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Home » Cuisine » Asian » Easy 3-Ingredient Sweet & Sour Chicken [Slow Cooker Recipe]

April 28, 2014 Updated: November 13, 2019

Easy 3-Ingredient Sweet & Sour Chicken [Slow Cooker Recipe]

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Toss only three ingredients into your slow cooker for this easy slow cooker sweet and sour chicken recipe.  Serve over rice or your favorite steamed vegetables.

A fork scooping Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice and sauce on a plate

So next month, we are doing our biannual trip to Wrightsville Beach with Ben's side of the family.  When I say biannual, I mean every two years.  (Some may use the word biannual as meaning twice a year. I honestly don't know which one is correct. ha!)  This is only the second time we've gone.  But, we're expecting it to be an every two-year thing as long as Ben's brother is still with his same company who owns the beach condo, and allows us to stay for free.  Yep, yep!

Sweet and sour chicken over rice on a white plate

My sister-in-law, who is married to Ben's brother, is a runner.  She's crazy and runs like 8 miles at a time, and has done a couple of half marathons.  She's encouraged me to run a 5K with her while we're at the beach, and wear fun matching outfits.  It's in Wilmington, and for ladies only.

A fork with Sweet and Sour Chicken and rice on a white plateI've only done one 5K in my life and it was in downtown Chicago with the company I was working for at the time.  I chose to walk it with a couple of my co-worker friends and we finished dead last because we chose to enjoy the scenery and time together talking. (I was already making plans to move away to California, so we were soaking up every last minute.)

Sweet and sour chicken over white rice on a white plate

So this 5K is going to be MUCH different.  I'm actually going to try to RUN the whole time.  Well, jog, anyway.  I started running (jogging) last week to work myself up to the 3+ miles.  I'm running on MWF in the early mornings before Ben heads to work.  It's the only time that I can and will do it.  I'm not an afternoon work-out person because I do not want to take multiple showers, nor do I have time for that!!

A fork with Sweet and Sour Chicken and white rice on a white plate

Got any good tips for prepping for a 5K?  (And, don't laugh! I know it's not that far... but it's far for ME!)  🙂

On another note, the other day I noticed this new frozen chicken at the grocery store.  It's already diced!  When I saw it, I grabbed it and immediately knew that I wanted to test it out in my slow cooker the same way that I make cocktail meatballs.

Bag of frozen diced chicken, apricot preserves, and chili sauce in front of a white crock pot

This makes a great fake-out sweet and sour chicken served over rice.  Super easy to combine only three ingredients into a slow cooker and let it cook a few hours.  I love that the chicken is already diced and I don't have to mess with cutting it myself!  There is literally no mess involved!

A fork with sweet and sour chicken over white rice on a white plate

Your kids can even put this one together! 🙂

Recipe Card

A fork with sweet and sour chicken over white rice on a white plate
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4.63 from 77 votes

Easy 3-Ingredient Sweet & Sour Chicken [Slow Cooker Recipe] + 5K Ramblings

Easy fake-out sweet and sour chicken with only three ingredients in your slow cooker!
Cook Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 434kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen bag (22 oz.) Tyson Grilled & Ready Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast
  • 1 jar (12 oz.) chili sauce
  • 1 jar (18 oz.) Apricot Pineapple Preserves (or just Apricot preserves)
  • 2 cups cooked rice or steamed vegetables , or both

Instructions

  • Place the frozen chicken into the bowl of a slow cooker. In a separate bowl, mix together the chili sauce and preserves. Pour over the chicken and toss to coat chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Serve hot over cooked rice or vegetables, or both.

Notes

If you cannot find Apricot Pineapple Preserves, you can add a can of crushed pineapple to the sauce with regular apricot preserves, or dice up fresh pineapple and add it in, too.
 
Tried this recipe? Tag @SeededTable on Instagram.

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcal
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Collage of sweet and sour chicken over rice with ingredients on counter top.

