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    Recipes » Quick Keto Dinners » Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken

    Published: Nov 13, 2019 · by: jenniferbanz · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

    Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken

    Skip the Chinese takeout and settle in for a homemade, keto sweet and sour chicken! Fresh green/yellow bell peppers, savory chicken, covered in keto friendly sweet and sour sauce! Serve over steamed cauliflower rice to make this an over-the-top Chinese keto creation! No frying, super easy and under 30 minutes… you’ll be glad you ordered in your keto kitchen instead!

    keto sweet and sour chicken in a black bowl

    Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box.  Read my honest review here.

    I love Chinese food! Especially a good stir-fry. A lot of stir-fry recipes, though, cover your protein in flour or cornstarch. My Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken is the Chinese takeout you crave without all the carbs! No frying and under 30 minutes…Definitely a must have in your keto recipe box!

    How would it feel to start losing with keto?

    Join my FREE 7 day keto challenge!

    If you are like me and also craving the fried rice…you can make my delicious cauliflower fried rice!

    The sauce for this recipe is really simple and only includes 5 ingredients.  It is the perfect sweet and sour sauce!

    HOW TO MAKE KETO SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN (NO FRYING!)

    You will be surprised how easy this packed full of flavor keto sweet and sour chicken is! With these simple ingredients you can now have that favorite Chinese take-out, now with a homemade, low carb twist!

     

    keto sweet and sour chicken ingredients on a cutting board

    First, let’s heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat.  I like to use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point.  You could also use coconut oil.

    Add in the chicken breast and cook until brown on all sides and cooked through.  This keto sweet and sour chicken recipe is unbelievably light so if you want to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, please do!

    The meat only takes about 5 minutes to cook.  You want to check with a meat thermometer to be sure the meat is not over or under cooked.

    chicken heated in a skillet with avocado oil

    Now we need to reduce the heat to medium and add in the green and yellow bell peppers.

    We are only going to cook them for a couple of minutes so they keep their nice color and a little crispness.

    Now we add in the apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, soy sauce, sweetener and xanthan gum.

    My favorite low carb sweetener is Lakanto.  They have a brown sugar version that works well in this recipe!

    HOW TO THICKEN KETO SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

    Cornstarch is traditionally used, but most keto recipes use xanthan gum as a thickener.  I wrote a post all about this amazing ingredient here:  What is Xanthan gum?

    chicken, yellow, green bell peppers cooking in a skillet

    Turn the heat back up to high just until the liquid starts to bubble.

    Remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to thicken.  The sauce will coat the chicken and it looks amazing!

    Serve with steamed cauliflower rice to make this an over-the-top keto bowl! Yummy

    keto sweet and sour chicken over steam cauliflower rice

    Like this low carb, keto friendly recipe? Check out my recipes for Keto Beef Bulgogi, One Pot Keto Butter Chicken or Easy Keto Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry!

    ⭐ Did you make this Easy Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe?  Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer

    keto sweet and sour chicken over steam cauliflower rice

    Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken (No Frying!)

    Skip the Chinese takeout and settle in for a homemade, low carb sweet and sour chicken! Fresh green/yellow bell peppers, savory chicken, covered in keto friendly sweet and sour sauce! Serve over steamed cauliflower rice to make this a over-the-top Chinese keto creation! No frying, super easy and under 30 minutes... you'll be glad you ordered in your keto kitchen instead!
    5 from 12 votes
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE
    Course: dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Keyword: gluten free, recipe for keto sweet and sour chicken
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 340kcal
    Author: Jennifer Banz

    INGREDIENTS

    • 4 tablespoon avocado oil (Click here for my favorite brand on Amazon) or coconut oil
    • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes (24 ounces raw)
    • ½ green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
    • ½ yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
    • ¾ cup Granulated sweetener (Click here to see my favorite on Amazon)
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (click here to see my favorite brand on Amazon)
    US Customary - Metric

    INSTRUCTIONS

    • Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat.
    • Add in the chicken thighs and cook until brown on all sides and cooked through. Should take about 5 minutes. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer (165F)
    • Reduce the heat to medium and add in the green and yellow bell peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes just to soften them up a bit.
    • Add in the apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, soy sauce, sweetener and xanthan gum. Stir well to incorporate the xanthan gum.
    • Turn the heat back up to high just until the liquid starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to thicken.
    • Serve with steamed cauliflower rice.

    WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

    JENNIFER'S TIPS

    • Chicken breast or chicken thighs: You can you either for this recipe.  This is really light with the use of chicken breast.  Boneless skinless chicken thighs will add some calories but will add more flavor as well.
    • Vinegar:  If you are low on apple cider vinegar, white vinegar works well in a pinch.
    • Soy Sauce: Coconut aminos can be used as well as Tamari
    • Xanthan Gum: This is a replacement for the common cornstarch ingredient in most Chinese recipes.  A thickening agent that only requires ½ a teaspoon.  This means less carbs!
    • Serve with steamed cauliflower rice.  I like to buy the already riced cauliflower in the freezer section of the grocery store.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
    « Chicken Parm Meatballs – Keto and Gluten Free
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      Recipe Reviews




    1. Robert says

      June 22, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      How do you deal with not using Pineapple in your Sweet & Sour Chicken?

      I recently make a batch (someone else’s recipe), and the sauce, while good for a first attempt, seemed “flat” because it didn’t have that spark from Pineapple Juice and chunks of Pineapple.

