Paleo Asian Orange Chicken

I was doing my usual Facebook scan the other day and saw a post for orange chicken. I looked at the recipe and thought too bad it’s not Paleo…

Then I thought, wait a minute, I bet I can make it Paleo!

One of my goals with this site is to pass along helpful information and to be a little different. I know many of you new to Paleo miss the foods you were used to eating before. So a big part of my mission is to try and turn some of those favorite foods we all love into healthy and delicious Paleo dishes with all the good stuff, and none of the bad.

Well, the other night I took up the orange chicken challenge. I reworked the original recipe, and also used raw honey. I normally try to limit honey to just the treats on my site, but in this case it was a perfect match and cooked-up beautifully. 

This orange chicken dish isn’t something you’d put on the dinner table every night of course, but I guarantee if you serve this one up to your non-Paleo friends, they’ll love it and never know it’s not from a “traditional” cookbook. Just don’t mention the word “Paleo.” After a few bites, they’ll be asking you for the recipe!

We had this orange chicken with stir-fried veggies on the side and it was crazy good. Broccoli would also make a great side dish. But the real star on the plate is the Paleo orange chicken with its intense flavors. Awesome!

Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and filled with that authentic orange chicken taste you love!

Enjoy…and let me know what you think!  :)

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Paleo Asian Orange Chicken Recipe

Simple recipe for paleo and gluten-free baked chicken featuring fresh oranges and honey.

Course Entree

Cuisine Asian

Keyword orange chicken, baked chicken, marinade, sauce, Asian

Servings 4

Author by Trina

Ingredients

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp tamari* (organic, wheat-free) -OR- coconut aminos
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Chicken and Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 5-7 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts – skin on
• 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed juice from oranges
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsp tamari* or coconut aminos
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp arrow root powder whisked with a little water just enough to make a slurry

Instructions

• Make your marinade with the 2 Tbsp tamari or coconut aminos, 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tsp sesame oil
• Season your chicken with salt and pepper
• Put the marinade in a large ziplock bag, add the chicken, and coat well
• Marinade chicken 30 minutes in the refrigerator
• Next pan fry chicken pieces skin side down with 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium- to medium-high heat until browned. About 7-10 min
• Once browned, place chicken on a roasting rack or cookie sheet in the oven for about 30 min at 350º F. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through thoroughly before removing from oven
• Let the chicken rest while you make your orange sauce
• In a frying pan over medium- to medium-high heat, combine water, orange juice, honey, rice vinegar, tamari, orange zest, ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic
• Whisk in the pan, stirring frequently
• Bring sauce to a boil
• Whisk in arrow root mixture.
• Sauce should start to thicken. If it doesn’t, add a little more arrow root
• Reduce heat to simmer. The sauce should thicken even more as it cools
• Pour the orange sauce over the chicken
• Garnish with orange slices, sesame seeds, green onions or whatever you like
• Enjoy!

Notes

 

* Tamari is derived from soybeans. If you want to stay completely soy-free with this delicious recipe, in place of the tamari use 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos for the marinade and another 2 tablespoons for the sauce.