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Comments

  1. LINDA JACKSON says

    January 04, 2024 at 9:39 pm

    4 stars
    I can't tolerate spicy in any form, so I substituted Kikkoman Sweet & Sour Sauce for the chili sauce and used half of the preserves and pineapple (slightly drained). Added snow peas, carrots and water chestnuts. Delicious!

    Reply
  2. Janine says

    August 26, 2021 at 8:25 am

    Can you make this with pork instead of chicken? And if so, what is the cooking time difference? Thank you so much 🙂

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      August 26, 2021 at 11:47 am

      I have not tested this recipe with pork, so I can't answer for sure.

      Reply
  3. Becca Niederkrom says

    January 23, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    Made this recipe this week and my kids gobbled it up, thank you!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      January 23, 2020 at 6:31 pm

      Thanks for the nice review, Becca! Glad your kids loved it!

      Reply
  4. Maisie Jones says

    September 29, 2019 at 2:16 pm

    Do you have to use pineapples? My kids do not like them.

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      September 30, 2019 at 9:11 am

      No, you do not have to use pineapples. Just use apricot preserves without pineapples. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Joseph says

    August 20, 2019 at 11:56 am

    5 stars
    Hah! I'm more of a biker than a runner and even then it's been awhile since I've been on a bike. But since I tend to be shorter than the average guy (I'm around 5 foot and 6 or 7 inches whereas I think most guys are taller than that) with a very stocky build and I definitely do NOT have runner's legs. I have short but powerfully muscled legs (good for delivering a power kick if necessary LOL) and if I tried to take up running it would be like watching Gimli trying to run cross-country with Legolas and Aragorn LOL!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      August 20, 2019 at 1:24 pm

      haha! Thanks for the laugh, Joseph! Funny enough, I wrote this post 5 years ago and became quite the runner -- even completing a half marathon 3 years ago! It's been a while since I've ran regularly but hoping to pick it up again soon! 🙂

      Reply
      • Joseph says

        August 20, 2019 at 3:53 pm

        5 stars
        Nice! The powerfully muscled build of my legs and thighs comes from probably schlepping around my previously 40 - 50 lbs. heavier gut (which has shrunk some since starting work a couple years ago at Whole Foods as a cashier assistant where one of my jobs is to gather the carts....which I do....without using the machine they were providing as I knew I needed exercise and gathering a load of carts by hand is surely good exercise). And that's where most of the muscle in my legs and thighs comes from now....using my leg muscles to schlep carts. So between the exercise and my decision to cut back on added sugars and deep fried foods is probably what helped me lose that 40 lbs and hopefully putting the brakes on the diabetes and heart disease I was flirting with. And if you're ever planning on doing some running in my area (Buffalo, NY area) and all the running has made you sore you can come see me as I'm a NYS licensed massage therapist (and hope your hubby isn't the jealous type LOL :-P).

        But yeah the kind of short stocky legs I have were definitely not made for distance-running...some sprinting maybe but distance running would probably kill me LOL!

        Reply
        • Nikki Gladd says

          August 20, 2019 at 7:15 pm

          Good for you in taking control of your health!

          Reply
  6. Daniel Bulger says

    January 23, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    5 stars
    Love this in the slow cooker! Would it work in the instant pot? Or do you think you would need to add more liquid?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      January 23, 2019 at 4:28 pm

      Hi Daniel,
      Funny enough, I have never used an instant pot or any sort of pressure cooker. Maybe another reader who has experience with instant pot can chime in!

      Reply
  7. Nina Veenstra says

    November 28, 2018 at 10:54 am

    Would Orange Marmalade be an acceptable substitution since I don't care for apricot?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      November 28, 2018 at 11:13 am

      Yes! That should work just fine.

      Reply
  8. Yaro says

    January 25, 2018 at 10:29 am

    Biannual would be every two years. Twice a year would be "semiannual."

    Reply
    • LINDA JACKSON says

      January 04, 2024 at 9:43 pm

      I just say "twice a year" or "once every two years". Saves a lot of confusion.

