Keto Roasted Chinese Chicken Thighs Recipe
Here we have a super simple recipe for roasted Chinese chicken thighs that are both delicious and keto friendly! They are great as a quick protein snack or even as part of a meal.
Basic ingredients
There is not much to this keto Chinese chicken recipe, you only need a few basic ingredients that hopefully you already have at home. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Chicken Thighs
I find that chicken thighs are cheap and a good source of protein and fat. The added bonus is that the skin will also get extra nice and crispy!
Bone or Boneless? – The price per kilo of bone-in chicken thighs is much less than the pre-prepared boneless counterpart. However, if you don’t have the time or are happy to pay the extra cost then, of course, go for the boneless variety.
The only downside is that many supermarkets remove the skin from the boneless version which is a shame as it’s often the best part!
Tomato Ketchup
Of course, not just any tomato ketchup will do you will need a keto-friendly one. To make things easier you can check out our guide on the best keto tomato ketchups.
For this recipe, I’m going to use Heinz Tomato Ketchup No Added Sugar & Salt as it’s readily available in most UK stores and is low carb (5.4g per 100g). This recipe calls for 2 tbsp and that is only a meagre 1.6g of carbs.
Rice Vinegar
In a pinch you can use white wine vinegar, the quantity remains the same. This adds the tangy taste and offsets the sweetness of the ketchup.
Keep an eye out on the carb count of rice vinegar as it can vary. Ideally, it should be around 1-1.5g of carbs per 100ml.
Chinese Five Spice
Five spice, as the name suggests consists of five distinct spices:
Cinnamon, Cloves, Fennel, Star Anise and Black Pepper.
It is used in a lot of Chinese & Asian dishes and gives them that distinctive taste.
Most UK supermarkets should stock this spice but as always check the label as some may add additional sugar.
Onion and Garlic Powder
Nothing special about these two powders, they just help to add extra flavour to the meat! Both will contribute to the total carb count of the dish but this makes at least 4 servings so it won’t impact your daily carb limit too much.
Garlic powder contains around 2.3g of carbs per tsp and onion powder around 1.8g.
Marinating the meat
If you’re in a rush or just plain hungry, then you can forgo leaving the meat to marinate. The only difference will be that the flavour won’t be quite as intense and developed. However, if you have time, I would recommend that you prepare the meat the day before and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Keto Roasted Chinese Chicken Thighs Recipe
Course: DinnerCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy4
servings6
minutes40
minutes1.5
gMake super crispy Chinese style chicken thighs that are keto-friendly and delicious!
Ingredients
2kg chicken thighs (bone in)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp rice/white wine vinegar
2 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Start by deboning all the chicken thighs and setting aside
- In a large mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add chicken thighs, a couple at a time and mix to ensure all are covered in marinade.
- Optional – pop the chicken in the fridge and allow to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
- Pre-heat oven to 180c (fan) or 200c for conventional.
- Line a baking tray with tin foil and place chicken on it skin side up. (you may need two trays depending on the quantity of chicken).
- Place chicken in middle/top of the oven and cook for 40 minutes.
- Optional – turn the oven up by 20 degrees for the last 5-8 minutes to ensure skin is extra crispy!
- Serve on their own as a protein snack or as part of a meal. You can store them in airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days.
Notes
- Onion / Garlic powder – if you don’t have these to hand then you can omit them.
- Vinegar – Either rice or white wine vinegar will work just fine.
- Total Carbs – Carb count is based on dividing the chicken into 4 servings.
