Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken - The Recipe Rebel {VIDEO} (2024)

The Recipe Rebel / Dinner

written by Ashley Fehr

4.98 from 47 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

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Last updated on January 11, 2021

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This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is so easy and BIG on flavor! The crockpot makes it juicy and moist, with extra sauce for serving over rice. With VIDEO.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken - The Recipe Rebel {VIDEO} (2)

I’m going to try to refrain from going on and on and on about my love for slow cookers.

I feel like I’ve probably done that somewhere before… just like I’ve also whined to you about how difficult it can be to get dinner on the table these days.

Another thing I love? CanadiAsian food.

I’m not ever going to claim I know anything about actual Asian/Chinese cuisine, but based on my limited experiences in restaurants in Manitoba, this is how we do our slow cooker sweet and sour chicken!

This crockpot sweet and sour chicken is a hit with the family, especially because it’s loaded with enough chunks of pineapple that they forget about all those peppers 😉

We love sweet and sour sauce on everything.

And I love coming home to a perfectly cooked meal, or just calmly sipping a late afternoon cup of coffee instead of slaving over the stove like I ought to be.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken - The Recipe Rebel {VIDEO} (3)

If you’re like me and you’re looking for even more easy slow cooker meals, check out these Easy Crockpot Meals, this Italian Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes, or these Crockpot Chicken and Noodles!

How to make this slow cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken:

Put your chicken in the slow cooker (so far, so good, right??)
Add your pineapple, vegetables and sauce.
Turn on your crockpot.
Grab a cup of coffee and watch your dinner make itself. Pretty great, right?!

Variations on this crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken:

The cooking time with this can vary for a lot of reasons. How full your slow cooker is, how hot your slow cooker is, the size of your pieces, etc. Here are some tips to slow down or speed up the cooking process.

Cook slower: If you’re looking to leave the chicken in a long time (8 hours or so), try putting the breasts in whole. A whole chicken breast will always take longer to cook, but that might be something you want if your slow cooker is less full and you need to leave the chicken in for quite a while. Back in the day before I knew the “rules”, I used to put the chicken in frozen when I worked out of the house all day. This isn’t generally recommended, but I’ve done it quite a few times and am still around to tell the tale 😉
Cook faster: You can always cut the chicken into smaller pieces to cook more quickly, or make this recipe on the stove top. Simply brown the chicken, and pour the sauce over to simmer and thicken until the chicken is fully cooked. Dinner will be ready in no time!

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken - The Recipe Rebel {VIDEO} (4)

Tools you’ll need for making this sweet and sour chicken recipe:

I love my 2.5 quart Crockpot for this recipe because it’s just the right size and because it fills nicely, my chicken doesn’t become dry or overcooked. You can absolutely use a larger slow cooker, just keep in mind that a crockpot that is less full will cook a little more quickly.
You definitely don’t need them, but if you find yourself short on clean up time, throw in a slow cooker liner and skip the scrubbing!

Looking for more slow cooker meals?

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken recipe
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with the BEST gravy!
Glazed Crock Pot Pork Chops
Sweet and Sour Crockpot Meatballs + VIDEO

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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

written by Ashley Fehr

4.98 from 47 votes

{Slow Cooker} Sweet and Sour Chicken: the perfect crockpot meal to come home to after a long day! Great served over rice or noodles.

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Review

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Main Course

Servings 6 servings

Calories 363cal

Ingredients

▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ pieces (Or use thighs)
▢ 1 can pineapple chunks (398ml)
▢ 1 red pepper diced
▢ 1 green pepper diced
▢ 1 1/4 cups sugar
▢ 3/4 cup vinegar
▢ 1/2 cup ketchup
▢ 2 tbsp soy sauce
▢ 3 tbsp corn starch
▢ 1 tsp minced garlic
▢ 1/2 tsp minced ginger

Instructions

Place chicken, pineapple and peppers in a 2.5-4 quart slow cooker.
Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, corn starch, garlic and ginger and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 1.5-2 hours.
*If needed, you can stir together 1-2 tbsp additional corn starch and water to thicken the sauce.
Serve over cooked rice or noodles.