      Reply
  9. Tracy A Oliver says

    December 21, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds delicious, but I don't have a slow cooker. Can this be made on the stovetop in large pot? Thanks

    Reply
  10. Rachel says

    March 14, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    I made this today. I couldn't find apricot pineapple preserve so, I did 18 oz apricot preserve and an 8 oz crushed pineapple. I also added two small bags of frozen mixed veggies (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, and water chestnuts) during the last hour of cooking. Served it over rice. It was delicious!!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      March 27, 2017 at 3:14 pm

      Wonderful, Rachel! Thank you for sharing your experience and tips! I'll have to try adding the veggies. 🙂

      Reply
  11. D says

    March 10, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    Thanks for the quick and easy meal plan. I made a couple of additions: I diced a red pepper and added 1 large can of drained pineapple tidbits (or could do crushed). I also don't like pre cooked chicken, so I did raw chicken and it cooked up great in about 3 hours on high (though low might have made it a little more moist). I used some of the pineapple juice and dissolved some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Overall, the kids and hubs loved it! I love getting new dishes, especially since my husband loves Chinese.

    Reply
  12. David R says

    December 07, 2016 at 5:00 am

    once a year is annual..twice a year is biannual....once every two years in biennial..sorry, ex journalist and English teacher here 🙂 I am going try this recipe as is...looks fab!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      December 07, 2016 at 7:59 pm

      haha! Thanks!

      Reply
  13. Glenda Myers says

    October 20, 2016 at 11:00 am

    I'm not sure what size can of pineapple to use. One person said 14-15 oz. can. They come in 8 of 20 oz. Do you drain or don't drain. One person says one thing and someone else says the opposite. Want to make this today, but am confused. Please help. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      November 04, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Hi Glenda,
      If you are using apricot preserves and a can of crushed pineapple, use the 8 oz. sized pineapple. (No need to drain unless you want to)

      Reply
  14. Beth says

    September 22, 2016 at 11:34 pm

    My question is if you use frozen uncooked chicken, how long would you need to cook it in the sauce? would it be a 6 to 8 hour time frame or could you make bring sauce to a boil in the crock pot then add the chicken? I love the easiness of this recipe but would like to use uncooked chicken. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      September 23, 2016 at 3:52 pm

      Hi Beth,
      Yes, I would do the 6-8 hour cooking time when using frozen uncooked chicken. Combine all ingredients at the same time, no need to bring sauce to a boil first.

      Reply
      • Katy says

        October 31, 2016 at 2:01 pm

        In the same vein of question...2 hours is too long after I get home from work. Something on low all day would be easier. If I did 6-8 hrs on low, should I not use the Tyson chicken? Instead use uncooked chicken? Thanks!

        Reply
  15. Kaylen says

    February 24, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    Do I drain the can of crushed pineapple?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      February 25, 2016 at 10:48 am

      Hi Kaylen,
      You do not need to drain it.
      Thanks!

      Reply
  16. Lisa says

    January 02, 2016 at 7:37 pm

    I made this as the instruction said but it's too spicy I know next time to do less on the chili just wondering if there's anything I can add to it now to make it less spicy I have a whole crock pot I hate to throw it all out

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      January 04, 2016 at 8:44 pm

      Hi Lisa,
      I'm sorry this was too spicy for you. My kids and I don't tolerate much spice, and this isn't spicy at all for us, so I'm surprised to hear it is spicy. At this point, I do not have any tips on what to add to your current crock pot to make it less spicy. Sorry!

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        February 02, 2016 at 9:12 am

        Add some vinegar? I've heard vinegar cancels out spiciness. Separate some out in a bowl and experiment. Don't use to much, just add to taste until you get it right to better judge. Hope it works!

        Reply
    • Joseph says

      August 20, 2019 at 4:10 pm

      5 stars
      Well since I think the "chili sauce" mentioned might be something like Heinz chili sauce, it's just basically a spicier version of ketchup with maybe a couple other spices thrown in. I'm thinking what you could do is get a 6 ounce can of tomato paste, put it into a bowl along with some Thai chili-garlic sauce (as much as you think you can tolerate...with Thai chili-garlic sauce a little goes a long way) and then thin out with enough water to the approximate consistency of ketchup and you'd have a very basic chili sauce that should be enough for this recipe, with the added benefit of it not being nearly as sugary as store-bought ketchup or chili sauce.

