Before going paleo, one of my favorite grab and go lunches was a steaming bowl of teriyaki chicken and rice — extra soy sauce please…
These days, I just drive on past the Asian fast food joints. No more rice, soy, gluten, MSG … and whatever else were in those things for me.
But that doesn’t mean I’ve stowed away my chopsticks for good. I can still get a terrific teriyaki flavor at home with a little creative cooking. [av_sidebar widget_area=’Lockerdome’ av_uid=’av-34yfzp’]
This recipe is a great example. Moist, juicy chicken baked with a yummy, sticky-sweet teriyaki flavored coating – minus all the bad stuff. Done and on your dining table in about 30 minutes.
The real key to this paleo recipe is the bottle of coconut aminos. Not everyone’s heard of this one – think of it as the paleo version of soy sauce.
Soy sauce is one of those things you should avoid if you’re serious about eating paleo. For starters, it’s made from soybeans, a legume, so that knocks it off the paleo menu right there. But it gets worse. Soybeans contain lecithin that can mess with your body’s hunger and energy signals, so that’s not good. And soy has isoflavones which can raise estrogen and decrease testosterone, not a good thing either, especially for the guys.
On the other hand, nutrient-rich coconut aminos are made from the sap of the coconut tree, and then dried or sometimes fermented. It doesn’t have a coconutty taste, has less salt than soy, and it’s very low on the glycemic index. Plus it’s packed with 17 amino acids, vitamins and minerals – all good stuff your body will love.
Many paleo recipes call for coconut aminos, so it might be smart to keep a bottle on your pantry shelf. Chances are you’ll be using it again and again for marinades, salad dressings, soups, and some other Asian-style dishes. If your regular supermarket doesn’t stock coconut aminos, you’ll probably find it at most of the healthier grocers like Whole Foods or Sprouts.
I hope you give this teriyaki chicken paleo recipe a try. It’s a very simple bake-and-baste kind of dish, with a whole lot of flavor. Serve with cauliflower rice, sautéed veggies, or whatever you like!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts or 6 chicken legs
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup juice from fresh oranges
- 2 tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tsp arrowroot flour
- 1 tbs fresh grated ginger
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves - pressed or minced
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Optional Garnish: Chopped green onions and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425-degrees F
- Combine all of ingredients (except chicken) in a saucepan over medium heat
- When mixture begins to boil, stir for 2-3 minutes
- Remove saucepan from heat (Sauce will thicken as it cools)
- Season raw chicken pieces with salt and pepper
- Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish
- Place chicken pieces in the dish and brush on teriyaki sauce on all sides
- (Reserve some teriyaki sauce to brush on the chicken after cooking)
- Bake in oven about 20 to 25 minutes, basting with mixture every 5 minutes or so
- About halfway through the cooking time, turn the pieces over
- When the chicken has cooked through (or internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165-degrees) you can move the chicken to top oven rack and switch over to broil for a few minutes to brown the pieces a little if you want
- Remove from oven, and brush on the teriyaki sauce you set aside
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired
- Serve hot with your choice of veggies on the side