Slow Cooker Sweet And Sour Chicken
This slimming friendly Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken tastes so good you'd think it came from the takeaway!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories307
- Carbs15g
- Protein33g
- Fat13g
- Saturates4g
- Sugars6g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
It’s no secret that we love a good takeaway, but traditional takeaway dishes have been off the menu since we started on our slimming journey. Our Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is so low on calories and Points that you can even enjoy it if you’re counting calories or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
You can use any slow cooker to make this recipe, but we’ve cooked ours in the Instant Pot which is one of our favourite kitchen gadgets. If you’re short on time, you can even use the pressure cooker function on the Instant Pot to cook this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken in just 15 minutes!
We think that our Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken tastes just as good as one from the takeaway and it’s so easy to make. Best served with lots of fluffy, boiled rice and veg!
What diets is this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken suitable for?
This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe is suitable for dairy free diets.
It can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free alternatives;
- Stock cubes
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
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There is an unusual secret ingredient in this dish… Fish sauce! Please don’t be put off by the name! If you smell it in the bottle it’ll probably repulse you, but in a dish it really is amazing.
We’ve thickened the sauce with something called Xanthan Gum. It’s a gluten free thickener and you only need the smallest of amounts – we used just 1/2 a teaspoon!! If you don’t want to use Xanthan Gum then you can use cornflour instead (about 2 tbsp) – just remember to adjust the nutritional values accordingly.
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‘This was so good, away in touring caravan, so good to have a couple of meals prepared and not cooking everyday. Simple and very tasty.’
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We’re really big fans of our Instant Pot, and have it on the counter at least 3 days a week.
Most supermarkets stock fish sauce (it’s near the soy sauce), so you should be able to get hold of it. If you can’t find it, then you can always grab it from Amazon.
You can find Xanthan gum in the free from aisle of your local supermarket but it can be a little pricy. We like to buy tubs of it from Amazon.
How many calories are in this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
There are 307 calories per portion in this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
What could I serve with this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is the perfect Fakeaway and is great when served with lots of fluffy, boiled rice. It also works really well when served alongside any of the following accompaniments:
How do you know when Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is cooked?
You need to cook this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
This should take around 20 minutes in the Instant Pot or 4 1/2 to 6 hours in the slow cooker.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
Can you cook this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken any other way?
Yes you can!
We’ve used the Instant Pot to cook this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken which takes around 15 minutes. You can also use a slow cooker if you prefer and this should take around 4-5 hours on High.
If you want to cook this dish on the hob, then check out our Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe instead!
How long can you keep Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
No, we wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe.
How do I reheat Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Slow Cooker Sweet And Sour Chicken
This slimming friendly Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken tastes so good you'd think it came from the takeaway!
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
15 MINS
- KCals 307
- Carbs 15G
Instructions
Instant Pot - pressure method
- Remove the skin from the thighs and season well. Place the Instant Pot into Sauté mode and spray with low calorie cooking spray.
- In a jug - add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, lemon juice, sweetener, tomato puree, water and 2 chicken stock cubes and mix well. Set aside.
- Brown the chicken thighs in small batches in the Instant Pot, then keep them to one side.
- Deglaze the instant pot with some of the water, and make sure to scrape the bits of chicken off the bottom if any have stuck.
- Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, chilli, garlic and ginger to the pot. You want to cook them until the onions begin to soften then turn the Instant Pot off.
- Layer the browned chicken thighs on top of the vegetables then pour the jug of sauce ingredients over the chicken.
- Place the pot on the Instant Pot, and set the valve to the sealing position. Press "Manual" and change the time to 15 minutes. Let the Instant Pot do it's thing.
- Once the Instant Pot has finished, allow 2 minutes to appear on the keep warm timer then do a quick release. Once the pressure has gone, open the lid.
- Remove the chicken thighs and set aside. In a jug, measure out the xanthan gum and add a few tablespoons of the sauce in the Instant Pot. Mix well until the lumps are gone and it's turned into a paste. Add this to the sauce in the pot.
- Place the Instant Pot into Sauté mode, add the chicken back into the pot, along with the peppers and spring onion. The sauce will start to thicken, cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn the Instant Pot off and stir the pineapple through. Serve immediately.
Slow cooker method
- Remove the skin from the thighs and season well. Mist a pan with low calorie cooking spray and heat.
- In a jug - add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, lemon juice, sweetener, tomato puree, water and 2 chicken stock cubes and mix well. Set aside.
- Brown the chicken thighs in small batches in the pan, then keep them to one side.
- Deglaze the pan with some of the water, and make sure to scrape the bits of chicken off the bottom if any have stuck, pour this into your slow cooker.
- Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, chilli, garlic and ginger to the slow cooker and layer the browned chicken thighs on top. Pour the jug of sauce over the chicken.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 4-5 hours.
- At 4 hours in, remove the chicken thighs and set aside. In a jug measure out the xanthan gum and add a few tablespoons to the sauce in the slow cooker. Mix well until the lumps are gone and it's turned into a paste. Add this to the sauce in the pot.
- Add the chicken back into the pot, along with the peppers and spring onion. LEAVING THE LID OFF, cook for a further 30-60 minutes.
- Turn the slow cooker off and stir the pineapple through. Serve immediately.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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37 comments
See what others have to say
KatieThursday 12th January 2023
Hi. My pressure cooker doesn’t have a manual button but I pressure cook button instead. Should I cook at low pressure or high pressure for the 15 minutes?