      Reply
  17. Marsha says

    December 26, 2015 at 8:47 am

    This site is a real work out to get the entire recipe, not a plus!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      December 27, 2015 at 1:54 pm

      Hi Marsha,

      Can you explain further please? The full recipe should be easy to obtain within the post, so if you are having problems, please do email me with more details so I can try to help. Thanks! ([email protected])

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      March 04, 2016 at 2:33 am

      Amen to the workout comment

      Reply
  18. Kat says

    August 15, 2015 at 7:43 pm

    Quick, easy and delicious, thanks for posting. I used uncooked chicken breast, sugar free apricot preserves and added some leftover pineapple in juice (and the chile sauce of course). I added some corn starch because the juice made it thinner than I wanted.

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      August 16, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      Awesome, Kat! Thanks for the additional tips/ideas! 🙂

      Reply
    • venecia Rodriguez says

      October 05, 2015 at 2:29 pm

      Hi Kat, did you also cook it for two hours? I asked you since you used uncooked chicken breast.

      Thanks, I really want to make it.

      Reply
  19. Pat Wolfe says

    July 31, 2015 at 9:54 am

    Thank you for this easy recipe. I will try it soon.

    Reply
  20. Laurie Chun says

    June 19, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    1. is there a way to make the chili sauce for this recipe cause a bottle of chili sauce i've never noticed such an item. this is an interesting recipe i was expecting to see vinegar or lemon and sugar but aóle (no or not)
    2. i was wondering if the chili sauce gave it a little hot spice to it? cause my husband and i don't like spicey in sweet and sour.
    also FYI you can find the apricot pineapple jam or preserves in any hawn store in the mainland like marukai, not cheap but they are starting to pop up in mainland stores now, sorry i forget which ones.

    pls reply about the chili sauce.

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      June 19, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Laurie, Here is a good homemade recipe for chili sauce:
      1/2 cup tomato sauce
      2 Tbs. brown sugar
      1 Tbs. vinegar
      1 dash cloves
      1 minced garlic clove
      1 Tbs. chili powder
      Just mix these ingredients together in the crockpot.

      Reply
  21. Donna Berezowski says

    February 25, 2015 at 8:51 am

    Do you have any alternative for the chili sauce? Do you think I could use regular Heinz ketchup instead?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      February 25, 2015 at 9:01 am

      Hi Donna,
      You can give it a try, but it will definitely be a different taste! I haven't tried any alternatives to the chili sauce, so can't give you a sure answer.

      Reply
  22. nctruckdriver says

    February 17, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    just a heads up: as you run out of I-40 onto college road. there is a Costco(right onto ringo then left) and a sams club on right about 4 lights(about 2 miles) down from end of I-40. this truck driver loves Wilmington, nc

    Reply
  23. DMat says

    February 12, 2015 at 9:39 am

    Dying to make this, but going to use fresh, cubed chicken. Do you still add preserves at the beginning or later, after the chicken has cooked for several hours??

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      February 12, 2015 at 10:50 am

      Add at the beginning. 🙂 Also, it probably won't need to cook as long since it's not frozen.

      Reply
    • Tracey says

      October 18, 2019 at 9:41 am

      Thanks for asking this question as that frozen chicken is no available here. So glad I can use fresh chicken.

      Reply
  24. wiffey says

    February 08, 2015 at 12:36 am

    Ew... but REAL sweet and sour chicken is SO darn easy!! this just sounds.. wrong

    Reply
  25. Anonymous says

    January 28, 2015 at 12:42 am

    You said if cannt find apricot pineapple preserve you can use crushed pineapple.. Do you use the apricot preserve an crushed pineapple or just the crushed pineapple?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      January 28, 2015 at 8:01 pm

      Hi! Use both the apricot preserves and crushed pineapple. I'll re-write the note to make it more clear. Thanks!

