Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken – Paleo

This healthy sweet and sour chicken recipe is a paleo take on the popular restaurant-style Chinese chicken dish. Totally takeout-worthy yet easy, and most importantly, without MSG, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils or GMOs!

Get your takeout fix with this Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe! 

Who’s up for some fakout-takeout? This recipe comes with a warning. It might put you off ordering sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese restaurant ever again.

Yep, I am about to show you  an easy and healthier version of this takout classic to whip up at home in 30 minutes.

This paleo sweet and sour chicken recipe has no refined sugar. The sauce is sweetened with coconut sugar and some sugar-free homemade paleo ketchup. 

As you might suspect, restaurant-style Sweet and Sour Chicken is battered and fried – and yes – that makes it pretty dang irresistible. However, we get pretty much the same effect thanks to an easy coating using tapioca flour. Way less fat and no gluten – that’s a win, you guys! 

The sweet and sour stirfy sauce in this Chinese chicken recipe is simple yet perfect and has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.

This easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken is dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free and paleo, too!

How to make Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken

The recipe could not be easier. We start by cutting the chicken breast into bite-sized chunks. 

Now, heat some oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.

In the meantime, simply dredge the chicken in tapioca flour. And hey, you don’t even need an egg, it just needs to be wet. You can dip the chicken breast chunks in water and the tapioca flour will adhere.

Add the chicken chunks to the hot oil and fry until just cooked and crispy.
While the chicken frying, add all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients to a separate skillet or saucepan.

Cook the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Add the garlic right in the end. Once both the chicken and  Chinese sweet and sour sauce are done toss everything together.

Tips for making this Paleo Chinese Chicken recipe:

• When you cut up your chicken breast, err on the smaller size of “bite-sized.” You don’t want big chunks as the coating will add some volume to the meat.
• To stretch this dish a bit without having to add more mat, I like to sauté some peppers and onions or spring onions for about 4 to 5 minutes. You can do that before or after frying the chicken. Add it to the sweet and sour sauce along with the chicken and combine everything. 
• Make sure your ketchup is paleo-approved. You can make it at home using this simple recipe. 

Variations on this Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe: 

• This time, I didn’t add any veggies to this dish but you could add onions, spring onions, edamame beans, peas, green beans, carrots and/or peppers to bulk it up a bit.
•  My version comes with rice but you can serve it over cauliflower rice for a low-carb verson. 
• If you’re not a fan of chicken, you could substitute shrimp. Simply follow the recipe as you would for the chicken version, but reduce the cooking time to about 2 minutes.
• Feel free to use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos.

Looking for more healthy versions of takeout classics? Try my Paleo General Tso’s Chicken , Paleo Bang Bang Shrimp, and my Paleo Orange Chicken. 

DID YOU MAKE AND LOVE THIS HEALHTY SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN RECIPE? GIVE IT YOUR REVIEW BELOW! ? AND MAKE SURE TO SHARE YOUR CREATIONS BY TAGGING ME ON INSTAGRAM!

Paleo Sweet and Sour Chicken

Dani

Paleo sweet and sour chicken aka healthy Chinese food without MSG, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils or GMOs!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings 1 serving

Calories 847 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 large chicken breast cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tbsp pastured lard or expeller-pressed coconut oil – it has no coconut flavor

Sauce

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar use less for a less sour taste
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced (you can use more or less, I love garlic)

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
• Dredge the chicken in tapioca flour you don’t need an egg, it just needs to be wet. You can dip the chicken in water, the tapioca flour will adhere.
• Add the chicken to the oil and fry on each side until cooked and crispy.
• While the chicken frying, add all the sauce ingredients to a separate pan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Let it thicken.
• In the end, add the garlic.
• Once both the chicken and sauce are done toss together.

Notes

Serve over white rice (find out why it’s healthy and a paleo approved safe starch here) or cauliflower rice.

 

• When you cut up your chicken breast, err on the smaller size of “bite-sized.” You don't want big chunks as the coating will add some volume to the meat.
• To stretch this dish a bit without having to add more mat, I like to sauté some peppers and onions or spring onions for about 4 to 5 minutes. You can do that before or after frying the chicken. Add it to the sweet and sour sauce along with the chicken and combine everything. 
• Make sure your ketchup is paleo-approved. You can make it at home using this simple recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 847kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 48gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 962mgPotassium: 986mgSugar: 23gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1.6mg

Keyword healthy sweet and sour chicken, paleo chicken stir-fry, paleo chinese chicken recipe

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