Many thanks, my family love your recipes and I’m very excited to try the pressure cooker ones too!
Katie
HollyMonday 16th January 2023
Hey Katie, cook at high pressure then allow 2 minutes to appear on the keep warm timer then do a quick release. Once the pressure has gone, open the lid. Hope that helps!
MicheleSunday 11th September 2022
Hi
I’m planning to aid tinned pineapple instead of fresh. How much would you recommend please.
Thanks in advance.
Michele
HollyTuesday 20th September 2022
Hey Michele, use like for like between fresh and tinned pineapple, hope that helps!
Naomi LoftusWednesday 8th December 2021
Can I freeze this without the pineapple chunks?
LisaFriday 10th December 2021
Hi Naomi
Yes, this can be frozen with or without the pineapple. If you want to add the pineapple after freezing, defrost the sweet and sour thoroughly, reheat until piping hot (at least 75°C) and stir the pineapple through just before serving.
CharlotteSunday 28th May 2023
Will this work without sweetener so it’s baby friendly
SharonWednesday 18th October 2023
Hi Charlotte, if you don’t use sweetener you will need to use an alternative such as sugar which is also not baby friendly. The soy sauce and fish sauce are also very salty so we wouldn’t recommend this recipe for a baby.
Jessica WWednesday 3rd March 2021
I have a shellfish allergy. What are the best alternatives to Fish sauce and Oyster sauce when cooking Chinese?
HollyWednesday 3rd March 2021
Hi Jessica, some good substitutions for fish are soy sauce or Henderson’s Relish and for the oyster sauce you could swap it for Hoisin sauce, hope that helps!
Lisa JohnsonSaturday 23rd January 2021
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh and if so how much?
LisaMonday 1st February 2021
Hi Lisa
Yes, you can use 800g of chicken breast instead
MarieTuesday 2nd June 2020
I made this but it was so so salty and I don’t know why?
SharonTuesday 2nd June 2020
Hi Marie, there are several ingredients in this dish that will add to the saltiness of the dish; the fish sauce, soy sauce and the chicken stock cubes. If you are finding this too salty for your taste, try leaving out one of the stock cubes. Thanks for getting in touch.
NatashaFriday 10th January 2020
Hi , when do you take the chicken of the thigh bone or do you get bonless?
Holly LevellMonday 1st June 2020
Hi Natasha, we use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Hope that helps!
HayleyTuesday 24th September 2019
Hi can you do this on the job or even instead of the slow cooker or instant pot?
Emma TWednesday 25th September 2019
Hi Hayley,
We have a recipe here ????
https://pinchofnom.com/recipes/sweet-and-sour-chicken/
Charlie ChedgzoyFriday 8th February 2019
Hiya i use tour recipes often and always instagram tag you 😉
Just wonderinf if i could make this sweet and sour chicken in the pan/wok rather than in my slow cooker?
I will be using chicken breast too
Thankyou
Olivia HorriganWednesday 6th February 2019
Hi
How long would you put this in the slow cooker for on a medium heat?
KateSaturday 10th March 2018
Hi,
Can you use sugar instead of sweetener?
EmmaSunday 12th March 2023
Hi can I use sugar instead of sweetener
SharonWednesday 15th March 2023
Hi Emma, yes it would be fine to use sugar instead of sweetener. The sweetener we use in our recipes has the same weight, texture and sweetness as sugar so it will be a straight swap. We have a handy article about sweeteners here which you may find useful Which Type of Sweetener Should I Use? Enjoy the recipe!
LouiseSunday 11th February 2018
Would it be ok to cook this in a slow cooker on low? And if so how long would you suggest to leave it in for?
ClaireSunday 4th February 2018
Is there an alternative to the xanthan gum please
RebeccaSaturday 6th January 2018
When using the instant pot how long should I set it to cook if I used chicken breasts instead of thighs? I just got my instant pot and I’m excited to try recipes in it!
Thanks
LisaFriday 3rd November 2017
This sounds lovely, although I am unable to eat peppers. Could you suggest an alternative ingredient or should I just make it without?
Eileen BrewerThursday 30th March 2017
Had this for our evening meal last night. Absolutely delicious. Love the fresh taste. Will definitely cook this again
KateFriday 31st March 2017
Hi Eileen
Glad you like it 🙂
KerrySaturday 18th March 2017
I made this it was nice and mine looks darker than the pic too because of how dark the soy sauce was i used
KateThursday 23rd March 2017
Hi Kerry
Yes some soy sauces can be a bit darker, but it shouldn’t affect the flavour
SusieSaturday 4th March 2017
What is an instant pot.?
KateMonday 6th March 2017
Hi Susie
The Instant Pot is like a slow cooker/pressure cooker hybrid. It’s so versatile, you can slow cook, pressure cook, saute and hot hold with the touch of a button
ClaireSunday 5th February 2017
Soy sauce – light or dark?
I made this using dark soy sauce and its very dark in colour. Nothing like the photo above
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
We used dark, although Soy sauce comes in varying degrees of dark. The dark that we’re using at the moment, isn’t as dark as the one we usually get.
alison fisherThursday 12th January 2017
I made this using my instant pot last night and was very delicious and easy to do (I prepped all veg in advance so i could make it with no fuss when I got in) My husband said it tasted much better than any sweet and sour chicken he has eaten at restaurants in the past! so that is the seal of approval 🙂
KateFriday 13th January 2017
Hi Alison
We love our Instant Pot! It makes dishes like this sooooo easy to cook. I think prepping the veg is the hardest part!????
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