Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Jaca
There is a reason sweet and sour chicken is the first thing half of us order at a Chinese restaurant — those crispy, golden nuggets of chicken tangled up in a glossy red-orange sauce that hits sweet, tangy, and savory all at once. This baked version gives you all of that without deep-frying a thing: the chicken gets a quick sear for crunch, then finishes in the oven so it stays shatteringly crisp on the outside and juicy inside, ready to soak up a sauce loaded with bell peppers and sweet pineapple. Our version swaps the sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount — 1 cup of granular Jaca in place of 1/2 cup of conventional sugar — so the sauce turns out just as glossy and sweet with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Allulose dissolves into the simmering sauce exactly like sugar and cooks down into that signature sticky glaze, so you get the takeout flavor you crave without the sugar crash. Adapted from RecipeTin Eats. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast (about 500g, cut into bite-size cubes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (for seasoning the chicken)
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten, to help the coating stick)
- 1 cup cornstarch (cornflour) (for the crispy coating)
- 3 to 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (for searing the chicken)
- as needed oil spray (for the baking tray and to crisp the chicken in the oven)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 small onion (cut into large dice)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/2 green bell pepper (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 8 ounces canned pineapple pieces in natural juice (drained, juice reserved for the sauce)
- 1 cup Jaca (allulose), granular (replaces 1/2 cup of conventional sugar at the 2x ratio — dissolves into the sauce with no added sugar and no aftertaste)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (for the signature tang)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons pineapple juice (reserved from the canned pineapple)
- 3 tablespoons ketchup (for color and depth)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (for savory umami)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (for the sauce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour) (mixed with 4 tablespoons water to thicken the sauce)
Sweetener Used
1 cup granular Jaca Allulose
Replaces: 1/2 cup conventional sugar
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and line a baking tray, ready for the chicken.
- 2
Place the chicken cubes in a bowl, sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, add the beaten egg, and mix to coat. Drain off any excess egg.
- 3
Working in handfuls, shake the excess egg off the chicken and drop it into a ziplock bag with the 1 cup cornstarch. Trap some air, seal, and shake well so every piece is coated. Discard the excess cornstarch.
- 4
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in two batches and cook for about 2 minutes, turning, until the outside is light golden and lightly crisp — the inside will still be raw.
- 5
Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking tray, spray with oil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and crispy all over.
- 6
Meanwhile, make the sauce: discard the skillet oil and wipe it clean. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat, add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds, then add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- 7
Add the red and green bell peppers and cook for 1 minute.
- 8
Stir in the Jaca, apple cider vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir until the Jaca fully dissolves and the sauce starts to bubble — it dissolves just like sugar for a glossy sweet-and-sour glaze with no added sugar.
- 9
Pour in the cornstarch-and-water slurry and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to a syrupy consistency, about 3 minutes.
- 10
Stir in the pineapple pieces to warm through, then remove from the heat.
- 11
Add the baked chicken to the skillet and toss until every piece is coated in the sticky sauce.
- 12
Serve immediately over steamed rice or cauliflower rice, garnished with sliced scallions if you like.
Pro Tips
- Cut the chicken into evenly sized cubes so they cook at the same rate and crisp up uniformly.
- Bake the coated chicken on a wire rack set over the tray if you have one — air circulates underneath and keeps the bottoms crispy.
- Reserve the pineapple juice from the can before draining; you need 2 to 3 tablespoons for the sauce.
- Jaca dissolves just like sugar, so add it with the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir until the liquid is clear before thickening.
- Toss the chicken in the sauce at the very last moment and serve right away so the coating stays crisp.