Healthy Orange Chicken



I saw a tasty recipe for Paleo orange chicken on Danielle's blog the other day and decided to give it a whirl.  I'm not jumping on the Paleo bandwagon, but I do think there are some great benefits to keeping the diet in mind.  This recipe is super fresh and surprisingly tasty.  I would make some adjustments the next time around, like limiting the soy sauce {it was very salty!} and maybe adding in some garlic and/or honey instead!

Recipe adapted from Health-Bent

{ingredients}

2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
3 T olive oil
juice of 2 oranges
zest from 1 orange*
1 t fresh ginger
3 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 t sriracha
3 green onions, chopped

{method}

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, soy sauce and sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of olive oil, over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce pot 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 gotta or add a teaspoon of sweetener until you’re satisfied with the flavor.

xo natasha

PS...I'm guest posting over at Michelle's blog today on my perspective on motherhood...be sure to check it out!


19 comments :

  1. this looks delicious!! I've been looking for new recipes to try and this one might be a hit! xo

    http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/

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  2. That diet is everywhere isn't it?! I do love the look of this chicken though :)

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  3. Yum. I will have to give this a try. We already have most of the ingredients on hand.

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  4. holy canoli! this looks DELICIOUS! Billy would love it. I think I need to make for him. ;)

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  5. Oh yum! That looks delish and nice to know that it's not unhealthy. :) Happy Thursday!

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  6. yummy! Def have to try that for the hubs!!!

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  7. I liked your post over at michelle's blog. I don't normally eat paleo, but I agree it's worth throwing in reciepes that are yummy, because like you said the health benefits are real. I love that it uses real oranges. Most chinese inpsired food don't use real ingredients in their food.

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  8. Newest follower from The Vintage Apple - great post!

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  9. I always make the kind from Trader Joes, but this one looks great, too!

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  10. This looks really yummy! My husband loves orange chicken and I'm trying to make healthy recipes, so this is perfect! Pinning for next week's meal plan!

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  11. I have a similar recipe that uses apple juice and honey....delish!

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  12. Yum! Nate and I have been eating a lot of chicken and veggies for dinner. Let's face it, chicken can be bland, especially when you go the skinless route. I need to try this!

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  13. This is so interesting! I haven't made anything like it--but it looks delicious. Pinning now!

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  14. good call on the soy decrease. if you are into reading labels you will be amazed how many things have soy in it EVEN things tht do not shout SOY ADDED. It has a definite affect on ones metabolism so if there are any issues with thyroid diabetes etc it needs to be considered.

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  15. This look so delicious! I can't wait to try it!
    xoxo

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  16. This looks great. I have tried several homemade orange chicken recipes and haven't found one I like yet. Ill bookmark this one for sure.

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