Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Sweet & Sour Chicken
I love, love, love sweet and sour chicken. But I absolutely do not like some of the unnecessary ingredients that are often added, like red food dye and excess sugar. That’s what makes this Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe so great. It’s made without ketchup, without red food dye, and without added sugar.
To give it that quintessential sweetness, I use Swerve Brown, a brown sugar substitute that works cup-for-cup like regular sugar. It’s zero calorie and non-glycemic, making it perfect for people trying to cut sugar for a variety of reasons – diabetes, keto diet, weight loss, etc. It doesn’t have a weird aftertaste and even caramelizes like sugar.
This recipe keeps well in the fridge and reheats well either in the microwave or on a skillet.
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Sweet & Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1¼ pounds), cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 4-5 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper , seeded, deveined, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper , seeded, deveined, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper , seeded, deveined, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice (reserve the juice)
- 2 cups cooked rice , for serving
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, cornstarch, and salt. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- In a small saucepan, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, Swerve, tomato paste, tamari, and ginger. Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Let boil gently for 5 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot – a drop of water should sizzle immediately when it hits the pan. Add 3 teaspoons of oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Let the oil heat for a few seconds. Add the chicken and spread into one layer. Let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Flip the chicken pieces and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and put on a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Add another teaspoon or two of oil, let it heat up, then add the bell peppers. Fry, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pineapple and sauce to the skillet, cover, and let come to a simmer. Simmer for about 2 minutes or until the bell peppers have softened. Add the chicken back into the pan. Let simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and serve over rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
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