These sweet and sours chicken thighs can be made with a classic sweet and sour sauce or spice them up and make them hot and sour. Cooked along with fresh vegetables for an all in one meal.
This is one of my favourite bone-in chicken thigh recipes. I’m sure you’ve all made or tried sweet and sour chicken that uses chunks of boneless chicken. This dish is a bit of a mash-up between those delicious sweet and sour flavours, together with whole chicken pieces and hearty vegetables.
The beauty of this dish is that it can be either classic sweet and sour (and family friendly), if you make it with red bell pepper, or you can up the heat with a bit of Sambal Oelek. Or if you’re in the mood for something fiery, try a bit of hot Thai red pepper and make it Hot and Sour Chicken.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chicken – this recipe uses skin on, bone-in chicken thighs. While other chicken cuts will work, cooking times will vary.
Thai Peppers – My version here used a bit of those little red Thai peppers. I say a bit, because that’s all you need. Those peppers pack a lot of punch :) That said, if you’re in the mood for fiery, there’s no quicker route to that than Thai peppers.
Sambal Oelek – A nice compromise in the heat department is a bit of Sambal Oelek (or Asian Chili Garlic Sauce, would also work). Add in small 1/4 tsp. bits until it reaches the heat level you’re after.
Recipe Tips
You can save a step in this recipe by starting with already cooked (left-over) vegetables. Alternately, you can cook them in the microwave or boil, as detailed in the recipe. Note that when starting with whole beans and carrot chunks that they won’t cook to tender just in the sauce, so they do need to be pre-cooked just until tender, before adding them to the sauce.
Top Tip!
If you plan on serving this with some rice, you may want to double the sauce to have lots to flavour the rice, as well.
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Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 5 bone-in/skin on chicken thighs
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium recommened
- 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice, (or orange juice, chicken stock or water)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- handful fresh or frozen green beans
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red bell pepper, diced (or 1/2 tsp. Sambal Oelek for a little heat or 1/2 a thai red pepper, finely diced for lots of heat!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375 F. (regular bake option/not fan assisted)
- Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, clean out the frying pan and bring an inch or so of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and carrots and cook until just tender. Drain and set aside. While vegetables are cooking, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. (*Alternately, you could cook the vegetables in a covered bowl in the microwave, if you prefer).
- Heat a bit of oil over medium heat in the frying pan. Add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring, until just softened. Add the sauce, vegetables and cooked chicken to the pan. Allow to simmer, stirring regularly, until sauce thickens.
Notes
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More Bone-in Chicken Thigh Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Just made this for tea and my teenage son looked up and commented one word ‘delicious’, praise indeed! Kept pretty much to your recipe with guesstimate amounts and only difference is when I’d put in the pineapple juice I added the chunks for the final simmer. I served with a mashed sweet potato and normal potato combo. Definitely coming back to your site, thanks Adrian
So glad you enjoyed it, Adrian! Thanks :)
I want to try this recipe,but you don’t list chicken in the recipe. How many thighs?
Hi Dawn, sorry, there was a coding error that caused it not to be displayed. I’ve fixed it in the recipe now, but it’s 5 chicken thighs.
Looks delicious! How much chicken should I use?
Hi Emily. 5 or 6 chicken thighs works well.
Made this dish recently. Easy & yummy!!
Doubled the sauce to use with leftover mashed potatoes, used a whole red pepper & spinach (on hand & to use up).
The best receipe I’ve had & will become a regular! (‘Bye, ‘bye old receipes!!!!)
So glad to hear! I love this sauce, too and the spinach sounds like a nice addition :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Irene ;)
Jen, I made this last night. This recipe is beyond superb. Thanks so much. I can’t wait for my daughters to come home to make it for them. The sauce is like no other. This is something fancy that you would expect to get in one of those fancy restaurants and pay an arm and a leg for. Not the case you can make it home. Thank you Thank you Jen. Totally amazing!
Thanks so much, Despo and I’m so glad you enjoyed it :) It’s a favourite here!
Jen, I have twenty minutes. Please tell us how much chicken? I am guessing a pound?
About 5 chicken thighs :)
i love the heat, but alas my family does not. but somehow i think this dish would be just as good without it. and i’m all about the thighs. sticky, sweet, yum.
Thanks Cathy and yes, this dish is lovely just as Sweet and Sour :)
LOVE this! I like my food spicy but never get to make it as often as I like because everyone else has a very fair palate. Pineapple juice really makes this dish, doesn’t it?
You are putting me into chicken heaven, Jennifer!
Thanks Robyn :) I have probably the fairest palate in the household, and even mine is pretty high. I have a family of super spice lovers!
Chicken is always a hit with my hubby, he likes chicken any way I make it.
So, needless to say this is another chicken dish that I can surprise him with, thank you!
I, myself, am into the sweet side of it, so red bell pepper is the route I’m going to take.
Yes, I’m a coward, hot stuff in my recipes is kept to a minimum.
I love the pineapple juice, great idea. :-)
Pinned!
P.S. ~ made your peaches and cream cake….fabulous!!
It’s really lovely with red bell pepper, to Dalila :) and so glad you enjoyed the Peaches and Cream cake!
I love the spicy and sweet combination! That glaze must be terrific so yes I think we should double the sauce! Have a terrific weekend :)
Thanks Tricia and have a wonderful weekend, too!
Another yummy looking chicken dish from your delicious kitchen. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite but this one certainly looks beautiful and sounds amazing!
Thanks Chris :)
**Do you. Sometimes my fingers type faster than my brain can think. ;)
Happens to me all the time, too :)
Do your read minds because I was LITERALLY just thinking how I really wanted some sweet and sour chicken with a side of heat! And then I come to your blog and BAM – wish come true! This looks seriously scrumptious, Jennifer! Gimme gimme!! Cheers!
Thanks Cheyanne and you will love this one then. Should fill your craving just nicely :)
I’m firmly in the HOT and sour camp — and I love that you used pineapple juice, yum!
I keep pineapple juice in my pantry just for this sauce :) And we like it hot, too!
I’m in chicken dish heaven Jennifer! You’re hitting it out of the park this week with these chicken thigh dinners. Always so easy and so delicious. I’d have to go with the spicy version of this one! Delicious!
Thanks Mary Ann and yes, we went with the spicy version this time, too :)