Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

This slow cooker sweet and sour chicken is an easy way to make a homemade version of a takeaway favourite. Tender chicken, colourful peppers, carrots and pineapple chunks are cooked in a delicious sweet and tangy sauce.

It’s easy to prepare, and there’s no need for a jar of sauce either! Everything goes into the slow cooker, making it a lovely fuss-free dinner that’s perfect served with rice or noodles.

What You Need

You only need a few ingredients to make this slow cooker sweet and sour chicken, and most of the sauce ingredients are things you might already have in your cupboards.

For exact quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

For the Chicken and Vegetables

• Chicken: I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken thighs as they stay lovely and tender during slow cooking. You can use chicken breasts instead, but they may need less cooking time.
• Onion and garlic: These add extra flavour to the chicken and vegetables.
• Red and green peppers: I like using a mixture of both for some colour. You can add them at the beginning or towards the end if you prefer them slightly firmer.
• Carrots: Chop these into fairly small pieces so they soften during cooking.

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce

• Pineapple chunks: These add sweetness and give the dish that classic sweet and sour flavour. I use tinned pineapple chunks, drained of their juice.
• Tomato ketchup: Adds sweetness, colour and flavour.
• Apple cider vinegar: Gives the sauce its distinctive tangy taste.
• Brown sugar: Balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
• Soy sauce: Adds a savoury flavour.
• Cornflour: Helps thicken the sauce as it cooks.

How To Make Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Start by adding the chicken thighs to the slow cooker. I leave them whole, but you can chop them into smaller pieces if you prefer.

Next, add the chopped onion, crushed garlic and carrots.

Add the sliced red and green peppers. I usually add them at the beginning to keep things simple, but if you prefer your peppers with a little more bite, you can leave them out until the final hour or so of cooking.

In a separate jug, mix the cornflour with a little of the vinegar until smooth. Stir in the remaining vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and soy sauce, followed by the drained pineapple chunks.

Give everything a good stir until combined, then pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker.

There’s no need to add any extra water or stock.

Put the lid on and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for approximately 4 hours, until the chicken is completely cooked through and tender.

If you’ve saved the peppers to add later, stir them in for the final hour, allowing enough time for them to soften.

Once everything is cooked, give the sauce a stir. If it’s a little thinner than you’d like, you can thicken it with some extra cornflour mixed with cold water.

What To Serve With Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love serving this with noodles or plain boiled rice. It’s also delicious with egg fried rice and some prawn crackers on the side.

You could also serve it with stir-fried vegetables for an extra helping of greens.

Tips For Making Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Adjust the sweetness and tanginess: I’ve used 100ml of apple cider vinegar for a sweet and tangy sauce. You can adjust the sweetness or acidity to suit your taste.

Chicken thighs or breasts: Both work well, but thighs are more forgiving during slow cooking. If you’re using chicken breasts, check them earlier so they don’t dry out.

Thicken the sauce: If the sauce is too thin at the end, mix a little extra cornflour with cold water, stir it in and allow it to cook until thickened.

Make it ahead: Leftovers can be cooled quickly and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours, or frozen for another day. Reheat thoroughly until piping hot throughout.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

I hope you enjoy this slow cooker sweet and sour chicken recipe, let me know in the comments if you end up making it! For more slow cooker recipes check out the following for inspiration;

• Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
• Slow Cooker Chicken Korma
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
• Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
• Slow Cooker Peri Peri Chicken

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

By Liana Green

Tender chicken, colourful peppers, carrots and pineapple chunks cooked in a homemade sweet and sour sauce. An easy, family-friendly slow cooker dinner that's delicious served with rice or noodles.

4.50 from 6 votes

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Course Slow Cooker Recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Calories 438 kcal

Protein 45 g

Fibre 3 g

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Equipment

slow cooker

slow cooker recipe book

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 boneless chicken thighs*
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 red pepper deseeded and sliced
• 1 green pepper deseeded and sliced
• 2 carrots chopped

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 can 250ml pineapple pieces
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 100 ml apple cider vinegar
• 100 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

 

• Prepare the sweet and sour sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. If you prefer a less tangy taste to your sweet and sour, reduce the amount of cider vinegar to 100ml.
• Add the chicken pieces to the slow cooker and add the garlic, onions and carrots. You can optionally add the peppers now or add them 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, depending on how well done you want them to be.
• Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the top and place the lid on.
• Set off on low for 5 to 6 hours, or high for 4 hours. 

Notes

*substitute the chicken thighs for breasts if you prefer, just cook them for less time (3 to 4 hours on low should be enough).

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 45gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 547mgPotassium: 902mgFiber: 3gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 6249IUVitamin C: 67mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an estimate.

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