This sheet pan sweet and sour chicken is a homemade version of a restaurant favorite! Totally delicious and loaded with fresh vegetables. Easily adapted to be gluten-free and naturally dairy-free, meaning it's a great meal the whole family can enjoy together! High in protein and high in flavor. My husband can't stop talking about this one!
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One of my favorite things to do is to recreate restaurant meals at home (like my Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana). Not only is this great for the wallet, but it's great for anyone who has sensitivities or dietary preferences. When you make food from scratch, you can very easily make a few changes here and there to make it suit the needs of your family. Not only that, your family basically thinks you're a total superstar!
One of my favorite restaurant meals to recreate is chicken shawarma. We live in the middle of nowhere in farm country, meaning we are about 50 minutes away from a quality shawarma restaurant. This means that if I want something hot and tasty, I'm going to have to make it myself. Shawarma though, is an involved process that takes a good chunk of time AND a lot of dishes to prepare. While I love the end result, it's just not something I can do on a weekly basis. (Psst: This is the recipe I use)
An easy way to recreate your favorite restaurant dishes
But this easy sheet pan sweet and sour chicken? Well THAT is an easy restaurant copycat to prepare at home! I can't believe how easy it was to make this meal, and my husband has been talking about it ENDLESSLY! I was editing the photos last night, and he was begging me to make it again sometime soon. It was soooo yummy, and I felt good serving it to my family because it was absolutely packed with veggies!
I can't wait to see what other restaurant favorites I can adapt for making in a sheet pan. I'm totally coming for you, Beef and Broccoli!
Is sweet and sour chicken healthy?
While the restaurant version is often loaded with sodium and deep fried in less-than-desirable oils, a homemade sweet and sour chicken meal can be very healthy! If you add loads of fiber-rich vegetables and make a sauce from scratch, you can control the ingredients and reduce both the sugar and fat in the dish.
How do you make sweet and sour chicken from scratch?
Making homemade sweet and sour chicken is so easy when you use a sheet pan to bake your chicken and vegetables. Once your vegetables are chopped and your chicken is cut, the rest of the meal is super simple to throw together!
- Add all of the veggies to a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil.
- Toss the veggies to coat with the oil.
- Spread out on a parchment lined sheet pan.
- Top with the bite sized pieces of chicken breast.
- Bake for 30 minutes! Top with sweet and sour sauce and serve with you favorite side. We like hot cooked rice or quinoa.
How do you make sweet and sour sauce from scratch?
Just because you are able to buy a jar of prepared sweet and sour sauce at the grocery store, doesn't mean you should. Making your own sweet and sour sauce from scratch is an excellent skill to have, AND you can use less processed ingredients. It's important that you know what you're feeding your family, especially if you have allergies or dietary needs to considered. If you make sweet and sour sauce from scratch, you can tweak the ingredients to suit your needs!
Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup Pineapple Juice
- 2 tbsp. Cornstarch
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Rice Vinegar
- 3 tbsp. Ketchup
- 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp.-½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
- ⅛ tsp. Ground White Pepper (scant)
Instructions:
- Add the cornstarch to a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp. Of the pineapple juice and whisk vigorously with a fork to create a slurry. Set aside.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients to a large skillet or saucepan. Whisk well to combine.
- Heat the sauce over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
- Once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry, whisking constantly as you add it.
- Boil for one additional minute, while whisking the sauce constantly. This will thicken it up nicely.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
- Serve as desired, either warm or chilled!
What is a good side dish for sweet and sour chicken?
Sweet and sour chicken is loaded with fresh veggies and contains ample protein, but sometimes you may want a side dish to round it out and help stretch your main dish. Here are some suggestions for side dishes for sweet and sour chicken:
- Hot cooked rice
- Hot cooked quinoa (this is the method I use)
- Chicken fried rice
- Cauliflower rice
- Steamed broccoli
- Roasted potatoes
- Lo mein (like this 15 minute recipe from Pinch of Yum)
Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken
This sheet pan version of a restaurant favorite is delicious and loaded with fresh vegetables. Easily adapted to be gluten-free, meaning it's a great meal the whole family can enjoy together! High in protein and high in flavor.
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
- 2 ½ cups fresh cubed pineapple
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 ½” pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 ½” pieces
- ½ red onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt, more to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper, more to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp. ketchup
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce (or Tamari)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅛ tsp. white pepper (scant)
For serving
- Hot cooked rice or quinoa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a half-size sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the pineapple, red pepper, green pepper, onion, and carrot to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. Of the olive oil and use tongs to toss the vegetables well to coat them with the oil.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the oil-coated vegetables, and toss again to coat them.
- Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on your prepared sheet pan.
- Sprinkle your chicken pieces with salt and pepper, to your taste.
- Arrange the chicken pieces over the surface of the vegetables, ensuring they are evenly spaced. This allows for even cooking of your chicken, as well as your vegetables.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer reads at least 165F on the thickest part of a piece of chicken.
- While your chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.
Sauce:
- Add the cornstarch to a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp. Of the pineapple juice and whisk vigorously with a fork to create a slurry. Set aside.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients to a large skillet or saucepan. Whisk well to combine.
- Heat the sauce over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
- Once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry, whisking constantly as you add it.
- Boil for one additional minute, while whisking the sauce constantly. This will thicken it up nicely.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
Finishing and Serving
Once the chicken and vegetables have cooked through, serve immediately over rice and top with your prepared sauce.
Notes
Gluten-Free Adaptation
Select a gluten free soy sauce like Tamari or coconut aminos.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 637Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 1466mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 4gSugar: 45gProtein: 42g
Nutrition information is an estimate only.
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