Paleo Kung-Pao Chicken with Vegetables

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I am so excited to finally be sharing this recipe! I absolutely love Chinese food, especially Kung Pao chicken with the crunchy toasted peanuts! Growing up, eating Chinese food usually resulted in me “throw out” my healthy eating goals and just indulging in this salty, sweet, saucy, yummy food. This would unfortunately leave me with, shall we say, digestive discomfort, not too long afterwards. Ever since discovering that I have a gluten allergy about a year ago, eating Chinese food has been out of the question for me, since soy sauce contains wheat and is a main ingredient in most Chinese and Asian cooking. However, I always wanted to create a “healthier,” no sugar version of my favorite Chinese dishes in order to enjoy the flavors without the guilt and discomfort soon afterwards!

After experimenting with the paleo lifestyle earlier this year and following the Whole 30 program in March, I finally perfected my very own soy free, gluten free, sugar-free, PALEO Kung Pao Chicken with Cashews recipe! Here it is! J

Kung Pao Chicken w/Cashews (makes 2 serving)

4 chicken tenders

Marinate chicken for about 30 minutes with:

2 T coconut aminos (I found mine at Whole Foods!)

1 tsp Aleppo pepper (or 1-2 tsp cayenne, depending on how spicy you like it!)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 T olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

While the chicken is marinating, heat up about ½ T olive oil to sauté:

1 onion chopped

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

Once veggies are cooked, add the chicken with its marinade. Cook chicken all the way through (I usually chop it up in little cubes or strips to make this easier).

While chicken is cooking, you can prepare the sauce by whisking together the following ingredients in a separate bowl:

½ cup water

1/3 cup coconut aminos

S&P (to taste)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 T olive oil

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the sauce and lower the heat to a simmer setting. Allow the sauce to thicken up while stirring occasionally, which usually takes about 8-10 minutes. While the chicken and sauce are simmering, toast about 1/4-1/2 cup of raw cashews in a saucepan. This should take no more than 5 minutes over medium heat!

Once the sauce thickens up, turn the heat off and serve! Top with the toasted cashews and green onion slices if desired and serve with cauliflower rice!