This meal prep sweet & sour chicken recipe features juicy stir-fried chicken, tender vegetables, and homemade sweet & sour sauce! It makes for an easy high-protein lunch or dinner that is loaded with flavor. You won't even need cheat meals with food this good!
Easy Make Ahead Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe
There are so many great reasons to meal prep! It can help you achieve or maintain weight loss, promote muscle gain, and regulate your portion control.
This sweet & sour chicken without breading is one of my go-to recipes when preparing meals for the week. It's easy and always satisfies late-night Chinese food cravings!
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🥘 Ingredients To Meal Prep Sweet & Sour Chicken
For how much food this easy meal prep recipe makes, you don't need too many ingredients. You may have some of them at home already!
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Pineapple Juice - 1 cup of pineapple juice (1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained). Do not use fresh pineapple juice, there are enzymes in it that will keep your sauce from thickening.
- Honey - ½ cup of honey. honey is the best non-processed food option. Swerve and other sugar-free substitutes can be used but they will affect the flavor of your sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Ketchup - ¼ cup of ketchup.
- Soy Sauce - 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Ginger Paste - 1 tablespoon of ginger paste (or grated fresh ginger).
- Cornstarch - 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Oil - 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for sauteeing the chicken and veggies (or your preferred cooking oil, divided into 2 equal portions).
- Bell Peppers - 3 bell peppers (I used green, red, and yellow, diced into chunks).
- Chicken - 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Onion - 1 yellow onion (sliced).
- Green Onion - ¼ cup green onion (sliced).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Meal Prep Sweet & Sour Chicken
The sauce, chicken, and vegetables are all incredibly simple to make! You will need a knife and cutting board, a saucepan, a whisk, a large wok or skillet, and your meal prep containers.
I made this recipe into 6 large servings, though with more rice you could easily get 8 servings out of it.
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Combine. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of pineapple juice (without the fruit), ½ cup of honey, 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup of ketchup, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of ginger paste, and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk to combine.
- Cook. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, reducing the temperature as needed to keep it at a low boil.
- Thicken. Whisk frequently once the sauce heats up as it will thicken quickly. remove from heat once the sauce boils and allow to thicken as it cools. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chicken and Vegetables
- Cook the chicken. Heat ½ a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half (1 ½ pounds) of the chicken. Cook until no pink remains and the chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another ½ tablespoon of coconut oil and the second half of the diced chicken.
- Saute the peppers & onions. Transfer your second batch of chicken to a plate and return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1 sliced onion and 3 diced bell peppers to the pan and saute until fork-tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Combine. Once the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat. Return the chicken and prepared sweet & sour sauce to the skillet along with the veggies and toss to combine.
- Portion. Transfer equal portions of the sweet & sour chicken into your preferred meal prep containers and top each one off with ¼ cup of sliced green onion. Serve with white rice if desired.
If you want to make your meal even more filling, try adding some Asian cucumber salad on the side. You can also make perfectly fluffy Jasmine rice in your Instant Pot instead of on the stovetop! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make sure to use canned pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple juice contains the enzyme 'bromelain' which will actually break down the cornstarch which will keep your sauce from thickening.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes for heat if you like things spicy!
- Most meal prep containers are rectangular and hold about 4-5 cups of food, or 7-10 ounces.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Cool completely before storing. Keep your meal prep sweet & sour chicken refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
You can freeze your portioned sweet and sour chicken or the whole batch to store it longer. Both portions and the whole batch can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating Sweet & Sour Chicken
Just pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (as long as your meal prep container is microwave-safe). Alternatively, the chicken, veggies, and sauce can be reheated in a skillet or saucepan or medium heat.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Classic sweet & sour sauce usually has added food coloring to achieve its signature red color. I opted to not include the food coloring so that I could cut down on processed ingredients as much as possible.
Sweet & sour sauce includes soy sauce which is typically not gluten-free. However, you can purchase and use gluten-free soy sauce! Be sure all other ingredients were not processed in a facility that also distributes gluten if you have a severe allergy because cross-contamination can occur. Otherwise, the remaining ingredients are all naturally gluten-free.
This entire recipe is dairy-free! In fact, sweet & sour sauce in general does not usually include dairy.
🍗 More Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken - It's never been easier to make a whole chicken with crispy skin and all!
- Marry Me Chicken - Chicken coated in a rich Parmesan and sun-dried tomato sauce that will have everyone wanting to marry the cook!
- Fried Chicken - Perfectly crispy buttermilk fried chicken breast, thighs, wings, and drumsticks!
- Million Dollar Baked Chicken Breast - A juicy chicken breast covered in 3 types of cheese and crispy bacon!
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad - An easy and delicious chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken!
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken - This simple shredded chicken is so versatile and will elevate your salads, tacos, and sandwiches!
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📖 Recipe Card
Meal Prep Sweet & Sour Chicken
Ingredients
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice (1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained)
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste (or grated fresh ginger)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Chicken and Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or your preferred cooking oil, divided into 2 equal portions)
- 3 bell peppers (I used green, red, and yellow, diced into chunks)
- 3 lbs chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion (sliced)
- ¼ cup green onion (sliced)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of pineapple juice (without the fruit), honey, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, reducing the temperature as needed to keep it at a low boil.
- Whisk frequently once the sauce heats up as it will thicken quickly. remove from heat once the sauce boils and allow to thicken as it cools. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chicken and Vegetables
- Heat ½ a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the chicken. Cook until no pink remains and the chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another ½ tablespoon of coconut oil and the second half of the diced chicken.
- Transfer your second batch of chicken to a plate and return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and bell peppers to the pan and saute until fork-tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Once the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat. Return the chicken and prepared sweet & sour sauce to the skillet along with the veggies and toss to combine.
- Portion into your preferred meal prep containers and top off with sliced green onion. Serve with white rice if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to use canned pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple juice contains the enzyme 'bromelain' which will actually break down the cornstarch which will keep your sauce from thickening.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes for heat if you like things spicy!
- Most meal prep containers are rectangular and hold about 4-5 cups of food, or 7-10 ounces.
- To store: Keep your meal prep sweet & sour chicken refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
To reheat: Just pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (as long as your meal prep container is microwave-safe).
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