So here's the thing, guys: I'm happiest when I'm eating paleo. And I don't just mean that my body's the happiest when I don't feed it grains and sugar and dairy (which it is), it's just that I'm happier. Is that weird?
You can be honest with me; I can take it. It is a bit odd, right? The thing is, I get silly happy when I sit down at the table, and there's a plate of crazy delish paleo orange chicken, and some rice that you'd swear is rice but is really just cauliflower. A big plate of veggies with a side of meat … what more could a person ask for?
If you've ever thought that eating a paleo diet means that you have to sacrifice I dare you to take one bite of this paleo orange chicken and then say that to me with a straight face. Betcha can't do it. 🙂
Actually I bet the real reason you wouldn't be able to is that you'd be too busy eating/ licking your fingers/ scraping every last bit of the glaze off your plate. And really, who can bother with silly things like bets when there's a plate of paleo orange chicken calling your name? Not me, that's for sure.
I'm really excited for you guys to try this; I just know you're going to love it. And don't be scared off by the whole ‘paleo' thing … this is just damn good chicken. And btw: this whole dinner takes only 25 minutes to make. Awesome, right?!
I've made this paleo orange chicken with skinless thighs to help cut back on those pesky calories. If you're worried at all that skinless will mean flavourless, trust me on this one: there's so much flavour going on here. Like, ridiculous amounts of sweet, orange-y deliciousness.
Turns out that paleo orange chicken kicks ass on Chinese delivery orange chicken. Big time. ♥
If you make this Paleo Orange Chicken, make sure to snap a pic and tag @theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your pictures!
- 1 teaspoon grape seed oil
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinless
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- Juice from 1 naval orange, about ½ cup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos for paleo)
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 -1 "piece of ginger, grated on a microplane or very finely minced
- 2 garlic grated on a microplane or very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
- A pinch of turmeric, for colour
- Toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and orange wedges, to serve
- 1 teaspoon grape seed oil
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, grated (a food processor makes quick work of this!)
- 1 garlic clove, very finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the sea salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Sear the chicken thighs for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until both sides are well browned. Remove the pan from the heat.
- While the chicken is searing, prepare the orange glaze. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the orange juice, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, tapioca starch and optional turmeric.
- Pour the sauce over the seared chicken and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat so that the chicken is barely simmering, cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 10 minutes. Flipping the chicken over isn't necessary for cooking it, but it does help the colour develop on both sides, so it looks even better.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the grated cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower no longer tastes raw. Add the garlic and sea salt and toss well.
- If the cauliflower is ready before the chicken simply remove the pan from the heat and keep it covered until the chicken is done.
Kristen Stevens
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Hi, I’m Kristen! 
Any ideas on how to do this with chicken breast? My kids are picky and won’t eat thighs, so I wanted to try it with breasts instead.
You could definitely use chicken breasts instead. They’ll take about as long as bone in thighs to cook so you can simply follow the recipe. 🙂
I’m so excited I found this recipe! We made it tonight with wild duck breast and it was one of my fav wild game dishes to date, thank you!!!
Awesome call on the wild duck!!!
This looks delicious but I cannot believe the Grapeseed oil recommendation. This product is mostly made of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) like omega-6s and omega-9 fatty acids which are NOT good for you….I will try the excellent recipe with the exception of the Grapeseed oil. Saturated fat with omega 3 is much healthier.
I agree with you about the grapeseed oil! I do use it as it’s a neutral flavored oil and so doesn’t impart a taste in the recipe. If you have a different oil you prefer, definitely use that instead!
You should use either avocado oil or MCT C8 oil, much better for you and imparts now flavor to recipes.
This is the first recipe I have made from your blog and it was amazing! I am so impressed. I made it with a side of sweet potatoes- yum! Now it’s time to check out your other recipes 🙂 Thank you!
Hooray! I’m so happy to hear you liked it. It’s one of my favs. 🙂
I just made this recipe and it was perfect. My kids just loved it!!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit with you and your family! Horray!
I love orange chicken. This looks amazing!
Thank you so much, Tim!!
Looks amazing! Will this freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing it before, but I suspect it would freeze well. Do make sure to freeze the cauliflower rice and the chicken seperately. 🙂
I didn’t make the cauliflower rice, but the chicken was delicious after freezing/reheating! Thank you!
Thank you so much for letting us all know! Hooray!!
I’m really happy with paleo, thanks for sharing this amazing recipes!
Thank you so much! I love paleo recipes, too. 🙂
Would this recipe work with date paste? I am currently on Whole 30, and this looks delicious!
I haven’t tried it before, but I would think it would work just fine. If you try it with the date paste I’d love to hear the results!
I am always trying to find fun recipes to test out for date night; which I can also add to my “boyfriend approved Whole 30 meals” I am going to make this for us next week, and will keep you posted!
I tried the recipe last night with date paste and arrowroot starch I had in the pantry. It was absolutely delicious!! Next time, I will add a little more arrowroot starch, since date past doesn’t have the consistency of honey, to make the sauce thicker. My boyfriend is a HUGE fan of takeout orange chicken, and he loved the recipe! Thank you 🙂
I’m so happy to hear it turned out! Yay!
And thank you for reporting back about how the modifications turned out. That’s super helpful!
How much date paste did you substitute for the honey?
I believe I used 2 tbs, but it could use a little more if you want the sweetness of honey to match.
Tried this recipe last week and it was great, really good for leftovers too. Haven’t tried with the cauliflower rice yet though, I think I’ll do that on the next round.
I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
can I marinate the chicken first?
Hi Paola! You can definitely marinate the chicken in the orange glaze overnight if you wanted to. Once the chicken has finished marinating remove it from the marinade, dry it with some paper towels and then proceed with the recipe. Hope that helps!
I don’t follow the paleo diet trend but I have to make this recipe.. I am SO obsessed with all that sticky and sweet glaze!
You will love it!
You’re right! There’s nothing more I could ask for. And no, it’s not weird. I can totally understand why you get excited with this paleo orange chicken because I do too! I’m really loving this recipe! I love that the rice is cauliflower rice and the chicken is so orangey! 🙂
I’m so happy you don’t think it’s weird … sometimes I really wonder lol. Healthy food always makes me happy. 🙂
Wowza! Kristen, this orange chicken looks INCREDIBLE! Just look at those pictures… that lacquer is gorgeous! Love your photos… as always 🙂
Thanks, Kathleen! The glaze really was finger licking good!!
I can totally understand how eating this paleo orange chicken with cauliflower rice would make you happy (or that eating paleo would make you happier), whenever I eat better I feel better too. After just getting back from a long trip I’m diving totally cleaning up my eating, it’s like I’m craving healthy dishes! I’m totally going to put this one on the menu this week!
Sounds like you and I must travel the same … I always feel like going on a cleanse after a holiday! Where did you travel to?
Ok, first off those photos = amazingness, and that chicken = double amazingness! What a great recipe, personally I love homemade Chinese food or any kind of fake-out takeout. I can’t wait to try it!
fake-out take out …. love it! Totally agree that homemade is always better!!
This definitely looks like some damn good chicken to me. That glaze! I can just taste the sticky, deliciousness from here!
Thanks, Liz! It really was so tasty!!
I keep hearing that Paleo is the way to go. You may have convinced me with this dish which looks so amazing.
I really do love eating paleo most of the time. I couldn’t go 100% though; I like my sweet treats occasionally and have no interest in messing with those lol. When it comes to dinner time it’s a great way to eat!