Nutrition Information

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Gail Herbest says
February 9, 2024 at 2:18 pm
I made this in my larger slow cooker this morning, I did have to improvise some of the ingrediants not because I wanted to but because I used what I had, I am never out of white vinegar except for today lol I think I used the last of it for cleaning the coffee pot so I googled and found that I could use rice vinegar which I had,then I only had one green pepper but I had a bag of frozen multi colored strips of peppers so I used that, (16 ounce bag) I used a little extra garlic because I love it, and I was not sure if the pineapple had to be drained so i drained it a little and left the rest, It turned out peerfect I will use a little less sugar next time but it is wonderful, I have rice in my cooker and I can’t wait, Thank you for sharing
Reply
Edel says
October 1, 2022 at 4:25 am
Hi looks like great recipie. Is it 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar or a 1/4? Thanks
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  October 3, 2022 at 9:21 am
  Hi Edel, it’s 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar. For future reference, if it was just 1/4 it would be written just like the other ingredients in the recipe. Hope this helps!
  Reply
Jan says
September 2, 2022 at 10:22 am
I love the corn starch coating that’s on the chicken. Can I put the corn starch coating on the chicken peices and brown them before I put them in crock pot. I know it will be more work , but I do love that coating.
I have try quiet a few of your recipes and liked every one of.them, maybe that’s why when I’m looking for something new to try I look up your recipes first.
Keep up with the great recipes, love them
Thank you and God bless
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  September 9, 2022 at 6:50 pm
  Hi Jan! Thank you so much for your kind words! I haven’t tried it this way, so I am not sure how the chicken would turn out. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes.
  Reply
  - Ll says
    April 14, 2023 at 3:28 pm
    Put in crockpot at noon. It’s 4pm and I did a quick tasge test that turned into about 5 taste tests. Delicious!
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    April 17, 2023 at 4:07 am
    Hi Ll! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
- Sandra Goodwin says
  August 2, 2023 at 6:53 pm
  We absolutely love this recipe. I make it exactly as the recipe is. And it is perfect.
  Reply
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    August 4, 2023 at 4:52 pm
    Hi Sandra! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Donna says
August 24, 2022 at 4:55 am
What kind of Vinegar did you use ?
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  August 31, 2022 at 6:01 pm
  Hi Donna! It’s just white vinegar. Hope you enjoy it!
  Reply
  - Donna says
    October 19, 2022 at 10:57 am
    It is lovely ! Made it three times now.
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    October 27, 2022 at 8:09 am
    Hi Donna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Leslie Myers says
June 9, 2022 at 11:32 am
Hi!
I have this in my crock pot right now
However was not sure if I should have added the pineapple juice?
Can you please let me know and then clarify in the directions?
Thank you so much
My husband will be the test if I will use this again
I have my fingers crossed as it smells great!
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  June 12, 2022 at 2:32 pm
  Hi Leslie, the juice goes in with the pineapple in step 1. Hope you enjoyed it!
  Reply
- Elizabeth says
  October 31, 2022 at 2:13 pm
  Great recipe! I ended up using half brown and half white sugar. I also put a bit more corn starch towards the end just to make the sauce a bit thicker. Delicious!! Everyone enjoyed it, even the picky eaters around here 😊
  Reply
  See Also
  Trisha Yearwood's Cowboy Lasagna - Recipe Diaries
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    November 3, 2022 at 10:42 am
    Hi Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Diane in WI says
May 22, 2022 at 7:05 pm
Made this tonight just to recipe and loved it! my picky husband told me he will definitely have it again.
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  May 23, 2022 at 10:08 am
  I’m so glad you liked it!
  Reply
Frances Daku says
March 29, 2022 at 2:44 am
My husband is brutally honest when it comes to my cooking. And he has never loved something I’ve made so much as this. He said it tasted like the restaurant 🙌🏼 I did stove top. And Instead of canned pineapple chunks, I threw in a bag of pineapple that I had previously cut up and froze. I let it thaw before using it, and it created a delicious juice as it thawed and the pineapple was the perfect soft consistency to soak up the oh so delicious sauce. I also had my chicken coated in flour. I loved how easy it was to make as well. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  April 1, 2022 at 8:38 pm
