Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe – Low carb
Fancy some Chinese food while on keto but aren’t sure where to begin? Worry no longer! Check out our keto sweet and sour chicken recipe that is low in carbs but high in taste!
One of the nation’s favourite Chinese dishes is sweet and sour chicken. The actual sauce is ridiculously easy to make, as it only contains sugar, tomato ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, water, and corn flour. If you have your keto cap on, then you’ve probably guessed that it’s a no go for us keto folks!
Where to get the ingredients
Luckily, we can substitute most of the ingredients for low carb keto-friendly alternatives. Most (if not all) can be found in your local supermarket and while some of them may sound a bit weird (Fanta). They work well together!
Fanta Zero Sugar (Orange)
Most normal sweet & sour dishes contain pineapple which adds to that sweet and sour taste. However, pineapple is a bit high in carbs at about 10-13g per 100g. Instead, we can use some sugar-free orange soda. Most brands are fine, but I’ve found that Fanta Zero sugar works best.
- Fruity orange drink with no added sugar
- Made with real fruit natural flavours
- Contains a source of Phenylalanine
- No artificial colours and calories
- Sparkling Low Calorie Orange Fruit Drink with Sweeteners.
- Liven up any occasion with this tongue tingling, fruity orange drink with no added sugar.
- Fanta Zero's cool taste is made with Real fruit, Natural flavours, No artificial colours, No added sugar
- Multipack of 24 x 330ml cans
White Wine Vinegar
Any white wine vinegar will do, it can be found in almost all UK stores in the oil, herbs and vinegar section.
- Classic white wine vinegar
- For dressings, sauces and marinades
- Crisp flavour and a deliciously refreshing fruit aroma
- Bright acidity is perfect for adding piquancy to a range of dishes, sauces and marinades
- Suitable for coeliac, vegetarians and vegans
Also available at: Asda & Sainsbury’s
Frozen Mixed Peppers
Alternatively, you could use fresh peppers but having a bag of mixed frozen peppers makes this dish even easier to prepare and cook.
Available at: Asda, Iceland, Sainsbury’s & Tesco
Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
Beware, not all tinned tomatoes are the same! Some contain added sugar, look for tins that have about 3-4g of carbs per 100g (recommend KTC brand). This recipe only uses half a tin, so adds about 6g of carbs to the total dish (3g per serving, based on two servings).
- VEGETABLE
- Value for money
- Good product with excellent quality
Also available at: Asda & Sainsbury’s
Tomato Ketchup
To add a bit of tang, tomato ketchup is used. Normal ketchup is laden with sugar so we need to source a low carb alternative. Check our complete round-up of the best UK tomato ketchups here.
For this dish, we will be using the winner – Heinz no added sugar & salt tomato ketchup, with only 5.4g of carbs per 100g!
- No artificial preservatives
- No artificial flavours
Also available at: Asda, Sainsbury’s & Tesco
Chilli Flakes
A little bit of heat enhances the other flavours but if you don’t like spice this can be omitted. Adjust to your desired heat level.
- seeds of whole chillies
- spices up your meal
- used in mexican dishes
- delicious spicy flavour
Powdered Sucralose
It wouldn’t be sweet and sour without the sweet! While the tomatoes, ketchup and Fanta bring some level of sweetness, I find that we need a little bit extra.
Any keto-friendly sweetener will do (see our complete list here), sucralose doesn’t have any weird after taste and only a very little amount is needed.
- A sumptuous sweetener that's 600 times sweeter than sugar
- Contains no fat, sugar or calories
- Premium and pure, it's made without fillers
- Completely free from sugar and packed with sweetness, it's ideal for everyday use without worrying about your diet
- Perfect for sweetening tea, coffee and shakes, as well as home-baked foods
Also available at: Bulk
Xanthan Gum
Most Chinese recipes use cornflour to thicken sauces. In its place, xanthan gum can be used. It’s a little harder to work with but does the job.
- Baking enhancer
- Premium quality extra fine powder
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Recyclable and reusable bag
Best served with
One of the best low carb sides to go with this keto sweet and sour chicken recipe is egg fried rice. Just instead of normal grain rice, we use cauliflower rice!
Grab a bag of microwaveable cauliflower rice and cook according to packet instructions. Once cooked, pour into a frying pan on medium heat. Make a well in the middle of the pan and crack an egg into it.
Give it a few seconds then break the egg up and mix into the rice. Allow it to cook and spread amongst the rice.
Add a dash (about 1/2 tsp) of each of the following fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Toss once more and serve with the keto sweet and sour chicken!
Keto Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe – Low carb
Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes20
minutes220
kcalIngredients
300g chicken breast, diced
300ml Fanta zero sugar (or 1 can)
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
120g mixed peppers, roughly sliced (ready made chopped frozen works well)
200g tinned chopped tomatoes (1/2 can)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp no added sugar & salt tomato ketchup
Sprinkle of powdered sucralose (about 2g)
1/2 chicken stock cube
50ml boiling water
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
Salt to taste
Directions
- Place a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat, and add cooking oil (spray, olive oil, or peanut oil). Add onion, and cook until softened and translucent.
- Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes or until browned.
- Add peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes (longer if using frozen peppers).
- Pour in Fanta and tinned tomatoes, and add vinegar, chilli flakes, sucralose, and tomato ketchup. Stir well and reduce heat to medium.
- In a cup, add 1/2 stock cube to 50 ml of boiling water and mix until combined. Add xanthan gum and whisk until a thick gelatinous mixture is achieved.
- Add xanthan gum mixture to the pan and mix well. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the desired thickness is achieved.
Nutrition Facts
2 servings per container
Serving Size350g
Calories220
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
3.49g
6%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
8.16g
3%
- Protein 38.21g 77%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
