One-Pan Baked Gluten-Free Sweet & Sour Chicken (2024)

by Jess · This post may contain affiliate links · 27 Comments

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This one-pan baked gluten-free sweet and sour chicken recipe is 100% gluten-free and not fried in a frying pan for even a second. Tender pieces of chicken are lightly breaded in a homemade spiced coating and then drizzled in coconut oil and a sweet and tangy sticky sauce and then baked to perfection.

Table of Contents

Why this gluten-free sweet and sour chicken over takeout?

Everyone has crazy busy weeknights, right? I get it. I get home way past what should be my dinnertime, overly hungry with no idea of whatto eat. All that I want to do is quickly order some chinese food for delivery and hear that doorbell ring and in walks a bag of hot and delicious (and gluten-free) sweet and sour chicken.

Oh wait..... that was just a dream? That isn't going to really happen? What? Well now you can have that amazing meal right at home using only one pan, a meal that is 100% completely baked and not fried, and is all gluten-free! No, now you are not dreaming.

I've got your busy weeknight craving covered with this one-pan baked gluten-free sweet and sour chicken recipe (AND.... now I have a fan-freaking-tastic one-pan baked gluten-free General Tso's chicken recipe that will knock your socks off too)!

What does the sweet and sour sauce taste like?

Well.... it's sweet and tangy.

The sugar and coconut oil and ketchup are the backbone of the sweetness in the sauce. The tanginess comes from the apple cider vinegar and the gluten-free soy sauce (you could use coconut aminos if you would like!).

And of course, I add in a spicy option. So if you'd like a small pinch of heat, add in the optional red pepper flakes and/or drizzle a bit of sriracha sauce on the chicken pieces once they are ready to be served.

Gluten-Free Sweet and Sour Chicken ingredients:

1.5 # chicken breast, cubed
1.5 cups brown or white rice flour
1.5 cups cornstarch
½ tablespoon onion powder
½ tablespoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup coconut oil
7 tablespoon GF ketchup
1 cup sugar, can use coconut sugar
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoon GF soy sauce
1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

How to make gluten-free sweet and sour chicken at home?

The chicken pieces are first coated in rice flour and cornstarch, then baked in coconut oil. Then the chicken is drizzled in a sweet and tangy onion and garlic sauce and then baked again until the drizzle turns into the most amazing sweet and sour glaze. I like to serve my one-pan baked gluten-free sweet and sour chicken with yummy brown rice or quinoa that I have in my pantry and some fresh steamed broccoli. Then it's just time to enjoy (and then go to bed! What a long workday!).

How to make your sweet and sour chicken recipe stand out:

I like to top my gluten-free sweet and sour chicken with chopped parsley or slivers of fresh green onion.

How about sprinkle your chicken with sesame seeds? It adds a slight crunch and a beautiful polished look!

Add a drizzle of beautiful glistening honey OR spice it up with a drizzle of bright orange sriracha sauce!

What should I serve with my gluten-free sweet and sour chicken?

This meal is complete with a simple side such as:

Cilantro Lime Rice
Sriracha Mayo Broccoli
Teriyaki Green Beans

Want more one-pan gluten-free asian chicken dishes?

Besides this gluten-free sweet and sour chicken recipe, we have a few others that are by far some of the most popular recipes on the site!

One-Pan Baked Gluten-Free Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken
One-Pan Baked Gluten-Free General Tso’s chicken
One-Pan Baked Bang Bang Chicken

