A healthy Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe, baked on a sheet pan loaded with Asian style veggies. The homemade sweet and sour sauce is sweet, tangy, and flavor packed, while also lower in sugar and sodium than a restaurant version. Healthy take-out at home, with an easy chicken sheet pan dinner!
*Today I’m partnering with Sharp Home USA ~ Sharp creates quality home appliances that make life easier! I’ve been using the Superheated Steam Countertop Oven for the past year, and love to share how it makes cooking healthy meals easier. Thanks for supporting me and the brands I work with. I only share this space with the very best.
Contents
How to Make Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
Summer is calling, and simple dinner ideas are a must to work healthy eating into my schedule. The days get longer, and someone, my works hours get shorter (hello, fair weather distractions!).
Despite my desire to get outside, play, and enjoy the nice weather, my family still needs fed. Sheet pan dinners to the rescue!
To give a chicken and vegetable sheet pan dinner a take-out spin, I coated the chicken in egg and an almond flour mixture, and baked it until golden. This is such a simple way to make homemade “chicken nuggets”, but top it with a tangy Chinese style sweet and sour sauce, and you’ve got a home run dinner.
Sheet Pan Dinners Save the Day!
I use a 2 step process for most sheet pan dinners. The truth is, chicken and vegetables need different baking times if you don’t want the veggies to turn out mushy.
Make Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken by:
- Coating the chicken pieces with egg and the almond flour mixture, and laying out on a baking tray. The chicken gets baked on it’s own first.
- While the chicken is baking, toss some veggies with sesame oil and coconut aminos. I used baby bok choy, broccoli, peppers, and sugar snap peas. Use carrots, cauliflower, or even shredded cabbage.
- Flip the chicken over, and move to 1 side of the baking tray. Add the vegetables to the other side of the pan, and bake together for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is lightly browned and the veggies are crisp-tender.
- Prepare a simple sweet and sour sauce to pour over the crispy baked chicken!
A Kitchen Must-Have
I have a secret to share with you that will make your sheet pan dinners even easier (and taste better!).
For the past year, I have been using a Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven. This handy sidekick uses a combination of superheated steam and convection heat, meaning food bakes quicker, and also comes out more moist and flavorful then in a traditional electric oven.
It’s a real life saver on busy nights. No preheating required, and it bakes about 30% faster than a conventional oven.
Since becoming a mom 4 years ago, my ability to “do it all” has been stretched to the max. Long leisurely dinners are a luxury, rather than a regular occurrence.
“Mom brain” is a real thing. Luckily, healthy dinners are still coming out of my kitchen on a regular basis. The Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven will even cook frozen chicken, meaning if I forget to plan something, dinner isn’t ruined.
Having dinner done faster means more precious moments reading to my son and playing hide and seek before I get him into bed.
Have you tried this recipe? Or, do you have a Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven? Be sure to share your creations on social media and use the hashtags #SimplyBetterLiving and #SharpHome !
A Healthier Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
Chinese food is SO good. It’s also often filled with gluten, MSG, tons of sodium, sugar, and processed starches (that’s fun to think about!).
Making Chinese style take-out at home is a great way to enjoy the best flavors, without the bloat from a sugar and salt packed meal.
Sweet and sour sauce is simple to make at home. It’s often made with ketchup, but this healthier version is made with date syrup and tomato paste.
For the homemade sweet and sour sauce, you’ll need:
- Pineapple juice
- Coconut Aminos (tamari is another wheat free soy sauce alternative!)
- Rice wine vinegar (unsweetened)
- Date syrup (my favorite sweetener, but use a light flavored honey for Paleo)
- Tomato paste
- Arrowroot & water (a great paleo thickener)
A Perfect Sheet Pan Dinner
We’ve been lowering the carbs in our meal and using a lot of veggie swaps lately.
Something I always have on hand? Riced cauliflower. Preparing cauliflower this way is something I just do when I get home from the store with a cauliflower. It takes about 5 minutes to process it in a food processor, and then it is so easy and fast to stir fry for meals.
If you’re family has higher carb needs, steam some rice for a delicious and healthy meal.
However you decide to serve this healthy baked sweet and sour chicken, I am sure you’ll love it!
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I love to see your creations!
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 egg beaten
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder omit for lower carb - helps chicken crisp more
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 4 cups Asian style vegetables bok choy, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, or peppers
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2/3 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup date syrup
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, salt and ginger.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs.
- Line a baking tray with parchment or baking paper (to prevent chicken from sticking and coating coming off).
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, and then fully coat in the almond flour mixture. Lay out across the baking tray, allowing some space for the coating the brown.
- Bake the chicken in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven on the Bake/Reheat on 425º F for 10 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare veggies by drizzling with sesame oil and coconut aminos.
- Flip the chicken, and push to 1 half of the baking tray. Add the vegetables to the other half of the baking tray.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- IF PREPARING THIS RECIPE IN A CONVENTIONAL OVEN, PREHEAT OVEN TO 425º F AND BAKE FOR 14 MINUTES, AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL 13-16 MINUTES WITH THE VEGETABLES.
- Serve chicken and vegetables drizzled with sweet and sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- In a small sauce pan, add pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, coconut aminos, date syrup and tomato paste. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
- In a small dish, add arrowroot and water, and mix until smooth.
- While continuing to whisk sauce, add arrowroot mixture slowly. Sauce will fully thicken as it cools.
Video
Nutrition
Other Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes:
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Artichoke Spinach Stuffed Chicken, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Chicken Fajita Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Chicken and Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Dinner, by Sunkissed Kitchen
I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration.
This Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I will receive part of the sale as a commission. This helps me continue to bring you lots of fresh and inspired recipes!
I love every single thing about this recipe! It’s delicious, easy and I love that you can make it in that oven!! I definitely need to get that oven!
Sweet and sour chicken is my absolute favourite! This GF version looks so delicious 🙂
Love that this is a GF option on a classic dish … also, can’t go wrong using a sheet pan to cook all the parts of the meal!
Anything to save time on clean up is a winner with me!
You had me at healthy take-out at home and easy chicken sheet pan dinner. I’m adding this to our menu for August.
I love how you’ve used almond flour and arrowroot powder to make this GF! Thanks for the recipe.