Homemade sweet and sour sauce made with apricot jam and apple vinegar, served alongside crispy baked panko chicken nuggets. This copycat McDonald's sauce is thicker, tangier, and more control over ingredients than store-bought versions.
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Sweet and Sour Sauce
Place all the ingredients for the sauce except the water in a small pan and blend until smooth using a hand blender. Add the water to the pan and bring everything to a boil. Let simmer on medium-low heat, often stirring for about 5 minutes.
Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring so that the sweet and sour sauce will not catch. You will notice that the sauce will become darker and thicker while cooking.
Cool: Take off the heat and let cool completely. Stir well before serving.
Chicken Nuggets
Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius/ 410 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pre-bake panko: Place the panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, level well, and bake until golden, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once and leveling again after the first 3 minutes. The panko breadcrumbs should be nicely golden but not too dark.
Cool: Place the panko into a large shallow bowl, let cool completely. I usually bake the panko just after or before making the sweet and sour sauce, so they both have time to cool.
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius/ 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Mix the panko breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and the herbs.
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper.
Bread chicken: Place the flour into a shallow bowl and the lightly beaten eggs into another bowl. Place the bowl containing the panko breadcrumbs near these bowls.
First, coat the chicken pieces with flour, shake off excess. Next, dredge the chicken pieces through the eggs, shake shortly to allow the excess egg to drip off, and coat in panko breadcrumbs.
Bake: Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheets and bake the sheets one at a time for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Flip the chicken nuggets once after 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the chicken.
Serve the chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce and baked potato wedges. See the suggestions above regarding the leftover sweet and sour sauce.
Cool nuggets completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat at 180°C (350°F) for 5 minutes to restore crispness. Sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week.
hand blender · two baking sheets · baking paper
Yes. The sauce keeps well after cooling completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat gently before serving.
Pre-baking the panko for 5–6 minutes until golden ensures the chicken nuggets stay crispier during baking and prevents the coating from becoming soggy.
Bake at 230°C (450°F) for about 10 minutes total, flipping halfway at 5 minutes. They are done when golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
Yes. Peach jam, orange marmalade, or pineapple jam work well. Adjust vinegar slightly if using a more tart jam to balance sweetness.
Panko creates a lighter, crispier texture. Regular breadcrumbs are denser and will produce a finer crust; you may need to reduce baking time slightly.
