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No need to order takeout with this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken. Perfectly tart and sweet all at the same time, this easy, one-pot dinner recipe is sure to be a family favorite!
I don’t know why, but I find myself reaching for my slow cooker in the winter far more often than I ever do in the summer. I think it’s because I’ve associated slow cookers with stews and soups, which naturally I eat more of in the winter, but it also makes total sense to want to use your slow cooker equally as often in the summer.
We used to live in a 700 square foot apartment, which meant if I turned the oven on in the summer, my entire apartment became a sauna. Which then resulted in us cranking the A/C followed by an electric bill that would give the average person a heart-attack.
We’re in a bigger place now but that still doesn’t mean I want to be on the room temperature yo-yo so I’m pulling out my slow cooker this spring and summer! It’s solved all of my temperature control problems.
Now onto the recipe… This recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken kind of blew my mind. I love the combo of sweet and tangy. I mean let’s be real, anytime I can combine sweet with savoury I am all in.
Here’s What You Need
- chicken
- egg
- tapioca flour – regular all-purpose flour works as well!
- coconut oil
- tomato paste
- apple cider vinegar
- coconut palm sugar – or brown sugar!
- coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce
- fresh ginger
- red onion
- bell pepper
- broccoli
- fresh pineapple
I love that this is a complete meal in one. With broccoli, bell peppers, onions and chicken, all you need is a side of rice to complete the dish.
The Secret Step
I know, I know, we all hate more dishes but the truth is that for the best results when it comes to this recipe, you need to add one additional step. You need to brown the chicken before adding to the slow cooker! I’m going to guess that you’ll want to skip this step but trust me when I say, the texture is so much better when you sear it. It holds together better and cooks perfectly. After this simple step, add the rest of your ingredients to the slow cooker and set it and forget it!
PrintSlow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour (or regular flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari or soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
Instructions
- Add 1 egg to a bowl and whip.
- In a separate bowl add tapioca flour.
- Dip chicken into bowl with egg and then into bowl with tapioca flour until all pieces are combined.
- Add coconut oil to a large pan on medium-high heat.
- Saute chicken on each side for 1 minute to brown. Set aside.
- In slow cooker combine tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, palm sugar, coconut aminos and ginger.
- Add in onion, pepper, broccoli, and pineapple.
- Top with chicken.
- Stir until all ingredients are coated with sauce.
- Set on high for 2.5 hours or low for 4.5 hours. Adjust time depending on your slow cooker (time will vary depending on model).
- Serve over a bed of rice or cauliflower rice.
Like this recipe? Here are others you might enjoy:
This sounds delicious! What do you recommend using in place of pineapple – we have an allergy to that in our house. thanks!
Can you do mango? Honestly any sweet flavor would work so feel free to add whatever fruit you want!
The coating on the chicken doesnt fall off in the slow cooker cooking process?
Is this 16 oz can of tomato paste or one 6 oz can?
6 oz!
I swear whenever I put vegetables in my slow cooker they turn out looking like dog food and yet yours comes out like MAGIC.
My slow cooker is a WIZARD.
That looks fabulous! Definitely one to try! I love sweet & sour but rarely make it.
I think I use my slow cooker about equally through the year. Winter is good for warming dishes, but in summer I’ll use it to cook meat that we can shred for sandwiches and salads. And it gets used all year through for making porridge. When I get into a porridge mood, I love to make a big batch in the slow cooker so I can just reheat some every day.
Such a great call! I do love making oatmeal in the slow cooker. Especially steel-cut because those take forever on the stovetop and are totally hands-off in the slow cooker!
It really depends for me and Chinese food! Anything with a slightly fruity and sweet glaze but is also spicy and pungent definitely captures my heart. My favorites are generally Buddha’s feasts with a peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce! Tofu is amazing in stir-fries as well!
those both sound delicious! I love anything with peanut sauce!
Sweet and sour chicken is one of my favorite things EVER! I can’t wait to get my face on this – pinned!
And same for your recipe! Man I could seriously go for one of those bowls!
Love this recipe Davida!! I’m all about that sweet and sour life, and this version is definitely better than takeout. My least favorite type of food is eggplant and kalamata olives. Yuck, can’t do it!
ooooooh I love eggplant and olives! It’s funny how different people’s tastebuds can be!