For most paleo dieters, Chinese take out is a no-no. Soy sauce and rice have no place in the paleo diet, nor does the cornstarch that makes those thick and glossy sauces. This paleo-ready recipe combines the ingredients of perennial take out favorite chicken with broccoli with the flavors of Kung Pao chicken: chile peppers and cashews.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 4 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup 1/4-inch-thick half-moon slices onion
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger (about a 1-inch piece)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 whole small dried chiles or 1/2 teaspoon chile oil
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 4 teaspoons cashew butter
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1/2 cup unsalted whole cashews
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chiles and saute until the onions are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cashew butter and tamari and pour into the skillet, stirring to remove any lumps. Add the chicken back in the pan, stir in the broccoli and cashews, and stir to heat through and completely coat with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 444 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 124 mg |
| Sodium | 856 mg |
Reviews
This was wonderful, it was fast and easy.
This was fantastic — super tasty. Just swap out the canola with coconut oil and use coconut aminos for tamari like the previous reviewer said. No problem. But don’t pass up this dish just because of that — it’s incredible.
Really poor job making this Paleo. I’m so disappointed in the Food Network! Tamari has soy and therefore is not Paleo. As the other reviewer mentioned, vegetable oils aren’t Paleo either. You should also specify sugar-free Cashew butter. If people want to make this non-Paleo recipe Paleo, substitute coconut aminos for the tamari and coconut oil or avocado oil (or ghee even) for the canola.
Paleo cooking does not include oils such as Canola.