Sweet & Sour Chicken

Here we are folks! We have yet another delicious keto and paleo Asian recipe for you. As you’ve seen recently, I’ve been on a big kick with recreating classic Chinese takeout dishes and transforming them into something that we can all eat, no matter our dietary preferences or food allergies/sensitivities.

Today’s new recipe is my take on Sweet and Sour Chicken. It’s hard to say what the most popular Chinese restaurant dish is, but I’d venture to say Sweet and Sour Chicken is right up there with Orange Chicken (which I’ve also recreated!).

This updated take on classic Sweet and Sour Chicken has all of the yumminess of the dish your tastebuds remember but without the worry of any allergenic ingredients.

I also included both a paleo and a low carb breading recipe for the chicken so you can choose whichever one fits your needs better. Both of them are my go-to recipes when it comes to breaded and fried dishes. I came up with these breading recipes after I searched long and hard for a low carb breading the didn’t use pork rinds. This is by far the best breading I have thrown together and you can literally use it for anything you want to bread and fry. It allows you to achieve the perfect golden color and crisp texture. You’ll never believe that there is no gluten or grains in it!

A quick note on the sugar-free honey. In order to keep this recipe keto and low-carb, I use sugar-free honey in it. I have been testing out many different brands trying to find the best ones to use and so far these ones are my go-to:

• Sukrin Gold Syrup & Honey Alternative

• Mrs. Taste Bee Free Vegan Honey (Zero Sugar)

• Nature’s Hollow Honey Sub Sugar Free

The Nature’s Hollow brand can cause a little bit of digestive upset for some people, but not everyone. The other three are really gentle on your stomach. All of the brands will work great in this recipe.

Keto or Paleo Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

Paleo Chicken Version

• 1 lb Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 Egg Whites, lightly whisked
• 1 1/2 Cups Tapioca Starch
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Himalayan Salt

Keto Chicken Version

• 1 lb Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Large Eggs Whisked
• 1 Cup Lupin Flour (I like Lupina Brand and Lodi Brand)
• 1/2 Cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
• 2 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum
• Neutral tasting, high-heat stable oil for frying (like Avocado Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, or Lard)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Pineapple Extract
• 2/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/2 Cup Sugar-Free Honey or Real Honey (see my notes above about sugar-free honey brands)
• 1/4 Tsp Liquid Stevia or Monkfruit Extract (only use this when using the Sugar-Free Honey version)
• 1/2 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

Optional Veggies

• 2 Bell Peppers any color, chopped
• 1 Small or Medium Onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Place a medium pan on the stove for frying. Fill it with 1-2 inches of high heat stable oil of choice and heat over medium-high heat to around 275 degrees. There is some flexibility with the temperature up to 300 degrees. For a clean oil use avocado oil, coconut oil, or lard. While the oil is heating, prepare the chicken.
2. In a small bowl, add the egg whites OR eggs (depending on if you’re doing the paleo or keto chicken version) and lightly whisk until the egg whites or eggs combine.
3. In another small bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch, salt, and baking powder (for the paleo version) OR the lupin flour, garbanzo bean flour, salt, baking powder, and xanthan or guar gum (for the keto version).
4. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture first and then into the breading mixture, making sure that the chicken is well coated. Check the oil. If the oil bubbles liberally when one piece of the breaded chicken is added, it’s ready for frying.
5. Add the breaded chicken the oil in batches (this recipe took me about 5 batches) so the pan doesn’t get overcrowded. This ensures everything can brown evenly. Fry each batch for about 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the breading is a perfect golden brown color. Note: if you chicken browns too quickly, this means that the oil is too hot!
6. Remove the chicken from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Set aside.
7. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a wok and bring to a simmer so that the sauce can thicken slightly. If you want the sauce to be more of a glaze, simmer a little longer which allows more of the water to evaporate. If you simmer for a long time it will become a very thick, sticky glaze.
8. As the sauce simmers begin sauteing the onions and peppers with 1 tbsp of mild-tasting oil in a separate pan cook the veggies until just barely tender then turn off the heat. Once the sauce has reached your desired thickness, add the fried chicken pieces and the veggies to the sauce and toss until everything is fully coated. Cook over medium-low heat until the chicken is warmed up.
9. Serve over cauliflower rice and enjoy!