Keto Shoyu Chicken
Published April 27, 2026 • Updated May 17, 2026
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This keto shoyu chicken is my sugar-free take on that classic Hawaiian comfort dish, made with just 6 simple ingredients and basically zero effort. Toss everything in the slow cooker, or sous vide it if you want next-level juicy chicken, then serve it over cauliflower rice or eat it straight from the bowl like I usually do.
I first got this recipe from my good friend Sarah, and it’s one of those tried-and-true family dinners that’s been on repeat in her house for years. The kind of meal you don’t even have to think about…you just know it’s going to be good every single time. After she made it for me, I immediately went home and started playing around with it to make a low carb, sugar-free version that would fit how I eat, without losing what makes it so good in the first place.
Traditional shoyu chicken is all about that balance of salty, slightly sweet, garlicky, gingery sauce that soaks into the chicken as it cooks low and slow. Most versions rely on sugar to get that classic flavor, but I swapped that out for a sugar-free sweetener and adjusted the ratios so it still hits the same notes. When I brought my version to a potluck recently, Sarah tried it…didn’t say a word…went back for seconds…and only then did I tell her it was my low carb version. She couldn’t even tell the difference.
What I love about this recipe, and why it’s stayed in rotation for both of us, is how simple it is. We’re talking 6 ingredients, one pot, and almost no prep. You can toss everything into the slow cooker and let it do its thing, or if you want the absolute juiciest, most tender chicken, the sous vide method takes it to a whole different level. Either way, the chicken ends up soaking in that rich shoyu-based sauce until it’s fall-apart tender and packed with flavor.
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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups soy sauce or tamari -
1 1/2 cups water
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1 cup sugar-free sweetener
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1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
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1 teaspoon garlic paste or powder
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1 teaspoon ginger paste or powder
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
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2 tablespoons cornstarch or 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder, optional to thicken sauce
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make sauce
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce or tamari, water, sugar-free sweetener, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, ginger paste, and garlic paste. Whisk until everything is mixed together.
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce or tamari
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar-free sweetener
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste or powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Slow cooker method
For the slow cooker method: Add the chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour the shoyu sauce over the top. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks or slice it, depending on how you want to serve it.
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
Sous vide method
For the sous vide method: Add the chicken to a vacuum seal bag, then pour in the shoyu sauce. Vacuum seal the bag, then sous vide at 145°F for 2 to 4 hours, until the chicken is juicy and cooked through.
Thicken sauce
To thicken the sauce, pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Whisk together either 2 tablespoons cornstarch with a little water, or 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder with a little water, then stir the slurry into the sauce. Simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens into a glossy sauce. Pour it over the sliced or shredded chicken and serve over cauliflower rice, veggies, or enjoy it on its own.
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, both work great. Chicken thighs will be more tender and flavorful because of the higher fat content, but chicken breasts are a leaner option and still turn out really good, especially if you sous vide them.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot instead?
You can. Cook on high pressure for about 10–12 minutes with a quick release. Just know the texture will be slightly different than slow cooker or sous vide, but still delicious.
Do I need to marinate the chicken first?
Nope. Everything cooks together, so the chicken absorbs all the flavor as it cooks. It’s one less step, which is always a win.
solid four, cornstarch made it gluey, arrowroot next time
I started prepping the sauce the night before out of pure laziness, just shaking it up in a jar and tossing the chicken in, and honestly I didn't think it would matter but now I won't skip it because the ginger and garlic actually work their way INTO the meat overnight instead of just floating in the liquid around it. By morning you're literally just tipping a bag into the slow cooker, nothing left to measure, and for July weeknights when I refuse to turn the oven on this is what I keep coming back to. The other thing I figured out is the cornstarch versus arrowroot split for thickening. Cornstarch makes the sauce kind of gummy and tight when it cools, arrowroot keeps it loose and glossy, and the leftovers are actually better the next day because the sauce still moves instead of gelling around the chicken. Made the switch on batch three, wish I'd done it sooner. Five batches in and I'm already thinking about doubling so we actually have some left by Wednesday.
