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 don't eat it very often because it's usually loaded with gluten, carbs, and other undesirable ingredients.

While I love Beef And Broccoli, Teriyaki Chicken, and Orange Chicken, my favorite thing to get when eating Chinese food has always been sweet and sour chicken.

I've made many homemade sweet and sour chicken recipes, but none of them 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:

• 🐓 Chicken
• Breading
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Baking
• Storage instructions
• 💭 Top tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🐓 Chicken

For the chicken, we’re basically 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: Crust the pork rinds.

For the breading, crush around 3oz (1 regular-sized bag) 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.

Be sure the pork rinds are very finely crushed. If they’re not, they won’t stick to the chicken very well.

Step #2: Add ½ Cup of blanched almond flour to the pork rinds, along with some salt and pepper, and mix well.

Step #3: Add the chicken pieces to the baggie and 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.

Sweet and sour sauce

Step #1: In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together ¾ cups of Keto-friendly sweetener, 4 Tbsp. low-carb ketchup, ½ Cup of vinegar, 1 Tbsp. coconut aminos, ½ tsp. garlic powder, and ½ tsp. 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.

For the sweetener, any keto sweetener will work. I prefer xylitol, an allulose/monk fruit blend, or pure allulose because they dissolve beautifully and have zero aftertastes!

If using pure allulose, you'll need to add an extra tablespoon or two because it's not as sweet as other sweeteners.

Erythritol-based sweeteners don’t dissolve as well as other sweeteners. So if you using erythritol, make sure it’s powdered. 

Baking

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

Serve hot with cauliflower rice and garnish with green onions.

For the cauliflower rice, I like to add some coconut aminos (or gluten-free soy sauce), sauteed onion and garlic, and 2 scrambled eggs to make cauliflower fried rice.

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.

💭 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.
• 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!

Craving more? FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or E-Mail to find more delicious food!

📖 Recipe