Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken

Craving Chinese takeout? You’ve gotta try this tasty Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken!

At no additional cost to you, I may make a small commission for purchases made through links in this post. 

For me, Chinese takeout is always so bitter sweet. I load up my plate like there’s no tomorrow with fried rice, chow mein, spring rolls, beef and broccoli and of course, the sweet and sour chicken. I inhale the whole plate and afterwards feel so awful, bloated and GUILTY!

Thank goodness for cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles, because they have saved my Chinese food cravings. Now instead of ordering takeout, I stick to dishes like this Cauliflower Fried Rice, Keto Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry or this Keto Teriyaki Chicken!

This extra delicious Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken is just one more recipe to add to my Cookbook; I hope you love it as much as we do! Want just the sauce recipe? Grab it here.

Why it works

1. We bread the chicken with pork rinds, parmesan and almond flour to keep it keto friendly.
2. Better than takeout, this guilt free meal can be made right at home in 45 minutes!
3. The keto sweet and sour sauce is super flavourful and absolutely addicting!

Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card for ingredient measurements.

The Chicken

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• an egg
• water
• pork rinds
• almond flour
• parmesan cheese
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• sea salt
• ground black pepper

Sweet & Sour Sauce

• apple cider vinegar
• no sugar added ketchup
• water
• lakanto golden monk fruit sweetener
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• xanthan gum
• Optional – white onion & green or red pepper

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – I prefer to use chicken breast in this recipe, and it must be boneless and skinless. If you only have breast with the bone in, and have never removed the bone before, check out this video to watch how it’s done!

No Sugar Added Ketchup – Choose a ketchup that has no added sugar. Most generic brands of ketchup are loaded with sugar!

Lakanto Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener – A brown sugar alternative, Lakanto is a natural sugar free sweetener that has no aftertaste!

Soy Sauce – Strict keto can substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.

Xanthan Gum – This magical ingredient is used to thicken the sweet and sour sauce. If you don’t have any, it can be skipped, however you will not have a thick sauce.

How to make Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep the chicken

Heat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with a non stick baking mat, parchment paper or baking rack.

Dump the pork rinds into a food processor and pulse into a fine crumb. Pour into a medium sized bowl and add the parmesan, almond flour, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and pepper. Mix well and then set next to the prepared baking sheet.

In a shallow bowl whisk the egg with 1/4 cup water until fully combined, then place next to the pork rinds. Chop the chicken breasts into 1- 1.5″ pieces and set beside the egg wash. Now let’s get that chicken breaded!

Dunk a piece of chicken in the egg wash with one hand and then place into the breading bowl without actually touching the pork rinds. With the other hand, toss the chicken around in the pork rinds and then place on the baking sheet. Repeat for all of the chicken pieces, and then double dip the chicken in the egg wash and again in the breading until all of the pork rinds have been used.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the largest piece of chicken has reached 180°.

The sweet and sour sauce

While the chicken is baking, it’s time to get that sauce made!

Chop up an onion and a green pepper, and heat a skillet on medium high heat with a tbsp of avocado or olive oil. Fry the pepper and onion until they have softened and begun to brown a little bit.

In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk xanthan gum with sesame oil. Pour in the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, water, sweetener and soy sauce, and whisk well to combine. Pour into the hot skillet with the pepper and onion and bring up to a simmer. Cook until thick, about 1-2 minutes.

Carefully mix the baked chicken into the sauce. Serve hot over Cauliflower Rice, Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry or Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Expert Tips

1. Don’t have a food processor? Place the pork rinds into a large bag and wack it with a rolling pin until all of the pork rinds have been completely crushed into fine crumbs.
2. Be sure to use one hand only for the egg wash and the other hand only for the breading. If the pork rinds get wet, they will not stick to the chicken easily, and you’ll end up wasting a lot of pork rinds.
3. Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the chicken has fully cooked to an internal temperature of 180° to ensure nobody gets sick!
4. Be gentle when mixing the chicken into the sauce because the crust from the chicken could fall off.

Here are some other low carb recipes you might like:

• Teriyaki Chicken
• Instant Pot Korean Beef
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Teriyaki Beef Skewers

Subscribe to Mama Bear’s monthly newsletter to be kept up to date on the latest and greatest recipes! 

Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken

Make your own delicious Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken right at home! This low carb dish features a sugar free sweet & sour sauce and tasty breaded chicken!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Canadian, Low Carb

Servings 5 servings

Calories 422 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup water
• 100 g pork rinds
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Sweet & Sour Sauce

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup no sugar added ketchup
• ⅓ cup water
• ½ cup lakanto golden monk fruit sweetener
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum

Optional

• 1 small white onion
• 1 green or red bell pepper

Instructions

 

Equipment Needed

• Baking sheet with Non Stick Baking Mat, Parchment or Baking Rack
• Food processor
• Medium sized mixing bowl
• Cutting board and Knife
• Digital meat thermometer
• Skillet

Directions

The chicken

• Heat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with a non stick baking mat, parchment paper or a baking rack.
• Dump the pork rinds into a food processor and pulse into a fine crumb. Pour into a medium sized bowl and add the parmesan, almond flour, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and pepper. Mix well and then set next to the prepared baking sheet.
• In a shallow bowl whisk the egg with 1/4 cup water until fully combined, then place next to the pork rinds. Chop the chicken breasts into 1- 1.5" pieces and set beside the egg wash.
• Dunk a piece of chicken in the egg wash with one hand and then place into the breading bowl without actually touching the pork rinds. With the other hand, toss the chicken around in the pork rinds and then place on the baking sheet. Repeat for all of the chicken pieces and spread them evenly around the baking sheet. Double dip the chicken in the egg wash and again in the breading until all of the pork rinds have been used up.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the largest piece of chicken has reached 180°. While the chicken is in the oven, make the sauce.

The sauce

• Chop up an onion and a green pepper, and heat a skillet on medium high heat with the avocado or olive oil. Fry the pepper and onion until they have softened and begun to brown a little bit.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk xanthan gum with sesame oil. Pour in the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, water, sweetener and soy sauce, and whisk well to combine. Pour into the hot skillet with the pepper and onion and bring up to a simmer. Cook until thick, 1-2 minutes, then carefully mix in the baked chicken.
• Serve hot over Cauliflower Rice, Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry or Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Notes

Expert Tips

1. Don’t have a food processor? Place the pork rinds into a large bag and wack it with a rolling pin until all of the pork rinds have been completely crushed into fine crumbs.
2. Be sure to use one hand only for the egg wash and the other hand only for the breading. If the pork rinds get wet, they will not stick to the chicken easily, and you’ll end up wasting a lot of pork rinds.
3. Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the chicken has fully cooked to an internal temperature of 180° to ensure nobody gets sick!
4. Be gentle when mixing the chicken into the sauce because the crust from the chicken could fall off.

 

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition facts are an estimate only! The ingredients you choose could have different nutritional values than the ingredients I have used.

 * Net carb count excludes both fibre and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people.

Deduct fibre ( 1.2g ) and sugar alcohols ( 19.2 ) from the total carbs to get 3 g net carbs per serving if divided into 5 portions. Nutrition facts do not include the optional onion or bell pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 422kcalCarbohydrates: 23.4gProtein: 58.2gFat: 16.6gSodium: 1246mgFiber: 1.2g

Keyword keto sweet and sour chicken, low carb sweet and sour chicken

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!