This restaurant-style baked keto sweet and sour chicken is breaded, crispy, and coated in a flavorful, sticky sweet and sour sauce. There's no reason to order take-out when you can make something just as delicious at home - but without all the carbs, grains, and gluten!

I've always loved Chinese food, but I don't eat it often because it's usually loaded with gluten, carbs, and other undesirable ingredients.

While I love Keto Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry, Keto Teriyaki Chicken, and Keto Orange Chicken, my favorite thing when eating Chinese food has always been sweet and sour chicken.

I've made many sugar-free sweet and sour chicken recipes, but none tasted like the kind you get at the restaurant - until now!

It's just like the American version I grew up on and love! It's breaded, crispy, and coated in a flavorful, sticky sweet and sour sauce.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• 🐓 Chicken
• Breading
• Keto sweet and sour sauce
• Baking
• Serving suggestions
• Storage instructions
• Substitutions
• 💭 Top tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients for the chicken:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs - I prefer chicken thighs because they are not quite as dry, but use whichever you prefer!
• Salt & Pepper - Seasoning for the breading.
• Pork Rinds - My favorite breadcrumb substitute! These are what make the chicken crispy!
• Blanched Almond Flour - This helps the pork rinds stick to the chicken.
• Eggs - The eggs lock in the breadcrumbs and help the chicken pieces fry up crispy.
• Avocado Oil - Used to brown the chicken before baking.

And here are the simple ingredients for the keto sweet and sour sauce:

• Keto Sweetener -For the sweetener, any keto sweetener will work. I prefer xylitol, an allulose/monk fruit blend, or pure allulose because they dissolve beautifully and leave ZERO aftertaste! If you're not using pure allulose, reduce the sweetener to ¾ cup. Erythritol-based sweeteners don’t dissolve as well as other sweeteners. So, if you are using erythritol, make sure it’s powdered. Start with ¾ cup and add more as needed.
• Sugar-Free Ketchup - I recommend Primal Kitchen Ketchup and Primal Kitchen Slightly Sweetened Ketchup, each having two carbs per Tablespoon. They contain no artificial sweeteners and are keto, paleo, and whole30-friendly. 👍 Or if you're looking for a homemade sugar-free ketchup, this Keto Sugar-Free Ketchup from Wholesome Yum looks delicious!
• White Vinegar - This is what makes the sauce "sour"!
• Coconut Aminos - You can also use Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce. Just be aware that if you use these, they're a bit stronger, so you may need less.
• Garlic Powder - Seasoning.
• Sea Salt - Brings out the flavor and keeps it from tasting "flat".

🐓 Chicken

For the chicken, we’re starting with a version of my Chicken Nugget recipe.

We're just doing it backward! We dredge the chicken in the breading, then the eggs 😀

Start by cubing 2 Lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Breading

Step #1: Crush the pork rinds.

For the breading, crush around 3 oz (1 regular-sized bag) or 1 ½ cups of pork rinds.

I like to pour them into a plastic baggie and crush them with a rolling pin, but a mallet or anything flat and hard will work!

You can also place them in a dry blender or food processor and blend until they’re finely crushed.

💭 Tip: Be sure to crush them very finely, or they will have trouble sticking to the chicken! And if you're looking to save time and energy, pre-crushed pork rind breadcrumbs are now readily available!

Step #2: Add the blanched almond flour to the pork rinds. Then, add the salt and pepper, mixing well.

Step #3: Add the chicken pieces to the baggie. Coat the chicken evenly with the pork rind/flour mixture.

Step #4: Whisk together 4 large eggs in a large shallow bowl and heat ¼ Cup of avocado oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

Step #5: Once the oil is hot, dredge the chicken in the eggs and place them in the hot oil in a single layer.

Do not overcrowd the pan, and cook in batches if needed. Add more avocado oil if it starts to run low.

Step #6: Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until nicely browned.

Do not worry about it cooking through at this time. Once browned, place in a large casserole dish and set aside.

Keto sweet and sour sauce

Step #1: In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar-free sweetener, low-carb ketchup, vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic powder, and sea salt.

Step #2: Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Then, pour the sauce over the chicken and stir so all the chicken gets coated.

Baking

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this low-carb sweet and sour chicken recipe over cauliflower rice garnished with green onions.

For the cauliflower rice, I like to make fried cauliflower rice!

For cauliflower fried rice, saute half of a chopped onion. Then, scramble 2 eggs and add the frozen cauliflower, following the directions in the post. Season with coconut aminos, tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce.

Storage instructions

• Store: Leftover low-carb sweet and sour chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheating: Reheat in a hot skillet until heated through. You can use the microwave, but the breading would be soggier.
• Freeze: Freeze the chicken in a single layer. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze sauce separately.

Substitutions

• Feel free to use chicken breasts or thighs, even though I prefer thighs!
• Use any low-carb sweetener you prefer. I like allulose because it has zero aftertaste and dissolves beautifully! If you use erythritol, be sure it's powdered because it doesn't dissolve as well. Also, allulose isn't as sweet as other sweeteners, so if you use something else, start with ¾ cup and add more as needed.

💭 Top tips

• Do not skip the pork rinds, and only use almond flour. If you use only almond flour, the chicken will not be crispy.
• Be sure not to overcrowd the pan when browning the chicken, or it will not get crispy.
• The oil is only good for two batches. If you need to use another batch, allow the oil to get hot before using.
• For the sweetener, any keto sweetener will work. However, erythritol-based sweeteners don’t dissolve as well as other sweeteners. So, if you using erythritol, make sure it’s powdered, and you may need to add a bit more.
• As a gift to my readers, I’ve teamed up with BESTI KETO SWEETENERS to give you guys 10% off! Simply use the code “CRAVEABLE” at checkout.

Or if you're looking for more recipes, Wholesome Yum's Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry looks pretty delicious too!

If you’ve tried this Keto Sweet And Sour Chicken or any other recipe on the blog, please let me know in the comments below!

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📖 Recipe