This dish is a revelation for healthy eating. It has no breading, not even a thickener for the sauce, doesn’t require frying, is naturally sweetened with fresh squeezed juice alone, contains only healthy fat, and yet it is so. delicious.
And guess what? It is yet another way to use virgin coconut oil! I’ll be drawing the winner for the Tropical Traditions oil at midnight tonight (click here to enter the giveaway if you haven’t yet), so I decided to sneak in another recipe that uses it before I did. I myself just got a gallon of it (happy happy, joy joy! Thank you to those who made first-time purchases through my links, that’s how I earned it!), so you can be sure I’ll be posting many more recipes using it.
Full disclosure: for the record, I mainly cook with/eat extra virgin olive oil, just so you don’t think I’ve devoted my life to saturated fat, even if it is a healthy one. :) Also, for the record, I am not on the Paleo diet, but am all for eating healthy. And lastly, this was Den’s plate, as I had no rice on mine because I’m not eating starches right now. </TMI>
As for this chicken, I don’t have much to add beyond that it was incredible. It is sweet, even without refined sugars of any kind, and packed with flavor. I have to admit I totally forgot to include the sriracha (*sob* we love spicy, how could I?), which probably would have improved the consistency so that it coated the pieces a little better, but it was still great even without it. Who needs fried chicken pieces drenched in a sickeningly sweet syrup sauce when eating healthy tastes even better? Move over, take-out!
Paleo Orange Chicken
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cut into bite size pieces)
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
juice of 2 oranges*
zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or sriracha
3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
In a medium-sized saucepan, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium-high heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a large saute pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. If your chicken pieces are really close together, you’ll likely have a lot of water in the pan (it doesn’t evaporate as well), and you should drain the excess liquid off to help the pieces brown. Remove from heat and if the sauce is ready (it will be reduced to very little, coating just the bottom of the pot, thick and almost like a glaze), add the chicken to the saucepan and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions.
*Taste your oranges. If they don’t taste orange-y, then neither will this dish. Use tangerines if you need to, or add a teaspoon of sweetener, such as stevia or agave nectar, until you’re satisfied with the flavor.
Recipe source: Health-Bent
Veronica's Cornucopia 
This sounds fantastic!! I’ll so have to try this, I won’t forget the hot sauce too!
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I have to make it again with the hot sauce–I’m still so bummed I forgot it! lol
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This looks Fantastic V, so great that you posted this since I am not eating grains/starches either! That’s what my post is about today. Great timing my friend! I am pinning this so that I can add it to my menu next week. :)
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Yay for perfect timing!
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I agree, this looks and sounds fantastic! I’d love to find out how the nutritionals stack up!
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I don’t do nutritionals any more, but sparkpeople has a good recipe calculator. That’s what I used when I counted calories.
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Oh so yummy! That looks amazing Veronica. Eating healthy never needs to be boring!
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So true! It can be challenging but I’m discovering it doesn’t have to taste “less.”
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Sounds delicious. What a coincidence – I’m actually in the middle of a Paleo challenge right now. ;)
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Very cool!
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So, I just wanted you to know that this is by far, my favorite recipe of yours. I love that it’s naturally delish and that pic is just screeeaming for me to gobble it up. Holy moly, I will have it stuck in my head all day now =)
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You do that to me all the time so I consider it retribution. ;)
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I love Chicken recipes like this!! =) thanks for sharing.
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This looks so freakin YUM.
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You forgot the sriracha – noo!!!!! I can’t wait to make this for me and my SIL next week – she LOVES orange chicken, but of course the fried version – I can steam some broccoli and make some brown rice – love it!!
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I know, it’s terrible! I promise I will not be forgetting next time.
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I am totally making this with tofu! What a great healthy meal!
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Great idea Joanne!
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I bet it will be even better with sriracha because, well everything is better with sriracha! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten orange chicken. Strange I know!
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Hey, join the club and we can be strange together. :)
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This looks amazing!! Your pictures are terrific. I could totally eat Den’s plate right now! I don’t know how you can do no starches, I would cry…lol! I do like that this is healthy though :)
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Thank you! I used Den’s t-shirt for my background. LOL! No starches isn’t too hard for me but I can’t do it forever. In short bursts, it’s OK.
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Love really love this!! Veronica, Im following you!
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I love Asian eats but sometimes the oil and grease kills my stomach! That’s why I am so happy you posted this healthy meal that I can make all the time and feel GOOD eating it.
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I once read that there is more fat in Asian cooking (Americanized Asian cooking that is) than in any other food! I do hope you enjoy this, and not just because it won’t give you a belly ache! :)
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This looks lovely! Is there anything you can use in place of the coconut oil?
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Yes, you can use any type of fat you desire. Virgin coconut just adds a hint of coconut flavor which works well with the dish but isn’t necessary.
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Thanks!
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This sounds awesome! I’ve made a couple versions of orange chicken, and they have been okay but not keepers. maybe this one is!
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This chicken looks great. I am not doing Paleo either but picked up a paleo cookbook and there are a lot of awesome recipes in it that look to be pretty healthy!
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I actually don’t even know what the Paleo eating is….regardless this dish is outstanding, better with the sirarcha I’m sure. I just bought some virgin coconut oil for the first time, I’ve used in one recipe and it was yours! I replaced the shortening/paraffin in the chocolate for the cordials with the coconut oil!
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This sounds too good to be true. Just pinned and totally trying this. :)
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Oh, this looks so good! I am pretty much what you’d call Primal or Paleo (after many years of being ethical vegetarian). Anyway, I am pretty boring when it comes to chicken; I either bake it or fry it in coconut oil with shredded coconut and curry spices.
I will have to try this!
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WOW, just made this and it is so good that I am considering hiding the leftovers before my guy gets home. Thanks!
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Definitely a healthier version than mine! You’re right, that text looks the same. It’s probably a standard text.
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