      Sweet & Sour is one of my favorite go-tos at the local takeout place (before I went KETO), so would love to figure something out as a replacement.

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        June 24, 2022 at 10:55 am

        I would just add the pineapple. A few pieces of pineapple aren’t going to add too many carbs

        Reply
    2. Renee says

      June 06, 2022 at 4:54 pm

      This is delicious!! We eat it once a week!! I use THM Gentle Sweet so cut back to under a 1/2 cup of that to sweeten. I use green and red peppers and it’s very colorful. And an onion chopped in larger pieces. I do add a bit of canned pineapple as that’s what we always liked in it. Sooo good! So happy to find this recipe!!

      Reply
    3. Lori says

      September 21, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      Was so good! My non-keto fam loved it too. I was nervous about the sauce with all that vinegar but it came out great! I mixed in broccoli 👍🏻

      Reply
    4. Michelle Poore says

      June 11, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      5 stars
      I was craving sweet and sour chicken from the local Chinese restaurant. I’ve tried several of your keto recipes and loved them, so I was excited when my google search for a keto version of sweet and sour chicken led me to this recipe. This recipe is amazing!!! I admit I had my doubts about the sauce while I was cooking it, but it tastes so good and so close to the sugar-laden takeout version. Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Roseanna says

      June 08, 2021 at 1:23 am

      Thanks,i have this twice a month,,yummy.

      Reply
    6. Hannah Edgell says

      March 25, 2021 at 7:40 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely Gorgeous, this is my Husbands favourite keto meal, he doesn’t feel quite so hard done by when everyone else has chinese takeaway as he has this instead (I make it with Jennifers egg fried cauliflower rice minus the bacon and prawns)

      Reply
      • Cindy says

        August 16, 2021 at 5:19 am

        Hi, I was wondering could pork be used instead of chicken? I use chicken so much & looking for ways to add other proteins. Thank yous

        Reply
        • jenniferbanz says

          August 16, 2021 at 12:33 pm

          Definitely!

    7. Carol says

      February 02, 2021 at 10:16 pm

      What a wonderful recipe! It is delicious. This is the best one I have tried. Now it will be the only one I will use. I did use white vinegar half and half with water as vinegar is too strong for me. Thank you for such a great recipe.

      Reply
    8. toni martin says

      January 01, 2021 at 3:06 pm

      This recipe was awesome! Very tasty. Thanks

      Reply
    9. Lauren Sirola says

      December 16, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing. Thank you for creating this recipe!

      Reply
    10. Attevia says

      October 08, 2020 at 6:26 am

      I’m allergic to tomatoes. What can I use to substitute or can I just leave it out?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        October 09, 2020 at 2:48 pm

        You could leave it out

        Reply
    11. Kelly Bradford says

      August 25, 2020 at 12:18 pm

      This was awesome!!! i used chicken breast as i didnt have any thighs in the house, but it was delish.
      Love your receipes Jen

      Reply
    12. Vicky says

      June 08, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      This is amazing!

      Reply
    13. Jennifer says

      June 02, 2020 at 11:24 am

      Is there another thickening agent that could be used besides xanthan gum? Almond flour perhaps? ?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        June 03, 2020 at 8:06 am

        Almond flour would be gritty. You could lat the sauce simmer until it reduces

        Reply
      • Christina says

        May 17, 2022 at 11:08 am

        You could use glucomannan (konjac root) powder. It thickens like cornstarch without the gooeyness of xantham gum.

        Reply
      • Robert says

        June 22, 2022 at 12:43 pm

        I use Agar Agar Powder as a thickener in my Chaffles. It’s based on seaweed so it’s vegan. Use it at the same amount as you would Xanthan Gum.

        Reply
    14. Amy says

      May 25, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight for my non-keto, Chinese take-out loving husband and we both loved it! He said he’s rather have this than his normal go-to take-out! Thanks for a simple and great “keeper” recipe!

      Reply
    15. Tricia says

      February 04, 2020 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      Just made it!! It. Was. So. Good. Thank you!!

      Reply
    16. MAC says

      January 23, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe…easy to make and a hit with my low carb husband!

      Reply
    17. Carolyn says

      January 06, 2020 at 9:04 am

      5 stars
      Anxious to try this. Have to cut back serving size am just one person. I miss Chinese food the most.

      Reply
    18. Sheri L Best says

      December 29, 2019 at 1:27 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for the receipe. It was delicious.
      Sheri

      Reply
    19. Arena says

      November 16, 2019 at 10:02 am

      Can’t wait to try this. Is the cauliflower rice included in the nutritional breakdown?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        November 18, 2019 at 9:19 am

        No, it’s not included. I’ll make a note of that

        Reply
    20. Robert says

      November 14, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      Quick and Easy! I loved the flavors!

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        November 15, 2019 at 9:27 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    21. Noelle says

      November 13, 2019 at 1:11 pm

      A healthy version of take out! Great flavors too, love this!

      Reply
    22. Beth says

      November 13, 2019 at 1:09 pm

      5 stars
      This looks fabulous and so flavorful!! I love making recipes like this one that I know will be gobbled up by my whole family!

      Reply

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    Jennifer

    Hey there, I'm Jennifer! I’m the voice, author, and creator behind Low Carb with Jennifer and Live Life Keto. 

    I've been cooking low carb/keto for the past 10 years and it has helped me shed over 70 pounds!

    My keto recipes reflect my philosophy on cooking...everything needs to be easy, fast, exceptionally delicious, and use common ingredients.

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