Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken is a great way to make your favorite take at home and a little healthier too. You will love how easy this kid friendly dinner is.
If I’m being totally honest with you, there is never not a time I would say yes to take out. Given the number of meals I have cooked for my family and this blog, even as someone who finds so much joy in cooking . . . take out always feels like a treat.
That being said, I know that the healthier option is making it at home. And with an easy recipe like this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
This is my take on Sweet and Sour Chicken, there is nothing authentic about it. In place of breading, we have boneless skinless chicken breasts that remain unfried. I think they are so much better this way. They stay moist in the crockpot, and the sauce they are served in is thinner and less like syrup, making this a healthy sweet and sour chicken.
We are using pineapple juice as the base for our sauce, but adding in lots of other ingredients to bring out a great flavor. Spoon this sauce over your chicken and rice and enjoy every last bite. This is such a kid friendly dinner.
How to make Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Make the sauce: In the base of the slow cooker, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Add in the other ingredients: To the crockpot, add the diced chicken, peppers, and pineapple.
- Cook on low: This recipe only need 3 hours on low and it is done and perfect.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Sauce
This sauce is thinner and less sweet than what you are used to at your local Chinese restaurant, but I think you will really like it. The ingredients are easy to find in the grocery store and it comes together in about 5 minutes.
- Pineapple Juice: In this recipe we are using the juice reserved from the canned pineapple.
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Corn Starch
- Soy Sauce
- Ginger
- Garlic
Other Great Chicken Dinners
If you make this great sweet and sour chicken recipe, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into bite sized pieces
- 20 oz canned pineapple chunks
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice that the pineapple chunks were canned in, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider veingar, cornstarch, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.
- Add the chicken, peppers, and pineapple chunks to a slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the top.
- Cook on low for 3 hours or 1 1/2 on high. Serve over rice. If desired garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Rachel says
This. This I am making for dinner this week. Thank.you!!!!
I hope your family likes it Rachel!
Ann says
Can you add a bit of cornstarch to a slow cooker at the beginning of the process to thicken the sauce a bit? Or is that impossible, so just wait til the end after you remove all the chic and veggies?
John says
I have to say I love the recipes you’ve shared. Many of them or now my “go to” meals, for dinner. But this one…. it was terrible! Followed the instructions to a “T”.
The result: soft veggies, not crisp like the restaurant, but I expected that being in a crockpot for 3 hours.
My major disappointment was the flavor. There was none! It was soooo bland! I had to find a recipe on line for S ‘n S sauce, mixed that up and poured it over the remaining food to be able to serve it the next day. This recipe got tossed!
I’m sorry you didn’t like this one, John. We’ve gotten much better feedback from other people, but of course tastes vary. Glad to hear that you’ve loved other recipes, I hope next time you stumble across one your family enjoys you come back to tell me about it.
Marianne says
Can this be cooked on the stove in a Dutch oven?
HI Marianne, I have only made this in the slow cooker.