Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
There’s no need to pop to the takeaway for Sweet and Sour Chicken when it’s just as delicious from your slow cooker! Our recipe keeps things lower in calories with a handful of easy-peasy swaps that are better for you, and for your budget. You’ve still got the tender chicken pieces, crunchy veggies and juicy pineapple chunks, all coated in our homemade sticky-sweet sauce. A fluffy bed of rice will help you soak up every last drop!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories293
- Carbs31g
- Protein31g
- Fat2.7g
- Saturates0.7g
- Sugars25g
Your dishes
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
When we make this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken and reveal it’s lighter than 300 calories, our dinner guests can’t believe it! Over the years, whenever we’ve had an urge to reach for the takeaway menu, this version of a Chinese takeaway classic has been a life-saver.
It’s tough to believe that you can whip it up in just 6 easy-to-follow recipe steps too. You can leave your slow cooker to bubble away for hours, leaving you with tender chicken, softened veggies and a thick, flavour-rich sauce.
Certain veggies like peppers, baby corn and sugar snap peas join the pot later so that they cook through and retain their bite. For juicy bursts of sweetness, we’ve also stirred in pineapple chunks.
You can serve this one really simply over a bed of basmati rice or noodles. It’s jam-packed with colourful, crunchy veg so there’s no need to prepare more greens for a side dish (unless you fancy it!).
For more Chinese-inspired recipe ideas, have a scroll through our blog by tapping here.
What diets is this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken suitable for?
This Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe is suitable for diary-free diets.
As always, take extra care when cooking for people with allergies and be sure to use different utensils, cookware and preparation areas.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
All of the ingredients for this recipe should be available at your local supermarket.
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‘This was so good, away in touring caravan, so good to have a couple of meals prepared and not cooking everyday. Simple and very tasty.’
How many calories are in this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
This Sweet and Sour Chicken is included in our Everyday Light category because it contains just 293 calories per portion. For more delicious dishes all under 400 calories, take a look at other Everyday Light recipes!
This Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe is ideal when following any of the larger diet plans such as Weight Watchers or counting calories.
The average woman needs around 2000kcal per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and men typically need slightly more at 2,500kcals, but you may want to reduce these if you are aiming to lose weight. You can find more information on the NHS website.
Step 1
Add the chicken, onion, garlic, courgette and half the peppers to the slow cooker pot.
Step 2
To the water, add the stock cube, orange juice, soy sauce, sweetener, rice vinegar and tomato purée. Stir until combined.
Step 3
Pour into the slow cooker pot along with the chopped tomatoes. Combine the cornflour with the cold water and mix until smooth, add to the slow cooker pot and mix well.
Step 4
Cook on high for 3 hours.
Step 5
Add the remaining peppers, baby corn, sugar snap peas and pineapple, re-cover with the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Step 6
Stir through the cucumber until heated through. Sprinkle over the spring onions and serve with rice or noodles.
What could I serve with this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
You can’t beat serving this Sweet and Sour Chicken on a fluffy bed of basmati rice. It would also go down a storm with any of these fakeaway-style dishes:
How do you know when Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is cooked?
You should cook this Sweet and Sour Chicken until the sauce is thick and rich, and the chicken is cooked through – this will take around 3-4 hours.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken in the fridge?
Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.
You can store any leftovers of this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken in the fridge for around 3 days. Make sure that you allow them to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough in individual portions.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe and the date you’re stashing your leftovers away.
How do I reheat Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. Stir, then cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
There’s no need to pop to the takeaway for Sweet and Sour Chicken when it’s just as delicious (and slimming-friendly!) from your slow cooker.
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Prep Time
15 MINS
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Cook Time
3 HR 20
- KCals 293
- Carbs 31G
Instructions
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, courgette and half the peppers to the slow cooker pot.
- To the water, add the stock cube, orange juice, soy sauce, sweetener, rice vinegar and tomato purée. Stir until combined.
- Pour into the slow cooker pot along with the chopped tomatoes. Combine the cornflour with the cold water and mix until smooth, add to the slow cooker pot and mix well.
- Cook on high for 3 hours.
- Add the remaining peppers, baby corn, sugar snap peas and pineapple, re-cover with the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Stir through the cucumber until heated through. Sprinkle over the spring onions and serve with rice or noodles.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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If you’ve made Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken and love it, let us know by sharing a photo and tagging us on Instagram or in our Facebook group!
37 comments
See what others have to say
KatieThursday 12th January 2023
Hi. My pressure cooker doesn’t have a manual button but I pressure cook button instead. Should I cook at low pressure or high pressure for the 15 minutes?
Many thanks, my family love your recipes and I’m very excited to try the pressure cooker ones too!
Katie
HollyMonday 16th January 2023
Hey Katie, cook at high pressure then allow 2 minutes to appear on the keep warm timer then do a quick release. Once the pressure has gone, open the lid. Hope that helps!
MicheleSunday 11th September 2022
Hi
I’m planning to aid tinned pineapple instead of fresh. How much would you recommend please.
Thanks in advance.
