This is a no-fuss Slow Cooked Sweet And Sour Chicken is one that we refer to as homemade take-out. Add a side of steamed rice and it's dinner time in no time flat.
Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Slow Cooker Does the Rest
Crockpots are a lifesaver on hectic days or when it's a little too warm to fire up the oven. All of our lives are so incredibly busy, it's tempting to run through the drive through and pick something up for dinner on the way home, isn't it? That's when a dish like this slow cooked sweet and sour chicken comes in handy. The flavor is as vibrant as the colors.
Helpful Tips for Making Sweet and Sour Chicken in a Slow Cooker
Homemade takeout is a bit of an oxymoron I know, but, many of our favorite take out dishes can be prepared in a family-style version at home. This slow cooker chicken isn't breaded and fried, so it's lighter; at the same time it hits all of the same flavor points.
Keep in mind:
- Slow cookers, like any appliance, can vary in heat levels depending on shape, volume and age. Know your appliance and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- In this recipe, I'll give you 3-methods for cooking the vegetables so you can choose which technique suits your schedule and taste the most.
- When chilling leftovers, the sauce will solidify. Reheat gently in the microwave and stir to reheat. You may add additional chicken stock in small amounts if needed to thin.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes to Make
I refer to my slow cooker as my personal chef. It's as close as I'll get to one without a doubt as cooking is my passion and I'm not ever going to hand it off to someone else. A few other crockpot recipes we love:
- Slow Cooked Italian Beef Hoagies
- Slow Cooker Three Meat Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
- Bacon Wrapped Crock Pot Pork Chops from Recipes that Crock
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Slow Cooked Sweet And Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into chunks
- 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned, drained
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium green bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- Sauce:
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp honey or brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice powder [see cook's note]
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger or ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes [more or less to taste]
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Thickener:
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water or chicken broth
- cooked jasmine/basmati rice for serving
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange the chopped vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Arrange the chicken and pineapple chunks on top. Whisk together the sauce ingredients. Pour on top of the chicken and pineapple.
- Cook on low for 5 hours or until the chicken is fork tender and cooked through. Increase the slow cooker to the high setting.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Whisk into the sauce until thickened.
- Simmer on high for 10-15 additional minutes.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Omit the vegetables at the beginning of preparation.
a) Cook the chicken and pineapple in the slow cooker with the sauce as directed. Add the vegetables during the last 1 hour of cooking. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch and water per the recipe, before serving.
b) Alternatively, stir-fry the bell peppers and onion in a couple of drizzles of oil in a skillet on the stove-top. Season with salt & black pepper to your taste. Thicken the sauce in the slow cooker per the recipe, then stir in crisp-cooked vegetables just before serving. Chinese 5-Spice powder includes; cinnamon, fennel, schezwan peppers, star anise and clove ground into a spice blend. It's readily available on the spice aisle or in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Nutrition
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Anne L.
I couldn't believe how good this was made in a crockpot. We love the breaded takeout version but, this one is SO delicious and we don't miss the batter. 10 out of 10 for us!
Melissa
Thanks Anne!
Raymond
I guess if I don't want to use chicken, pork would work as well..
Melissa
It's a great question. While I haven't tested it, I think you could, sure. If you try it come back and let us know!
Peggy Curry
May you use pork chops cut up rather than chicken? = sweet and sour pork!!
Thank you. Both sound delicious
Melissa
Hi Peggy, you can great idea!
Melissa
Use the bright green print button at the end of each post with the share buttons. Open the print page and look at the top. You can choose to print with or without the images.
Anonymous
How do you print out the recipes without all the other stuff? I don't want to print 3 pages when the recipe just takes up one page.
Melissa
Sharon, that's my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Lasagna. Here's the link: https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/2013/03/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-lasagna.html
Sharon Price
Can u please tell me what that delicous looking desert is in square 1 in the top left habd corner of this page??? I would like to make that... Thanks! Sharon
Melissa
The amount is correct. 1/4 cup is the equivalent to 4 Tbsp. If you're concerned, start with 2 Tbsp of each and add as needed.
Anonymous
Melissa - please double check the thickener measurements!