Paleo Orange Chicken Recipe
Paleo Orange Chicken
Who doesn’t love orange chicken?!?! It’s so gooey, comforting, and delicious! Unfortunately one of the first things to go when I realized I was sensitive to eggs and gluten was trips to the Chinese Buffet. However this recipe makes it easy to have one of my favorite dishes at home!
Frying the chicken chunks definitely yields the tastiest and my authentic results, but the baking option makes up for any lack of crunch in it’s ease!
Paleo Orange Chicken Recipe
For the Sauce
¾ cup orange juice
1 Tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp rice vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes (I usually add 3-4 flakes)
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp avocado oil
½ tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp tapioca starch or arrowroot
For the chicken
2 tbsp Avocado oil if you plan to bake. More if you plan to fry.
3-4 tbsp tapioca scratch
Salt and pepper
1 pound chicken in 1 inch chunks. You can use thighs or breast
Sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium sized sauce pan heat 1 tbsp avocado oil on medium heat. Add in teh ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add in the orange juice mixture to the pot, stirring to incorporate the garlic/ginger mix.
Place 1 tsp of tapioca starch into a small bowl.
Turn the temperature on the sauce pan up to high and bring to a boil. Now that your sauce is boiling dip out about 2 tsp of the sauce and add to the tapioca starch in the small bowl. Stir well to get rid of clumps.
Add your tapioca slurry you made in step 5 into the pan, stirring as you go. Boil the sauce for 2 minutes then reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and glossy.
Set sauce off to the side away from heat. It will thicken more upon sitting.
If freezing, cool the sauce all the way to room temp then add to a labeled zip bag and freeze.
Chicken.
Mix tapioca, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Combine with your chicken chunks (either mix it right in or use a zip bag to shake it up)
If baking: put the tapioca covered chicken chunks into a bowl with oil. Stir to cover all chunks. Spread evenly on a baking tray and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or so.
If frying: heat avocado oil in a skillet. Add chicken in batches and fry until crispy, delicious and cooked through.
Serve with rice, stir fry, chicken, and sauce all mixed together for a plate of yumminess. Or eat it however you want.
