Sweet and Sour Chicken made healthy with low fodmap, paleo ingredients free of additives and full of flavor.
Did you know that it can take up 6 weeks to get over a gluten contamination? Blah.
A couple of weeks ago we had Chinese takeaway (including a killer sweet and sour chicken dish) for the last time for my father-in-laws birthday. We had eaten from this place a couple times before with no major issues that we could remember. I say for the last time because lo and behold – Mike got glutened. <–(that may or may not be a made up word). The day after our meal Mike broke out in a rash that he used to randomly get before being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. Along with the return of the rash came a return of his old deep muscle aches and a number of other symptoms that used to be written off as side effects of having ME/Chronic Fatigue.
Conveniently, he already had a check up with his gastroenterologist scheduled for a week later. When we described his symptoms his doctor confirmed our suspicion that he was more than likely exposed to cross contamination in the meal and reminded us just how long it could take to get over it. *Sigh*
The thing about healing from Coeliac disease is that a lot of the time it feels like you take 2 steps forward, and 17 steps back. Unless you take food matters into your own hands you leave yourself wide open to cross contamination and further gut damage. Knowing how to cook your own food isn’t just a valuable skill, but a necessity. Basically everything above is just a really long and round about way to say that you should definitely try your hand at making your own food from scratch.
The good news – you can make healthier versions of pretty much anything, and you can even make it ten times better. *Hint* The secret ingredient is love….or salt….whichever. Seriously though, this sweet and sour chicken tastes identical to ones I have ordered in from takeouts and I guarantee it’s a hell of a lot healthier than anything I’d pay for. It took me a few goes to make it right – the first few sauces really took on the sour in sweet and sour. Just…no. I know I nailed this one in the end though because after Mike finished he plate he announced that instead of a cake for his birthday next month, he wants me to recreate his favorite Chinese takeout dishes including this recipe, my Whole 30 Cashew chicken, and a few others.
I adapted this recipe from the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe from DamnDelicious to make it Paleo friendly and low FODMAP. I used the Low FODMAP ketchup that I made last week, but you can totally use your own store bought if that’s easier for you. I also used arrowroot starch to batter the chicken, but you can use cornstarch as a cheaper alternative that works just as well.
No need to order out with this Sweet and Sour Chicken takeout fake out in all it’s sticky glory. What’s your favourite takeout dish?
More Low FODMAP Dinners
- Low FODMAP Chili with Pumpkin and Sausage
- Dairy Free Quiche Lorraine
- Paleo Turkey Burgers with Spinach
- Low FODMAP Maple Mustard Chicken with Rosemary
Paleo & Low FODMAP Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken made healthy with low fodmap, paleo ingredients free of additives and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 cup (100 gram) coconut sugar or regular white sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) apple cider vinegar*
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos, or gluten free soy sauce/tamari
- 1/4 cup (60 g) ketchup or Low FODMAP Ketchup
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken stock
- 1 red pepper cut into chunks
- 1 cup (65 g) pineapple chunks
- 3 spring onions stalks, green part only for low fodmap
Instructions
- First prepare the sauce by adding the coconut sugar, vinegar, coconut aminos, chicken stock and ketchup to a medium sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and leave until later.
- Add chicken pieces and beaten egg to a large ziplock bag. Seal and shake to coat chicken. Then add the arrowroot starch to the bag, shaking again to lightly coat all the chicken pieces.
- Add coconut oil to a large non skillet. Add the coated chicken. Fry over medium heat, a couple of minutes on each side until the coating begins to crisp. Add pepper and pineapple chunks. Continue to saute over medium heat until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Add the sauce to chicken and peppers. Cover and reduce the heat down to a simmer and allow the juices to soak into the chicken for a few minutes. Top with sliced green onions. Serve over rice and enjoy!
Notes
Apple cider vinegar is considered low FODMAP under 2 tablespoons, but if you would prefer another alternative just to be on the safe side you can also use white wine or rice vinegar instead
I recommend making your own chicken stock for low FODMAP or using this FODMAP friendly vegetable stock.
Low fodmap ketchup recipe: http://www.asaucykitchen.com/low-fodmap-ketchup-diy/
Amy says
This recipes sounds amazing, but I’m on SCD. Do you know of any alternatives for arrowroot/tapioca flour/cornstarch that are SCD legal? Or what might happen if I simply leave the arrowroot out? I’m going crazy trying to find things I can actually eat.
Sarah says
Hi Amy! I can’t think of any SCD flours that are similar to tapioca/arrowroot but you could used crushed almonds/almond flour to batter the chicken instead. Instead of adding the almond flour to the ziplock bag, coat the chicken pieces in a small bowl with the flour. Almond flour doesn’t stick as well as starches so it might be a bit too goupy otherwise.
