My First Victim (Why I love Pinterest)

My newest addiction is Pinterest. If you haven't gotten an invite, you must request one. Likely you have at least 60 friends playing on there daily, so just suck it up and ask. I have a board on my page titled "Paleo/Crossfit" where you will find a plethora of inspiring phrases and potential yumtastic paleo recipes.

First thoughts:

My first victim is the blog "health-bent.com". This Orange Chicken recipe sounded super easy and super yummy. So I tried it this evening. I went to my local organic grocer for the ingredients. Let's start there. Chicken thighs are weird. And fatty. And isn't Paleo all about lean cuts of meat? The recipe calls for 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs, but I'd recommend at least 1.5 lbs. I trimmed off seriously 1/2 a lb of tendons and fat. I wouldn't recommend substituting though, because it turns out the thighs have the exact right texture and flavor for this recipe. Breasts wouldn't have been nearly as successful.

The recipe: The direct link is: http://www.health-bent.com/poultry/paleo-orange-chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 T fat (coconut oil works well here)
• juice of 2 oranges*
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 t fresh ginger
• 3 T coconut aminos or wheat-free soy sauce
• 1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 3 green onions, chopped

Notes on the ingredients: I used coconut oil. Which I love for it's frothy texture and mild flavor. I used the recommended 3 Tablespoons and could not get the "brown crust" on the outside that the "method" discusses until I emptied out half of it. So truly, I'd recommend 2 Tablespoons at the most.
I also used the Coconut aminos, which you can find next to the soy sauce in the Asian aisle of your local market.

The Method: 

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. Ok, so here are my suggestions. Squeeze your oranges over a strainer set on top of your saucepan so you don't get pulp and seeds all up in there. Also, I ended up with this on high and constantly whisking trying to get this sauce to thicken! Maybe it's my high altitude, but it took about 20 minutes total for that to happen.
In a saute pan, heat 3 T of the fat of your choice, over medium high heat. Remember the note about no more than 2 T of coconut oil. And even that may be a wee on the heavy side. Just dump a little out if you're not getting that "nice brown crust".
Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Again, took me about 20 minutes, not 6. The chicken wasn't even cooked through at the 6 minute mark.
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. I used about teaspoon of Stevia for some extra sweetness.

The Critique:

Ease of recipe: 4/5 stars 

This recipe is really simple with only a few ingredients. 

1) More seasoned paleo cooks know where to find coconut aminos, or already have them on hand. I'm new to this. I had to ask for help and guidance. 

2) Chicken thighs take a lot of prep to trim the crud off.

Cooking method: 4/5 stars

1) Just the browning of the chicken took an extra 15 minutes. 

2) That sauce took forever to thicken. Ended up whisking on high for 10 minutes after simmering on medium for 20. Would be super easy to burn if left to it's own devices. 

Flavor: 5/5

Yum. Just yum. It was definitely a hit. The texture and flavor of the thighs was a good ingredient call, as breasts just wouldn't have mimicked the Chinese Restaurant feel they were going for.

Kid Friendliness: 5/5 

My 3 year old asked for 2nds. And 3rds. But did mention that it was a wee bit spicy. Cut back that Sriracha a wee if your child has any aversion to spice.

Photo evidence: 5/5

Just as pretty as the original blog.

Overall: 4.5/5 Stars. I will definitely make this again.