Paleo Sweet and Sour Chicken

After our Cashew Chicken treat this past weekend, we’ve been on a bit of an Asian kick. I love coming up with ways to Paleo-ify (is that a word?) our take-out favorites. So often they are overly breaded, fried and salt and sugar-laden, so it’s fun to come up with ways to achieve the flavor without all the filler. While I will freely admit that there is no perfect substitute for legit take-out in all its saucy glory, This definitely hit the spot.

Adapted from Twenty-something Misadventures

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh pineapple, chopped, (finely chop 1 cup) – you can use canned, but it’s so much better fresh
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup tomato, in one piece
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon Braggs liquid aminos
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Arrowroot powder to thicken sauce to desired consistency
2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 large green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

Add cup of finely chopped pineapple, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and coconut sugar to a medium sauce pan and bring heat to a simmer and stir until thoroughly blended. Add ginger and tomato. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until sauce begins to thicken. Reduce heat and remove tomato. Mix arrowroot powder with a tablespoon or two of cold water and slowly add to the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency/thickness.
In a large skillet, add coconut oil and chicken and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked trough. Add onion, pineapple and green pepper and continue stirring until green pepper begins to soften.
Pour sauce evenly over chicken and vegetables. Stir until thoroughly blended and continue simmering for a few minutes, adding additional arrowroot if desired to thicken.

Makes 4 servings.

Sweet. Sour. Winning. It’s hard not to miss the breading on the chicken, but the flavors are so fresh it almost makes up for it. Neil and I have often said in this journey that it’s amazing how much more flavor exists when you subtract bread and cheese from any recipe.