Another option would be to just skip the battering altogether if you don’t mind. Hope that helps!
Amy says
Thanks, Sarah! I’ll give that a try. =)
Amber says
Hi, this recipe looks lovely, I have been missing this takeout style food! Just a note that I think apple cider vinegar(in fact most apple products) are classed as high fodmap? Alternatives being white or rice vinegar 🙂 Just a note for IBS sufferers 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Amber! I was going off of this list: http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/ – they list apple cider vinegar as a safe condiment under 2 tablespoons. The Monash University Low FODMAP app also lists ACV as being safe vinegar. My understanding is that the fermentation process for vinegar reduces some of the FODMAP properties making it ok in small amounts. While apples themselves are very high FODMAP, ACV should be alright in small amounts. I’ll make a note in the recipe though in case people want to use other alternatives 🙂
DW says
Better than takeout. This recipe was easy and extremely delicious. I was a bit worried at first when the chicken turned into a big gooey blob, but it turned out great. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for this fabulous recipe
Sarah says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!
Alina says
This looks great. Will have a go at making it but will most likely use maple syrup instead of sugar (since on I am low fodmap). Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Alina! Hope you like it!
Alina says
Will let you know! Xx
Elizabeth says
This looks delicious! I am planning on making it tonight, but is there any other way this can be prepared (possibly in the oven?) Sometimes fried food isn’t great for people with IBS; just wondering if there are any possible alternatives!
Sarah says
Hi Elizabeth! Totally understandable! I just did a little google search for ideas and I came across this recipe for a baked sweet and sour chicken. We use the same amount of chicken and both so you could easily use my ingredients with her method (baking at 325°F for about 55 minutes while turning the chicken occasionally). Hope that helps! http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/18/baked-sweet-sour-chicken/
Emma says
I read that someone would omit the egg in a future making of the recipe. I am egg free, and it’s hard to find a good egg substitute for this type of dish. Is it safe to leave the egg out? Or is there a substitute you recommend?
Sarah says
Hi Emma!
You could try using milk (can be dairy free milk of your choice if you need it to be). Since chicken breast can be dry the egg (or milk) is used to add a little bit of moisture to the chicken in addition to helping the starch stick. You could also just leave it out altogether and just go for a dry batter. I’ve been playing around with just battering chicken pieces in potato starch lately and I find that it still comes out great – it just has less of a coating.
Hope that helps!
Lauren says
Could you use honey instead of sugar? Thanks!
Sarah says
That’s fine! Honey tends to be sweeter than sugar/coconut sugar though so I recommend adding 1/4 cup honey to start with and then add more if you feel like it needs it up to the full 1/2 cup.
Sarah says
This was delicious! I had to use tapioca starch because I guess I ran out of arrowroot, but it was delicious! My kids and husband loved it. Made it will an “egg roll in a bowl” recipe and they were tasty together! For some reason I can’t give it 5 stars? It’s definitely a 5 star recipe!
Sarah says
Yay, thank you Sarah! So glad you guys liked it 🙂 I love the sound of an egg roll in a bowl – I’m going to look that up!
Amber says
I couldn’t get the chicken to crisp up at all – the egg and arrowroot mostly just turned into mush and stuck to the pan when I tried to fry it. Nevertheless I still liked it. Next time I”ll just leave out the egg & arrowroot. I also added the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple I used to the sauce.
Sarah says
Sorry it didn’t crisp up for you, but I’m glad you still liked the flavor! Sometimes if I add to much chicken to the frying pan without leaving space in between each piece I have the mush problem as well. Another thing you could try if you were to do it again with the flour would be to make sure the oil in the pan is really hot. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
kimberly says
Do we just omit the to keep iy paleo?
Sarah says
Hi Kimberly – can you clarify the question? Thanks!
Kathy says
I’m wondering if she meant to ask about the ketchup? Is there a substitute or just omit it?
Sarah says
Oh that makes sense – thanks for clearing that up, Kathy! In the post I link to a ketchup recipe on my site that’s both low FODMAP and paleo. I’ve never tried this recipe without the ketchup, so I can’t say how it will come out without. Paleo ketchup in general is pretty easy to make though so if you want to keep this completely paleo you can always make a batch to have on hand
Kathy says
Thank you!
Janice says
My homemade ketchup didn’t thicken up very much. Any suggestions?
Sarah says
Hi Janice! A couple possible things that might help:
I’ve found that the longer I simmer the mixture the more it thickens up. Just make sure to keep stirring every now and then so it doesn’t burn. Another thing you could try is to add cornstarch (or arrowroot) to help thicken it. To day that add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon cold water – whisk until you get a slurry like mixture and then add the cornstarch/water combo to the ketchup and simmer until it thickens that way.
Hope that helps!