces so they’re evenly coated. Set aside.
  3. Add enough oil to a large, high-sided saucepan or Dutch oven to come up 2 inches from the bottom. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the oil to 350°F, using a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature, adjusting the heat as necessary.
  4. Break the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk so the whites and yolks are just combined. Dump about 1/4 of the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces into the beaten egg and mix so they’re evenly coated. Carefully drop the pieces into the hot oil. Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes—you don’t want to the chicken to cook all the way through, just firm up and develop color. Transfer the semi-cooked pieces to the lined baking dish to drain. Continue dipping and frying the remaining chicken.
  5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic powder. Set aside.
  6. Once all the chicken is fried, remove the paper towels from the baking dish, leaving the chicken in place. Pour over the sweet and sour sauce and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring the chicken every 20 minutes to re-coat with the sauce. Serve with steamed rice.