Szechuan Orange Chicken

Delicious breading, sweet orange, and spicy chili peppers unite in this healthy carb Szechuan orange chicken recipe.

5 from 1 vote

Diets: Dairy Free • Low Fat • Nut Free • Sugar Free

THM Fuel: THM E

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For Chicken

2 pounds (about 8) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized chunks
½ cup sprouted wheat flour (more if necessary to coat the chicken)
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder (NOT soda)
1 teaspoon mineral salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black or white pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil

For Orange Sauce

zest from 1 or 2 oranges
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
¼ cup cold water
¼ cup Gentle Sweet or equivalent sweetener (reduce if your oranges are especially sweet)
3 tablesoons tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon unsulphured blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
½ teaspoon glucomannan or xanthan gum, optional

Other Ingredients

1 teaspoon avocado oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 (more or less to taste) dried Szechuan chili peppers or red pepper flakes to taste
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

Instructions

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a plastic zip bag. Add the chicken, zip the bag shut, and flop it around until the chicken is coated in the flour mixture.
In a wok or a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil over medium-low heat. Add the chicken, turning occasionally to get all sides, until cooked through and the exterior is golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the zest, orange juice, cold water, sweetener, tamari, vinegar, molasses, sesame seed oil, and gluccie (smash any clumps). Set aside.
Add the 1 teaspoon avocado oil, garlic, chili peppers, green onion, and ginger to the skillet. Heat until fragrant, stirring a few times, for about a minute or so.
Add the prepared orange sauce to the skillet; stir and cook until heated through, about a minute or so. It should thicken, but if you feel like you should add more gluccie or xanthan gum do so a tiny bit (like ¼ teaspoon or less) at a time (sprinkle over top before stirring in to avoid clumping).
Serve over cooked brown rice or cauli rice.

Notes

Some people like their orange chicken super duper orangey so if the sauce isn't orangey enough for you, you can add some orange extract a splash at a time until it is orangey enough for you (mix it in after you have removed the finished chicken from the heat).

Also, a note about the nutrition facts. If you go by numbers alone, you'll notice that this recipe could be mistaken as a Fuel Pull. However, quality of ingredients trumps numbers. Sprouted flour and the fresh oranges make this a carb based (E) meal on Trim Healthy Mama. To make it a more robust E, serve the chicken over cooked brown rice or alongside a starchy veggie.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 217kcalCarbs: 16gProtein: 26gFat: 5gSodium: 489mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gSugar Alcohols: 6gNet Carbs: 4g