Healthy Mandarin Chicken

A delicious orange mandarin chicken that rivals the best restaurant  versions but without the high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch  and  refined white flour!  

Ingredients

• 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast but thighs are used in restaurant versions)
• 1 cup of coconut oil, tallow or lard for cooking
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon each of  salt, pepper, garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 organic oranges (organic is important since you'll use the zest and juice)
• 1 organic lemon (organic important!)
• 1/4 cup naturally fermented soy sauce or coconut aminos 
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (optional but good)- You can also just add a teaspoon of garlic powder but the texture and flavor isn't quite as good.
• 1/4 cup honey (optional, adds sweetness and thickness)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

 

Instructions

1. Cut  chicken thighs into bite sized pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen  shears. Mix the almond flour, arrowroot, salt, pepper, garlic powder and  ginger in a bowl. Beat the egg with water in another bowl.[ Note:You  can completely skip the flour and egg steps if you don't want to bread  the chicken and can just stir fry the bite-sized pieces of chicken in 2  tablespoons coconut oil until cooked.
2. Heat the coconut oil, tallow or lard in a large skillet. Dip the chicken  into the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture and shake to remove  excess flour. Carefully drop the breaded chicken pieces into the hot  oil, cooking about 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Do not  stir or move chicken except to flip once during cooking as it can remove  the breading. Carefully remove and place on a plate to cool. Repeat  with all the chicken until cooked. (alternately, you can bread the  chicken this way and place on a well oiled baking sheet or baking dish  and bake at least 30 minutes or until cooked through in the oven). 
3. While  chicken is cooking and cooling, zest the oranges and lemon into a medium  sized pan. Squeeze the juice of the oranges and lemon into the pan and  add the soy sauce/coconut aminos, chili garlic sauce and honey. Stir  well and slowly add the tablespoon or arrowroot powder. Bring to a  simmer and continue simmering over medium/low heat for 15-20 minutes or  until desired thickness. Do not let boil or burn! If you want a thicker  sauce, add a little more arrowroot.
4. If you are serving with cauliflower rice (can use this one without the shrimp)  or steamed broccoli, cook it while sauce is thickening. When all are  done, pour the sauce over the chicken and lightly toss to incorporate.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/5340/mandarin-chicken/