This sweet and sour ground chicken is the perfect fake out take out dinner! Made with ground chicken instead of fried chicken to keep it light and fresh and ready in just 20 minutes!

sweet and sour ground chicken on a white plate with white rice

Do you love take out?

I know in my house I could happily eat takeout a few times a week.

However, since I’m not rich I can’t afford to just eat take away every. single. day.

Plus, I really do love making dinner so there is no sense in letting that drive go to waste.

Especially when I just developed this super flavorful recipe for sweet and sour ground chicken! It gives you all the flavor of takeout sweet and sour chicken but instead of frying up and breading chicken you use the ease of ground chicken!

Trust me, if you like Chinese sweet and sour chicken you’ll love this version!

2 portions of sweet and sour ground chicken

What is sweet and sour chicken?

Sweet and sour chicken is a typical dish found in most Chinese American restaurants.

Typically, the chicken is breaded and fried until crispy and covered in a thick sweet and sour sauce.

What is ground chicken?

Ground chicken is exactly what you think – chicken that is ground!

It is found in almost any grocery store and is a great budget item as it’s often cheaper than most other types of ground meat.

Can I use a different type of ground meat?

Sure! But the flavor of the entire dish will slightly change.

The closest change you can make will be ground turkey but you could also use ground pork.

If you opt to use ground beef the flavor of the meat will be much stronger than if you had used ground chicken.

sweet and sour ground chicken on a plate with a fork

What vegetables do I use in sweet and sour chicken?

My personal favorite is green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and yellow onion.

It’s a simple mix that brings a nice burst of flavor but can easily be switched around based on what you have in your kitchen.

Red or white onion is a great option to use instead of yellow onion.

Use whatever color of bell pepper you have on hand but I think the mix of green and red make the dish look really well rounded.

How do I make sweet and sour sauce?

Sweet and sour sauce is a mix of pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce.

I know ketchup seems out of place but it gives the sauce that “zing” that it really needs.

sweet and sour ground chicken on an off white plate

Do you love this sweet and sour ground chicken?

Why not try a few of my other ground chicken or easy fake out take out recipes!

Sweet and Sour Ground Chicken

Name: Sweet and Sour Ground Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound ground chicken; 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced; 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced; 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced; 1 (8 ounce) can chunked pineapple, juice saved; 1/2 cup pineapple juice; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1/4 cup dark brown sugar; 1/4 cup ketchup; 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon cold water

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This sweet and sour ground chicken is the perfect fake out take out dinner! Made with ground chicken instead of fried chicken to keep it light and fresh and ready in just 20 minutes!

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 (8 ounce) can chunked pineapple, juice saved
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

Set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add ground chicken, diced bell peppers, and diced yellow onion.
Cook until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables have just started to soften.
Add in the pineapple and stir to combine.
In a small bowl whisk together pineapple juice, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce.
Add the sauce to the skillet and cook for a few minutes to combine the flavors.
In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch and cold water.
Add cornstarch mixture to the skillet and cook for a few minutes just until the sauce starts to thicken.
Remove from the heat and serve over white rice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 28g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.