Sweet & Sour Chicken
Chef Jack Ovens
Qualified Chef · 1.6M Subscribers
Updated July 2026
Sticky sweet and sour chicken, made properly at home — seared chicken thigh (breast works too) tossed through a glossy, cornflour-thickened sauce with store-bought pineapple juice worked through it. Fresh pineapple doesn’t work here — store-bought is what gets the sauce right. Served over rice that soaks up every bit of it.
It’s your favourite takeout order, done in under 30 minutes flat — no waiting on delivery, and you know exactly what’s going into it.
This one’s built for meal prep too — the sauce is dialled in at just the right amount so it stays glossy and moist rather than drying out or going watery over a few days in the fridge. Full notes on storage, reheating and ingredient swaps are below in the Chef’s Tips.
Sweet & Sour Chicken
MEAL PREP · DINNER · EASY
Why You'll Love This
The Sauce Ties It All Together
The sauce is what makes this recipe. It's what brings everything together, and the rice underneath soaks up every bit of it — so you're never left with a dry bite, just sticky, glossy flavour in every mouthful.
This is your favourite takeout order, made at home in under 30 minutes. No waiting on delivery, no guessing what's actually in it — just a quick, satisfying dinner you can have on the table faster than it'd take to order in.
The trick is store-bought pineapple juice — it naturally thickens the sauce as it reduces, giving it that glossy, sticky finish without needing extra cornstarch. And there's exactly the right amount of sauce here, so nothing dries out, even after a few days in the fridge.
Sweet & Sour Chicken Meal Prep
Ingredients
Rice
- 300 g Long Grain Rice, Washed
- 600 ml Cold Water or Stock
- Salt To Taste
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 125 ml Light Soy Sauce
- 80 ml Store-Bought Pineapple Juice
- 30 g Honey
- 30 ml Worcestershire Sauce
- 30 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
- 40 g Tomato Ketchup
- 16 g Corn Flour (Cornstarch)
Sweet & Sour Chicken
- 30 ml Peanut Oil, Divided
- 1.2 kg Chicken Thigh Fillets or Chicken Breast Diced
- 2 Bell Peppers Large Diced
- 1 Brown Onion Thinly Sliced
- 4 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 25 g Fresh Ginger, Grated
- Salt and Ground White Pepper To Taste
Garnish (Optional)
- Sesame Seeds Optional
- Spring Onion Sliced
- Fresh Chilli Sliced
Method
- Add the washed basmati rice, cold water, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to the lowest heat, cover with a lid, and cook undisturbed for 12 minutes. Avoid lifting the lid or stirring, as releasing the steam will affect how evenly the rice cooks. Remove from the heat and leave the lid on for 5 more minutes before fluffing.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, store-bought pineapple juice, honey, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato ketchup, and corn flour until completely smooth with no lumps remaining.
- Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add half of the peanut oil. Add the capsicum and onion, season lightly, and cook for 4–5 minutes until well coloured while still retaining some bite. Remove from the pan and set aside. Cooking the vegetables separately prevents them from steaming in the chicken’s moisture and becoming soft.
- Return the pan to high heat with the remaining peanut oil. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with salt and white pepper, and leave it undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop a deep golden crust. This allows the Maillard reaction to occur, creating far more flavour than constant stirring. Continue cooking for 8–9 minutes if using chicken thigh, or around 6 minutes if using chicken breast. Chicken thigh requires the extra time to break down its connective tissue and fat, while breast cooks much faster and will dry out if overcooked.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste, stir through, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Return the vegetables to the pan and mix well.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and stir until everything is evenly coated. Bring to a full boil and cook for 2 minutes until thickened and glossy. Corn flour must reach a full boil to gelatinise properly, so don’t remove it too early. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
- Divide the rice and sweet & sour chicken between 5 x 750ml meal prep containers. Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced spring onion, and fresh chilli if desired.
Chef's Tips
Cook the vegetables separately from the chicken first, then set them aside. If everything goes into the pan together, the chicken releases moisture as it cooks, and the vegetables end up steaming instead of getting any colour — cooking them apart keeps that bite and char you want.When you get to the chicken, give it space in the pan and leave it undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop a proper golden crust before you touch it. Chicken thigh needs about 8–9 minutes total to break down its connective tissue and fat properly, while chicken breast only needs around 6 minutes and will dry out if you push it any longer — keep an eye on the cut you're using and adjust accordingly.Always use store-bought pineapple juice here, not fresh. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme that interferes with the cornflour and stops the sauce from thickening properly — store-bought juice has been heat-treated in processing, which deactivates that enzyme and lets the sauce come together the way it should.Whisk the sauce ingredients together thoroughly before it hits the pan — soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, Worcestershire, vinegar, ketchup and cornflour need to be completely smooth with no lumps, otherwise the cornflour can clump instead of thickening evenly.Rinse the rice well before cooking to wash off excess surface starch — this is what keeps the grains light and separate rather than clumping together once it's mixed through the sauce.
Storage & Reheating
This recipe keeps well for meal prep. Once cooked, let everything cool slightly before portioning into airtight containers — sealing it while still hot traps steam and can make both the chicken and rice go soggy.Fridge: stores well for up to 4 days in an airtight container.Freezer: freezes well for up to 3 months. Portion into individual meal-prep containers before freezing, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating rather than reheating from frozen.To reheat, microwave in 1–2 minute bursts, stirring in between so it heats evenly, or warm it through in a pan on the stove with a small splash of water to loosen the sauce back up. Avoid overheating, since the sauce can start to split or the rice can dry out if it's left too long.
Serving 460gCalories 650kcalCarbohydrates 68gProtein 59gFat 16gSodium 1287mgFiber 2.2g
Common Questions
Why is my sauce too thin?
The sauce is thickened with cornflour, not the pineapple juice — that's just there for flavour. If it's still too thin, give it a bit longer over the heat to let the cornflour do its job, or stir through a small extra cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with a splash of cold water) until it reaches the right consistency.
Why does my chicken go soggy after reheating?
This usually comes down to how it's stored. Make sure the chicken and rice have cooled slightly before sealing the containers — trapping in heat and steam is what makes everything go soft and soggy in the fridge.
Why is my rice mushy in the containers?
Letting hot rice sit in hot sauce before it's cooled can cause it to keep absorbing liquid and go mushy. Let everything cool slightly before portioning into containers.
Why is my sauce too sweet or too sharp?
It's a balance between the pineapple juice and the vinegar. If it tastes off, start with less vinegar and adjust up to taste rather than the other way around.
MORE FROM JACKALL RECIPES →