      Reply
  26. Joseph says

    January 24, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    I think this is similar to a recipe I saw that took an 18-oz. jar of orange marmalade. I wonder how good it would taste using strawberry preserves instead because I found a recipe for making a really easy no-sugar-added raw strawberry jam in the blender with fresh strawberries, chia seeds, a little lemon juice to preserve color and stevia (or other sweetener) to taste :)....the chia seeds serve as the thickener 😀

    Reply
    • Joseph says

      January 26, 2015 at 11:05 am

      I think I need my eyes checked because I just saw your note at the bottom of the recipe about what to do if you can't find apricot preserves LOL (or in my case don't want to use them because of the alarmingly high sugar content in storebought preserves and the sugar-free apricot preserves are only 12-oz.)

      Adding a can of crushed pineapple sounds like a much better and healthier idea. What size can of crushed pineapple would I get? Same size (or as close to it as I can manage) as the jar of apricot preserves?

      Reply
      • Kim H says

        September 28, 2016 at 6:28 am

        Make sure you drain the can of Pineapple. I use a 14-15 ounce can. How was the sugar free Apricot preserves?

        Reply
        • Joseph says

          August 20, 2019 at 11:49 am

          Sorry...it's been awhile since I've been back here evidently LOL!

          Anyhow like I said they're good but being only a 12-oz. jar it might not be enough for this recipe (and I'd rather not have to open a second jar to get 6 more ounces). I did however once make a simple Asian-style ground beef dish in a skillet on the stovetop with ground beef, sugar-free orange marmalade, and a little Thai chili garlic sauce. 🙂

          Reply
  27. Patrick says

    July 23, 2014 at 10:58 am

    Don't know about prepping for a 5K but I do know that my slow cooker is definitely one of the handiest tools I own!

    Reply
    • Joseph says

      January 26, 2015 at 11:09 am

      I know right? I love the slow-cooker. It's my favorite cooking tool. Just dump in the ingredients, cover, turn on, and make sure it's plugged in and when you get back from work you have a nice hot meal waiting.

      Reply
      • Marsha says

        December 26, 2015 at 8:52 am

        Wonder about cooking time on this chicken recipe if the cooker is,set on low???
        Also are we using Slow cooker or a Crocker pot, there is a difference

        Reply
        • Nikki Gladd says

          December 27, 2015 at 1:53 pm

          Hi Marsha,
          I haven't tested cooking this on low, but if I were to do it I would try 4-6 hours. In my experience, slow cooker and crockpot are one in the same. "Crock Pot" is a brand name of a slow cooker. Thanks!

          Reply
  28. Carel says

    April 29, 2014 at 8:30 am

    Rachel, I started running last year at the age of (60). I'm not consistent with my routine.
    I have run/walked 2 5k with my daughter. I will be doing another in May. I also have the couch to 5K app. on my phone. With my inconsistent routine I have been using runkeeper instead, It is a great program.
    Enjoy your run.

    Reply
  29. Erica says

    April 29, 2014 at 7:25 am

    Not a criticism , but a teachable moment. The Webster dictionary lists the word as biennial and defined as taking place once in two years. It is also used to describe plant life for a plant that lives only two years or produces only every other year.

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      April 29, 2014 at 11:59 am

      haha! Thanks, Erica. I know many use "biannual" as either twice a year or once every two years. Before writing this post, I even tried to look it up and find the right word.. coming up with this example (#2) https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/biannual. Oh well! 🙂

      Reply
  30. Rachael says

    April 28, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    I ran my first 5K in November, and I used the Couch-to-5K app. I absolutely love it and recommend it!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      April 28, 2014 at 9:54 pm

      Thanks, Rachael! I'll have to check it out!

      Reply
  31. lisa says

    April 28, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    Couch to 5K is THE way to go: https://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

    I started with this 4.5 years ago and I am still running today : ). You can do it!!!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      April 28, 2014 at 9:54 pm

      Thank you, Lisa! I hope I will still be running in 4 1/5 years, too!!

      Reply
4.63 from 77 votes (70 ratings without comment)

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