Low Carb Sweet & Sour Chicken - PCOS-Friendly Recipe
Nutrition per Serving
Key PCOS-Friendly Ingredients: Chicken is an excellent source of lean protein. Egg is provide complete protein with all essential amino acids. Olive oil is a key Mediterranean diet ingredient rich in polyphenols.
Adequate protein intake is crucial for PCOS management as it helps stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces cravings. Healthy fats support hormone production and help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins essential for reproductive health.
This recipe pairs well with a side of leafy greens or a simple mixed salad to add extra fiber and micronutrients to your lunch.
Ingredients
- CHICKEN:
- 5-6 Small Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 2 Large Eggs, Beaten
- 1 Cup Crushed Pork Rinds
- 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- SWEET & SOUR SAUCE:
- 1/2 Cup Erythritol
- 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar
- 4 Tbsp. Reduced Sugar Ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Instructions
- THE STOVETOP [METHOD 1]
- Cube chicken into ~1″ chunks.
- In a food processor, combine pork rinds, parmesan cheese, and almond flour. Grind until a meal-like substance is formed. Then, drip the chicken in the egg and coat in the pork rind mixture and set on a plate.
- Heat the oils in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken in (in small batches) and cook.
- In the meantime, combine all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and whisk while it boils down.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and continue cooking the rest of your batches.
- In a bowl, pour the sauce over the chicken and mix together to coat.
- THE OVEN [METHOD 2]
- Preheat your oven to 325F.
- Get your chicken breasts ready. If they are thick, pound them thin. You’re looking for about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thickness. I started with 6 and had to separate one of the breasts into 2 pieces. Slice the chicken breasts into cubes. Try to be as uniform as possible, but it doesn’t matter too much.
- Fill up a Ziploc bag about half way with pork rinds. Add your salt and pepper. I add about 1 tsp. of each.
- Crush them with a rolling pin well (you want a crumbly texture with only a few larger pieces, your pork rinds should be more crushed than mine). Add your almond flour and parmesan cheese and shake well. Make sure you’re using a fine almond flour. Bob’s Red Mill’s won’t give the texture needed for this, as it’s grainy. I use Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour, which is fantastic for baking treats as well – giving a realistic flavor and texture closer to all purpose flour.
- Put your pork rinds into 1 bowl, and your 2 eggs into another bowl. Beat your eggs until they’re thoroughly scrambled.
- In a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil and 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil on high heat.
- Dip your chicken breast into the egg and then into the pork rinds and almond flour mixture. Add them to the pan to fry. Don’t worry if your chicken isn’t completely coated. The sauce will help with that and give a nice balance. You don’t want to fully cook them here, you only want to partially fry them so they have a crispy outside.
- When they’re finished frying, add them to a baking pan. I had to fry 3 different batches of chicken, so don’t worry if you can’t fit it all into 1 pan. We’ll be cooking these in the oven.
- Let’s get to work on the sauce. Add 4 Tbsp. reduced sugar ketchup, 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar, 1/2 Cup Erythritol, 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, and 1 tsp. Garlic powder.
- Mix the sauce well until it becomes thick.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, distributing it the best you can.
- Mix the chicken into the sauce so that every piece is covered.
- We want to put this in the oven for 60 minutes total, but flip each piece of chicken every 15 minutes. After 15 minutes your chicken should look like this.
- 30 minutes in, we need to flip the chicken again, the sauce should start to be reducing and the chicken starting to let out its natural juice. You’ll see a divide in the sauce with the chicken juice on the top. Mix it in well.
- 45 minutes in, you should start to see the sauce start to harden up a bit, coating each piece of chicken well. Flip the chicken one last time and return it to the oven for 15 more minutes.
- Once the 60 minutes is finished, the sauce should be reduced down into a thicker and more dippable consistency.
- Serve up and enjoy! I personally don’t mix the chicken at the end of the 60 minutes. Just spoon it straight onto a plate with broccoli or cauliflower fried rice, adding some more sauce on top.
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Low Carb Sweet & Sour Chicken contribute to your health goals:
- Chicken: Protein-rich meals help manage insulin resistance common in PCOS
- Egg: Contain choline which supports liver function and hormone metabolism
- Olive oil: Anti-inflammatory properties make it especially beneficial for PCOS
- Coconut: May support metabolism without spiking blood sugar
- Almond: Magnesium helps improve insulin sensitivity and reduce PCOS symptoms
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing protein-rich ingredients that help regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin), and anti-inflammatory spices that target the chronic inflammation underlying PCOS. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Low Carb Sweet & Sour Chicken can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Chicken Breast.
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