Is Cajun-Style Chicken & Sausage Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look past the marketing buzzwords to the molecular composition of the food. The primary reason this meal fails the keto test is the presence of tapioca starch and sugar in the sauce. Tapioca is a pure starch derived from the cassava root. While it is gluten-free, it is essentially a carbohydrate that acts like sugar in the body, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose.

Furthermore, the seasoned cooked chicken contains brown sugar. Manufacturers use sugar not just for sweetness, but to aid in browning and flavor retention. Even small amounts of added sugar accumulate, especially when combined with the natural sugars found in tomato puree and diced tomatoes.

Finally, the inclusion of cooked black beans adds a significant amount of plant-based carbohydrates. While black beans are a healthy fiber source for a standard diet, they are too high in net carbs for a ketogenic protocol. The combination of these three elements—starch, added sugar, and legumes—makes this dish metabolically incompatible with keto.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, this meal offers a decent mix of protein and vegetables, but the macronutrient ratio is skewed for keto. Keto requires high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates (usually under 20g net carbs per day). This dish relies on tapioca starch to thicken the sauce, which adds empty calories without contributing healthy fats.

The presence of sugar in the chicken seasoning and the sauce means the meal has a higher glycemic load than a keto dieter can afford. While the calorie count might be moderate, the source of those calories matters. In ketosis, you want your body to burn dietary fat and stored body fat. Consuming sugars and starches forces your body to burn glucose instead, effectively shutting down the fat-burning process (ketosis).