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AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken is an irresistible chicken dinner recipe with a super delicious! rich, satisfying sauce base, some well-chosen veggies, pineapple and moist chunks of chicken. This recipe can be made on the stove top or in an Instant Pot and is perfect for a variety of whole food diets including Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free, GAPS, Low FODMAP and nightshade-free — finally a sweet and sour recipe with … no red bell peppers. 🙂
Ingredients in AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken
You’ll love how easy these ingredients are! Just grab a few things at the market, or keep them stocked, and this recipe is a cinch to pull together.
The main recipe ingredients are:
- avocado oil — If you’re not doing the AIP diet, for example, Paleo or Whole30, you may use sesame oil here.
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- onion — Omit for Low FODMAP.
- baby bok choy — or regular, if baby isn’t available
- green onions — Use only the greens for Low FODMAP.
- fresh or canned pineapple chunks
- sea salt
For the sauce
If you buy a can of organic pineapple chunks, you probably have all these quick ingredients on hand, or they’re easy to pick up at the store:
- dates
- pineapple juice, drained from the canned pineapple if you use canned
- coconut aminos
- apple cider vinegar
- sea salt
- garlic — Omit for Low FODMAP.
- ginger powder
- tapioca flour — Omit for GAPS.
How to make AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken
The first time I made this recipe, it was done cooking, and I said to myself, “That’s it? It’s done?” Especially if you meal prep the veggies (chop them the day before or in advance), this recipe comes together SO fast. With just 18 minutes of cooking time on the stove top, and less in the Instant Pot, you’ll love the awesomeness of the recipe in so little time and with so little work.
Choose first to: make this recipe in one pan on the stove top OR in your Instant Pot.
1-pan, 18-minute stove top AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken
- In wok or large rimmed skillet, sauté chicken, onions and sea salt for about 8 minutes, until chicken is cooked on the outside. Add sauce, bok choy, whites of green onions, if using, and pineapple.
- (While chicken and onions are cooking, make sauce.)
- Once sauce is added to the pan, slow simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with optional green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve with cauli rice or Herb Roasted Cauliflower. Enjoy!
So fast and easy, just a few steps!
Instant Pot AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken
- Make Sweet & Sour Sauce: Stir/whisk all the ingredients together.
- Select “Sauté” button on IP. Add oil, chicken and onions to insert pot. Cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Press “Cancel” button.
- Add bok choy, whites of green onions, if using, and pineapple. Add sauce, and stir well.
- Put lid on pot. Seal. Use Manual button, and adjust time to 5 minutes. When timer sounds, do a QPR.
- Serve, garnished with optional green onions and fresh cilantro.
I know you won’t believe how fast and easy this recipe is, because that’s how I feel when I make it.
AIP Sweet & Sour Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Nighshade-free, Low FODMAP)
Equipment
- deep rimmed pan or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 pounds chicken thighs boneless skinless, each one cut into about 9 squares, 1" to 2" inch pieces
- 2 large heads baby bok choy chopped into 1" to 2 inch" pieces, or 1 small head
- 1 onion chopped into 1" to 2" inch pieces, omit for Low FODMAP
- 1 bunch green onions white part cut into 2 inch lengths, green part sliced thinly for garnish, omit white part for Low FODMAP
- ¾ cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil For non-AIP (Paleo etc): okay to use sesame oil.
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or Potassium Lite Salt
AIP Sweet & Sour Sauce
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice drained from canned pineapple, if using
- ¼ cup dates (about 2 large medjool) chopped small and soaked in ⅓ cup boiling water for 10 minutes, or overnight if meal prepping (save the soaking liquid)
- 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1-½ Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour Omit for GAPS.
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or Potassium Lite Salt
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic according to preference, crushed or minced, omit for Low FODMAP
Instructions
- Optional: Meal prep veggies, dates and even chicken. Chop each one the day before (or several days before), and store in fridge covered until you're ready to cook. This recipe comes together extra fast if you meal prep the ingredients.
Stove top instructions
- In wok or large rimmed skillet, sauté chicken, onions and sea salt for about 8 minutes, until chicken is cooked on the outside. While chicken and onions are cooking, make sauce: In small bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients well, including softened dates and soaking water. Add sauce, bok choy, whites of green onions, if using, and pineapple to cooking pan.
- Slow simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove lid one time during cooking to stir briefly and lower heat if it's bubbling too fast.
- Garnish with optional green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve with cauli rice or Herb Roasted Cauliflower. Enjoy! Lots of delicious sauce with this recipe, so you may enjoy eating some of it with a spoon!
Instant Pot instructions
- Make Sweet & Sour Sauce: Stir/whisk all the ingredients together, including the soaked dates and soaking water.
- Select "Sauté" button on IP. Add oil, chicken and onions to insert pot. Once the IP is fully heated and the contents are sizzling, cook, stirring, 2 to 4 minutes, until chicken is mostly cooked on the outside. Press "Cancel" button.
- Add bok choy, whites of green onions and pineapple. Add Sauce. Stir well: The insert will still be quite hot and sizzling at this time, so the sauce will and should begin to thicken slightly as you stir it in.
- Put lid on pot. Seal. Use Manual button, and adjust time to 5 minutes. When timer sounds, press "Cancel" button. Do a QPR.
- Garnish with optional green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve with cauli rice or Herb Roasted Cauliflower. Enjoy! Lots of delicious sauce with this recipe, so you may enjoy eating some of it with a spoon!
Nutrition
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Brigid Cammack says
I would be interested in the VAD version of this recipe. Thanks for all you do!!
Megan says
Hi Brigid, happy to help, and my pleasure! 🙂 I’d sub the pineapple with peeled apple cubes. For the veggies, I’d sub in peeled zucchini and asparagus, but add the asparagus for just the last few minutes of stove top cooking, so it doesn’t get over-cooked. Lastly, the pineapple juice, you might be fine with that small amount occasionally, or you could do part apple juice, with a little fresh lemon juice subbed in for about 1 Tablespoon of it. And then omit the garlic. All else is good to go. 🙂
Heather W. says
Do you have a good idea for keto substitutes?
Megan says
Hi Heather, sure: I’d sub peeled chayote squash or peeled zucchini for the pineapple, and then use pineapple extract: https://amzn.to/3Ba1zU0. Omit the onions, except the greens of the green onions. For the pineapple juice, dates and soaking water: I’d sub 2/3 cup water; pull out 2 T of water, and replace it with 2 T of lemon juice + 2 T low carb brown sugar. Omit the garlic. Lastly, fan and whisk in a tiny bit of xanthan gum at the end to thicken, and omit the tapioca. 🙂
Helen Blain says
This looks do good! I’m
Learning substitutions for VAD. What do you recommend? Thank you.
Megan says
Hi Helen, great. I’d sub the pineapple with peeled apple cubes. For the veggies, I’d sub in peeled zucchini and asparagus, but add the asparagus for just the last few minutes of stove top cooking, so it doesn’t get over-cooked. Lastly, the pineapple juice, you might be fine with that small amount occasionally, or you could do part apple juice, with a little fresh lemon juice subbed in for about 1 Tablespoon of it. And then omit the garlic. All else is good to go. 🙂
Helen Blain says
Thank you! This helps me with not only this recipe, but others as well. I’m looking forward to trying it.
Megan says
Great, Helen, happy to help!
Dianne says
I didn’t think dates would be FODMAP-safe.
Megan says
Hi Dianne, dates are Low FODMAP for a 30g serving, which is approximately 5 dates.