Keto Chinese BBQ Chicken with Pickled Vegetables

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Keto Chinese BBQ Chicken, also known as Cantonese BBQ chicken or Char Siu, is a delicious twist to BBQ chicken. With simple ingredients, this easy keto chicken recipe can be marinated overnight and then grilled and on the table in 15 minutes! Serve it with a side of keto pickled vegetables for a complete Cantonese meal!

a plate of keto Chinese BBQ chicken with a side of pickled vegetables

Grilled Keto Chicken

I think everyone can agree that the weather has been pretty weird this year. Here in Florida, we have gone from 40-degree nights to 80-degree weather during the day - that's a 40-degree change in temperature in 12 hours!!

And that is just what happened this weekend! With the weather hitting just below 80 degrees, I decided it was time to quickly pull out the grill for some BBQ chicken!

Inspired by my Chinese Barbecued Pork, this keto Chinese BBQ chicken can be paired with a Keto Broccoli Salad with Maple Bacon Dressing or this Healthy Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad for a quick keto dinner.

Jump to:

Grilled Keto Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Serving
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Keto Chinese BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

You probably already have all the ingredients on hand except for maybe the Hoisin Sauce. If you do not want to make your own sugar-free Hoisin sauce, feel free to use store-bought instead.

For the Cantonese BBQ Chicken:

Chicken - You will need about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. I perfer chicken thigh meat or chicken breast as the thigh meat tends to produce a more moist chicken
Hoisin sauce - You can easily whip up my homemade sugar-free hoisin sauce in about 5 minutes or use store-bought sauce or any other sugar-free teriyaki or other Asian BBQ-style sauce.
Soy sauce - I love Kikkoman's but you can also use a gluten-free version
Garlic - You can either mince your own garlic or use packaged minced garlic.
Rice Vinegar - If you do not have any rice vinegar, use Shaoxing or Apple cider vinegar
Liquid Sweetener - I used ChocZero Honey (my absolute FAVOURITE product right now!) but you can use liquid allulose, tapioca fiber syrup or even sugar-free maple syrup for a "maple" take. If you alter the sweetener, you may want to add some additional sweetener depending on taste.
Spices - a combination of Chinese 5-Spice, salt, and red pepper flakes are all you need for this

For the Pickled Vegetables:

You do not have to make the pickled vegetables but if you have the time, I highly suggest making them as they do not take much time, can be made ahead of time, and add some nice crunch, if you are making this into a keto taco or bowl!

Carrot - You will need about 1 cup of matchstick carrots. You can either buy these already cut or cut a large carrot into matchstick pieces.
Cucumber - 1 regular seedless cucumber works best
Sweetener - If possible, use allulose in this recipe as it will not crystalize when the keto-pickled vegetables are stored in the fridge.
Salt - Adds a nice brine to the veggies
Vinegar - Gives the vegetables a "pickled" taste.

*See the recipe card for quantities.

Cantonese BBQ chicken that is made keto, low carb, sugar-free and gluten-free

Instructions

There are two parts to making this Keto Chinese BBQ chicken recipe - marinating and grilling the chicken and secondly, making the keto pickled vegetables.

For the keto Chinese BBQ Chicken

In a medium bowl, whisk hoisin sauce, soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, five-spice powder, salt, and red pepper flakes. Remove ¼ cup marinade and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Place carrot, and cucumber in a fine-mesh strainer. Sprinkle with salt and 2 teaspoons allulose and gently massage into vegetables until softened about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl.

Prepare the pickled vegetables - Place carrot, and cucumber in a fine-mesh strainer. Sprinkle with salt and 2 teaspoons of allulose and gently massage into vegetables until softened about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl.

In a small pot over medium-high heat, heat water, vinegar, and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is steaming, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour hot pickling liquid over vegetables and stir to coat. Cover and let sit at least 1 hour.

In a small pot over medium-high heat, heat water, vinegar, and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour hot pickling liquid over vegetables and stir to coat. Cover and let sit at least 1 hour.

Pour hot pickling liquid over vegetables and stir to coat. Cover and let sit for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Lightly brush grates with oil. Remove chicken from marinade and grill, turning once and brushing with reserved ¼ cup marinade, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with keto pickled vegetables.

Hint: The pickles can be made up to 1 week ahead and the chicken can be grilled and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Substitutions

There are a few substitutions for this recipe that will work without sacrificing the delicious flavour of this Cantonese BBQ chicken.

Chicken - instead of chicken thighs, use chicken breasts (just don't overcook them as they will dry out quickly!)
Hoisin Sauce - use teriyaki sauce or any other Asian-inspired sauce
Paleo - use real honey or maple syrup and Paleo Hoisin sauce.
Whole30 - use date paste instead of the honey and Whole30 Hoisin Sauce

If you like this easy keto chicken recipe, you should try this Keto Chinese Spare Ribs – From the Chef at Ruby Foo, Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork, or this Keto Asian Chicken Noodle Salad – Whole30 and Paleo

grilled keto chicken with keto pickled vegetables

Serving

This grilled chicken with keto pickled vegetables can be served in a variety of ways.

Sandwich - add some lettuce and stuff some Whole30 Gluten-Free Bread Recipe for a delicious Chinese BBQ Chicken sub.
Salad - toss some organic greens in a bowl and add some Cantonese BBQ chicken, keto pickled vegetables and top it all off with The Best Keto Ginger Salad Dressing
Taco - use commercial Keto Taco shells or make your own cheese taco shells (by Home. Made. Interest).

See these Mini Taco Appetizers (Low Carb, Keto) for a different twist!

Equipment

If you are looking for a new grill, you should really look into getting a Weber Q 1200. It is the perfect size for two or a small family of 4, it heats up really quickly and it is portable which means that we can take it with us wherever we go!

Cantonese keto bbq chicken served with keto pickled vegetables in keto taco shells

Storage

Store the keto pickled vegetables in a glass container in the fridge for 1 week. Use any leftovers on salads or alongside any other easy keto chicken recipe.

The Keto Chinese BBQ chicken will last in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Top tip

If you have never had keto pickled vegetables, I highly urge you to try this recipe as you will not only be shocked at how easy it is to make but also how delicious it is to eat!

Should you put BBQ sauce on before or after grilling?

You want to apply the sauce twice - The first part is when the chicken is actually marinating in the sauce and the second is while it is grilling.

What is the internal temperature of cooked chicken thigh meat?

The internal temperature for grilled chicken thighs is 165 degrees F. But do not forget that as you let the chicken rest after grilling, it will continue to cook which will raise the temperature an additional 5 degrees.

Can I use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs?

Yes but make sure that you remove the chicken breasts from the grill at 160 degrees, cover them with foil and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before slicing them. This will ensure that the chicken breast meat does not dry out.

What are the differences nutritionally between chicken breast and thigh meat?

For 3.5 oz or 100 grams of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, there are 179 calories compared to chicken breasts which contain 165 calories

Can I eat carrots on a keto diet?

Although carrots are higher in carbs then other vegetables, they also contain a ton of nutrients so eaten in small quantities, carrots can be part of a healthy keto diet!

Keto Chinese BBQ Chicken with Pickled Vegetables

Grilled Keto Chicken