When you got a hankering for your favorite Chinese food, but want to stay keto, what do you do? Make this keto friendly sweet and sour chicken, of course!

My family loves going out for Chinese buffet food. It’s their weakness, of sorts. With a buffet, and all you can eat, we get our money’s worth for our boys! 

The biggest problem with that type of food is all the garbage that is often put into it. From MSG and unfermented soy sauce, to loads of flour and soybean oil for frying, it’s not the healthiest choice to make. Let’s not even go into the dessert table, okay? 

One of the dishes we love is sweet and sour chicken. It’s got the tang, the sweet and loads of chicken nuggets. It was the dish that my daughter learned to use chopsticks on. What a memory, right? And since food often surrounds our fondest memories, it’s a good idea to have that food once in a while.

But, not on a keto diet. Sweet and sour chicken from the local restaurant is a no-no. However, this keto sweet and sour chicken is the perfect replacement! All the sweet tang, and loads of chunky chicken make one terrific meal! 

How do you make keto sweet and sour chicken?

First, you take out the stuff they traditionally make it with and use keto friendly items. For example, we are removing the soy sauce, and the brown sugar. Next to go was the high carb pineapple. 

Finally, we had to find a replacement for the cornstarch. Cornstarch is used to coat the chicken before adding breading, and it’s also used as a thickener in the sauce. Corn is NOT keto friendly, as it can cause inflammation in many people. It’s also very high in carbs. 

We need to use something far more keto friendly. This sweet and sour chicken recipe calls for arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.

How do I use arrowroot powder to thicken a sauce?

Other names you may see it go by are arrowroot starch or arrowroot flour. It’s value to us is a low carb, non inflammatory thickener.

To use it in a sauce, you will mix 1 part arrowroot powder with one to two parts cold water to form a slurry. This step prevents clumping of the sauce when you add the arrowroot to it. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and then pour in the arrowroot slurry. Lower the heat and stir constantly just until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

Arrowroot is often used in sauces that should remain clear, but it can be used in all sorts of gravies as well. However, although you can freeze a sauce with arrowroot powder, it doesn’t really reheat well and it’s not good in recipes that need long cook times. When you are using it for a long cook time, such as a pot roast, add it at the very end, just before serving for best results. 

Other Chicken Recipes To Try

Chicken Cordon Bleu (keto, low carb)

Get the Recipe

Chicken Chips-Low Carb, Keto Friendly, Paleo

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Chicken Alfredo Bake Recipe

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Other ways to stay keto friendly at Chinese restaurants:

• Steer clear of the low mein noodles, the fried rice, and the white rice. 
• Stick with beef and broccoli or the salads.
• Try the roasted veggies-our local store has cauliflower, broccoli, and green beans all the time.
• Look for “Queen chicken”, as that is basically plain roasted chicken thighs and legs.
• Whenever possible, try the Mongolian BBQ, and add your own proteins and veggies. Ask for “no sauce” when it’s being cooked. 

Let’s make some restaurant style food at home, shall we? This keto sweet and sour chicken is quick and easy, and will satisfy your hungry family!