Wasn't sure the arrowroot would thicken the way shoyu chicken sauce is supposed to, the kind that glazes the rice underneath. It does, and for three minutes I was eating at a table I haven't sat at in twenty years.
Hawaiian food was the first thing I wrote off going keto. Six ingredients, slow cooker, the sauce is right. Four stars. I'd thicken the sauce before serving, but that's a me thing.
I grew up eating shoyu chicken and this is the first keto version that actually tastes right to me.
Emily, that sweetener ratio took me forever to land. I grew up with it, so I'll take that.
Four from me, five from my husband if it had more heat
Elaine, bump the red pepper flakes to 1/2 tsp and that gets him to five. Or stir in a spoonful of chili garlic sauce at the end if he wants heat with a little more going on.
1 cup of sweetener into a savory chicken dish had me second-guessing it, but the ingredient list is short so I went for it. Sauce doesn't taste sweet like I expected. More savory somehow, with the sweetness hanging back instead of taking over. Chicken came out falling-apart tender in the slow cooker. A little salty for me, so I'll pull back on the soy next time. Already planning batch two though.
Right call on the soy. I'd start with just 1/4 cup less before pulling back more, the sauce can go flat fast once you start cutting.
28 grams of protein, my 16-year-old looked it up after dinner and now she requests this on weeknights. Says it keeps her full until morning, which is honestly more than I can say for most things she'll eat.
A teenager requesting anything on weeknights is a win. I always push thighs over breasts if fullness is the goal. The fat-to-protein combo holds longer than lean chicken.
Made this for a Sunday lunch with eight people and served it over cauliflower rice straight from the slow cooker. Three guests asked about my marinade, no one guessed it was six pantry ingredients. Only complaint: I should have doubled the sauce.
No one guessing the ingredient count is the whole point. The sauce complaint is valid. I double it now anytime I'm feeding more than four.
Used fresh ginger and fresh garlic instead of the powder and the sauce hits completely different. There's this brighter, almost floral edge that the dried stuff just doesn't give you. Going heavier on the ginger next batch.
Fresh ginger especially. The powder is fine for weeknight stuff but fresh has that floral thing the dried version just can't do. More ginger always.
Tried the sous vide version on batch four and now I'm annoyed I waited so long. The sauce actually clings in a way the slow cooker never managed.
Batch four and you're still at it, lol. The sauce is just different, slow cooker just can't get that cling.
I barely cook and this was genuinely my first slow cooker recipe, so I had no idea what to expect. I was skeptical about the sugar-free sweetener holding up in the sauce, but after a few hours the whole kitchen smelled incredible and the chicken came out falling-apart tender. Served it over cauliflower rice and it was the first time I didn't feel like I was settling for a substitute. Going to try it again next week and actually measure the red pepper flakes this time because I may have been generous.
First slow cooker recipe and you nailed it. The sweetener softens the heat, so generous on the red pepper is fine. I go closer to half a teaspoon.
Batch four and I finally tried thighs instead of breasts. The way they absorb the sauce is different, like they hold onto it more, and the leftovers the next day were better than when it was fresh, which I wasn't expecting from a slow cooker recipe. Still calibrating the sweetener (I use Besti and go a little under what the recipe calls for), but this is staying in the rotation.
Thighs hold the sauce overnight in a way breasts don't. The next day really is better, I usually save a serving just for that. Going a bit under on the Besti is right, the soy sauce brings plenty on its own.
Tried at least three other keto shoyu chicken recipes before this one, and every time the sweetener left this weird cooling aftertaste in the sauce. This one doesn't have that. The balance is right, and after 6 hours in the slow cooker the chicken practically fell apart on contact.
The cooling aftertaste is almost always erythritol. A lot of keto shoyu recipes use it straight and it's brutal in a sauce that cooks down that long. Six hours is exactly right for thighs.