  Hi Frances! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
  Reply
Chery says
February 24, 2022 at 9:50 am
We tried this recipe just as it was and we loved it. Now that we’re retired we love our crock pot. We had plenty of leftovers for the week. Thanks again. Old but not out.
Reply
Margarita says
October 4, 2021 at 3:37 pm
This turned out to be a wonderful recipe. My husband said it was a keeper.
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  October 8, 2021 at 9:29 am
  I’m so glad!
  Reply
Mary says
July 28, 2021 at 9:12 pm
This was yummy. I dumbed in a can of peaches for an additional flavor and it was great.
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 31, 2021 at 12:54 pm
  I love that idea!
  Reply
Rachel Goldstein says
March 23, 2021 at 12:10 pm
Can I use pre-made sweet and sour sauce, and let it cook for the same time in the recipe? As well as using fresh pineapple instead of canned?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  March 24, 2021 at 2:42 pm
  Yes definitely! That will work just fine 🙂
  Reply
Carol says
February 17, 2021 at 1:57 pm
That is a lot of sugar for us. Do you think I could reduce the amount and have it still turn out good?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  February 19, 2021 at 12:13 pm
  You can always reduce the sugar and it will turn out less sweet. Whether you like it or not depends on your tastes 🙂
  Reply
Rosita says
February 12, 2021 at 5:50 pm
I’m an American teacher living in China, and boy do I miss Western-style Chinese food. Authentic Chinese cuisine is an acquired taste. I tried this recipe exactly as written in my slow cooker on low for 4 hours with diced thighs and it was delicious. The sauce was so good and there’s plenty of it. I served it over white rice. It makes a lot for one and now I have yummy leftovers. Thank you for this great recipe.
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  February 15, 2021 at 12:38 pm
  Thanks Rosita! I’m glad you liked it!
  Reply
  - Bryan Coates says
    October 3, 2021 at 12:11 pm
    HELP! HELP! I have newly become the chief cook and bottle washer in my house due to my wife’s disability and peppers of any kind or color have not been allowed in the cooking, or in the house, although I love them. So many recipes call for peppers, I have substituted celery, but I need your ideas about what else I can try! I’m so anxious to try your sweet and sour chicken in my slow cooker.
  - Ashley Fehr says
    October 4, 2021 at 10:47 am
    Hi Bryan! You can definitely leave them out in this recipe, or swap for something like snap peas or thinly sliced carrots?
Sarah says
January 26, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Have you tried mango chunks instead of pineapple? I hope to make this this week but don’t have any pineapple. I have pineapple juice, so was thinking to use some juice with mango chunks. Would that work?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  February 1, 2021 at 1:13 pm
  I think that would be delicious!
  Reply
Leslie says
December 5, 2020 at 3:10 pm
If you are using whole chicken breasts, do you shred it?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  December 7, 2020 at 2:09 pm
  Yes you could shred it or chop it
  Reply
Trees says
November 6, 2020 at 5:42 am
Does this freeze ok?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  November 7, 2020 at 6:06 pm
  The chicken and sauce will freeze fine. Peppers are very soft (mushy) after freezing so I would not freeze those.
  Reply
- Brenda F. says
  November 12, 2022 at 3:45 am
  I recently made this for dinner, mostly because I had some bell peppers that needed to be used up. Was I ever pleasantly surprised! This was so very yummy!!! My limited abilities with prepping foods for meals really forces me to simplify as much as possible. So when I came across this recipe, I was elated. Even my husband just had to comment favorably.
  I have one question tho … I’d like to know your thoughts on using chili sauce in place of ketchup?
  Reply
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    November 19, 2022 at 9:00 pm
    Hi Brenda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! You could probably use chili sauce, it’s just not something I’ve tried before. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Erika says
September 25, 2020 at 2:13 pm
What vinegar do you use? Would ACV work?
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  September 28, 2020 at 4:57 pm
  I usually use white vinegar but apple cider vinegar will work fine!
  Reply
- Rachel says
  December 1, 2020 at 3:45 am
  I used white wine vinegar and it turned out amazing!
  Reply
  - Ashley Fehr says
    December 7, 2020 at 2:24 pm
    Thanks Rachel!
Hazel says
August 2, 2020 at 10:30 am
could you use a jar of sweet & sour chicken and how long would it take in slowcooker ???
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  August 4, 2020 at 1:37 pm
  It would take the same amount of time
  Reply

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