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1.5 # chicken breast, cubed
1.5 cups brown or white rice flour
1.5 cups cornstarch
½ tablespoon onion powder
½ tablespoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup coconut oil
7 tablespoon GF ketchup
1 cup sugar, can use coconut sugar
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoon GF soy sauce
1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Place the coconut oil in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and evenly distribute the oil over the bottom of the dish.
In a medium bowl, add the beaten eggs. Set aside.
In a large ziploc bag, combine the cornstarch, onion powder, ½ tablespoon garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well. In another large ziploc bag, pour in the rice flour. Set these two bags aside.
Dip the cubed chicken pieces into the egg and allow the excess to drip off. Then place the chicken pieces into the bag with the rice flour, zip the bag up tightly, shake the contents until evenly covered in the flour and then remove and place the pieces inside the bag with the cornstarch mixture and do the same shaking technique as before.
Place the coated chicken pieces into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to allow the chicken to cook and crisp evenly.
While the chicken is baking, combine the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder, yellow onion, minced garlic, and pepper flakes together in a medium bowl.
Once the 45 minutes is up, pour the sauce overtop the chicken and stir to make sure that the chicken pieces are entirely covered in the sauce.
Cook for another 10-20 minutes (stir after 10 minutes) or until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce starts to thicken and turn into a glaze.
Remove from oven and serve while still warm. The sauce will thicken slightly more while cooling.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hillary says
June 19, 2019 at 1:47 pm
Im having a baby in August and want some favorite meals on deck in the freezer. This is definitely one of them in my house! But do you have any suggestions on how to successfully freeze this recipe?
Reply
Jen says
April 03, 2019 at 1:09 pm
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and sooo good! Quick question...should I be heating up the coconut oil before putting in the baking dish because of the consistency in the jar?
Thanks!
Reply
See Also
Sweet and Sour Chicken | Marion's Kitchen Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken Sweet and Sour Chicken Sugar Free Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
- Jess says
  August 06, 2019 at 10:48 am
  Hi Jen! Glad that you loved it. Great question. Yes! Melt the coconut oil first. Thanks for clarifying! 🙂
  Reply
Brianna says
December 12, 2018 at 6:41 pm
This is so delicious, thank you! I switched it up and did half as much ground cayenne pepper instead of the flakes and it was perfect.
Reply
- Jess says
  July 01, 2019 at 12:55 am
  Oh what a yummy idea! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment so that others know too! 🙂
  Reply
Jenny says
June 20, 2017 at 2:07 pm
Can I subistute evoo instead of coconut oil? I'm fresh out. Making it tonight!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  June 20, 2017 at 2:45 pm
  You sure can! It will give you a little bit of a different flavor (the coconut oil gives it a little bit of a sweet flavor) so I'd add in an extra TBSP of honey to the sauce if you are worried about the taste.
  Reply
Nadine says
May 08, 2017 at 2:30 am
Hey !
I have one question Why do you use bags istead of bowls to mix te chicken with the Riceflour ?
Thankyou !
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  May 16, 2017 at 11:12 am
  It's just personal preference. I like that I can zip up the bags, shake the chicken to coat, and toss the mess afterward. You most certainly can use bowls to mix as well. Great question!
  Reply
Karly says
July 29, 2016 at 10:52 am
Wow, could this get any more delicious!? Perfect for a quick and super tasty weeknight meal- and so much better than takeout! A must-try for sure!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:20 am
  See Also
  Sweet and Sour Shrimp
  You are right Karly! It's such a better option than takeout! 🙂
  Reply
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
July 29, 2016 at 7:14 am
Sweet and sour chicken is such a great family friendly dish and healthier to make it than buy it from a takeaway too
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:21 am
  Agreed! It's much healthier than what they put in the dish at restaurants!
  Reply
nat says
July 28, 2016 at 6:04 pm
LOOKS YUMMY!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:21 am
  Oh it is! 🙂
  Reply
Florentina says
July 28, 2016 at 3:16 pm
Oh yummy, sweet and sour chicken in one pan and gluten free ? I'm all about this baby!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:22 am
  I'll save ya a spot at the dinner table! 🙂
  Reply
Diana Johnson says
July 28, 2016 at 2:49 pm
This sounds fantastic! I'll have to give it a try.
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:22 am
  Let me know what you think of it once you've tried it. I'd love to know your thoughts!
  Reply
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
July 28, 2016 at 2:48 pm
This is awesome. Who needs takeout when you can make this tasty dish at home...and have great leftovers for later in the week.
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 02, 2016 at 9:23 am
  Agreed Gloria! Some of the best leftovers! 🙂
  Reply
Marianne | Basil & Bubbly says
July 28, 2016 at 2:36 pm
One-pan delicious dinner I can make after a long work day? YES, PLEASE! Looks amazing!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 04, 2016 at 5:57 pm
  It is amazing! The one-pan thing isn't too bad either 😉
  Reply
Aish Padihari says
July 28, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Wow! The pics look amazing and from the pic, I can tell that, it tasted heavenly.
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 26, 2016 at 3:18 pm
  Oh this is sooooo heavenly! Thanks for stopping in and commenting dear! xoxo
  Reply
Amanda says
July 28, 2016 at 1:25 pm
I would've never guessed that this chicken is baked and not fried! Looks like our favorite takeout, done much healthier!
Reply
- J Trogstad says
  August 26, 2016 at 3:20 pm
  That's what's so great about it. it looks and tastes like it's fried in a frying pan, but it's not one bit! It's the Hubster's all-time favorite meal
  Reply