Paleo Sweet + Sour Chicken

I’ve been watching the days tick by until I could get my hands on PALEO TAKEOUT, the new book from my friend Russ, aka The Domestic Man. Russ really wrote this book for the masses; for people who have their tried and true takeout favorites. Ya know, when the Chinese restaurant delivery is on speed dial? That.

Obviously things change when you begin to omit gluten, grain, and soy. Chinese food without the rice? No soy sauce? What about that delicious crispy chicken – how do you indulge without dredging in flour?

Russ has addressed all of these issues and also included rice and bits of dairy for those who can otherwise tolerated it. If not, there are back up recipes and substitutions galore. There are over 200 pages of Asian inspired dishes alone and Russ was sure to add in some American favorites as well.

I can pretty much guarantee there is something for everyone in here and tonight, my family enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Chicken. In fact, they thought I ordered in!!! I loved that I was asked by 2 out of 3 kids if I made it or ordered it! I kept the sauce on the side for them and let them dip it like nuggets, just in case, but they loved it! Husband gave me a big thumbs up too!

Without further ado, here is this most delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (I subbed 2 tablespoons high quality ketchup here)
• 1 tablespoon tamari (I subbed 2 tablespoons coconut aminos here)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

For the Chicken:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I used about 1/4 cup avocado oil)
• 1/4 cup tapioca or arrowroot starch
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks (I used about 1.5 pounds)
• 2 large eggs, beaten

For the Slurry:

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot
• 1 tablespoon cold water

For the Garnish:

• sesame seeds or green onions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then reduce the heat to low to gently simmer as you prepare the rest of the meal. Stir occasionally
2. Preheat your oven to 250. In a wok or skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Combine the tapioca starch, salt and pepper then toss the chicken pieces with the starch mixture. With your fingers, dip a starchy chicken piece in the beaten eggs, shake off the excess egg, and then add to the oil. Repeat until you have filled your skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken until cooked through, flipping every 2 minutes, about 6-8 minutes per batch. As you finish each batch, place the cooked pieces on a plate lined with paper towels; put them in the oven to stay warm. You should be able to cook the chicken pieces in 3 or 4 batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
3. Once the chicken in cooked through, finish the sauce. Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if needed. If the sauce is too dark and strong tasting, add a little chicken broth to thin it out. At this point the sauce should be as thick as tomato soup and should have a sharp but not overwhelming flavor.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the arrowroot starch and cold water to create a slurry. Raise the sauce temperature to medium, once bubbling, add half the slurry and stir until thickened, adding more slurry if needed. Remove from heat.
5. Toss the chicken pieces with the sauce, then garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over rice or cauli rice. I served with steamed broccoli only.