Michele
HollyTuesday 20th September 2022
Hey Michele, use like for like between fresh and tinned pineapple, hope that helps!
Naomi LoftusWednesday 8th December 2021
Can I freeze this without the pineapple chunks?
LisaFriday 10th December 2021
Hi Naomi
Yes, this can be frozen with or without the pineapple. If you want to add the pineapple after freezing, defrost the sweet and sour thoroughly, reheat until piping hot (at least 75°C) and stir the pineapple through just before serving.
CharlotteSunday 28th May 2023
Will this work without sweetener so it’s baby friendly
SharonWednesday 18th October 2023
Hi Charlotte, if you don’t use sweetener you will need to use an alternative such as sugar which is also not baby friendly. The soy sauce and fish sauce are also very salty so we wouldn’t recommend this recipe for a baby.
Jessica WWednesday 3rd March 2021
I have a shellfish allergy. What are the best alternatives to Fish sauce and Oyster sauce when cooking Chinese?
HollyWednesday 3rd March 2021
Hi Jessica, some good substitutions for fish are soy sauce or Henderson’s Relish and for the oyster sauce you could swap it for Hoisin sauce, hope that helps!
Lisa JohnsonSaturday 23rd January 2021
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh and if so how much?
LisaMonday 1st February 2021
Hi Lisa
Yes, you can use 800g of chicken breast instead
MarieTuesday 2nd June 2020
I made this but it was so so salty and I don’t know why?
SharonTuesday 2nd June 2020
Hi Marie, there are several ingredients in this dish that will add to the saltiness of the dish; the fish sauce, soy sauce and the chicken stock cubes. If you are finding this too salty for your taste, try leaving out one of the stock cubes. Thanks for getting in touch.
NatashaFriday 10th January 2020
Hi , when do you take the chicken of the thigh bone or do you get bonless?
Holly LevellMonday 1st June 2020
Hi Natasha, we use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Hope that helps!
HayleyTuesday 24th September 2019
Hi can you do this on the job or even instead of the slow cooker or instant pot?
Emma TWednesday 25th September 2019
Hi Hayley,
We have a recipe here ????
https://nutritionsecret.news/recipes/sweet-and-sour-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Charlie ChedgzoyFriday 8th February 2019
Hiya i use tour recipes often and always instagram tag you 😉
Just wonderinf if i could make this sweet and sour chicken in the pan/wok rather than in my slow cooker?
I will be using chicken breast too
Thankyou
Olivia HorriganWednesday 6th February 2019
Hi
How long would you put this in the slow cooker for on a medium heat?
KateSaturday 10th March 2018
Hi,
Can you use sugar instead of sweetener?
EmmaSunday 12th March 2023
Hi can I use sugar instead of sweetener
SharonWednesday 15th March 2023
Hi Emma, yes it would be fine to use sugar instead of sweetener. The sweetener we use in our recipes has the same weight, texture and sweetness as sugar so it will be a straight swap. We have a handy article about sweeteners here which you may find useful Which Type of Sweetener Should I Use? Enjoy the recipe!
LouiseSunday 11th February 2018
Would it be ok to cook this in a slow cooker on low? And if so how long would you suggest to leave it in for?
ClaireSunday 4th February 2018
Is there an alternative to the xanthan gum please
RebeccaSaturday 6th January 2018
When using the instant pot how long should I set it to cook if I used chicken breasts instead of thighs? I just got my instant pot and I’m excited to try recipes in it!
Thanks
LisaFriday 3rd November 2017
This sounds lovely, although I am unable to eat peppers. Could you suggest an alternative ingredient or should I just make it without?
Eileen BrewerThursday 30th March 2017
Had this for our evening meal last night. Absolutely delicious. Love the fresh taste. Will definitely cook this again
KateFriday 31st March 2017
Hi Eileen
Glad you like it 🙂
KerrySaturday 18th March 2017
I made this it was nice and mine looks darker than the pic too because of how dark the soy sauce was i used
KateThursday 23rd March 2017
Hi Kerry
Yes some soy sauces can be a bit darker, but it shouldn’t affect the flavour
SusieSaturday 4th March 2017
What is an instant pot.?
KateMonday 6th March 2017
Hi Susie
The Instant Pot is like a slow cooker/pressure cooker hybrid. It’s so versatile, you can slow cook, pressure cook, saute and hot hold with the touch of a button
ClaireSunday 5th February 2017
Soy sauce – light or dark?
I made this using dark soy sauce and its very dark in colour. Nothing like the photo above
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
We used dark, although Soy sauce comes in varying degrees of dark. The dark that we’re using at the moment, isn’t as dark as the one we usually get.
alison fisherThursday 12th January 2017
I made this using my instant pot last night and was very delicious and easy to do (I prepped all veg in advance so i could make it with no fuss when I got in) My husband said it tasted much better than any sweet and sour chicken he has eaten at restaurants in the past! so that is the seal of approval 🙂
KateFriday 13th January 2017
Hi Alison
We love our Instant Pot! It makes dishes like this sooooo easy to cook. I think prepping the veg is the hardest part!????
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