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Review: Paleo Takeout | Sweet and Sour Chicken

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When Russ Crandall (The Domestic Man, author of the The Ancestral Table) announced he was making a book full of paleo versions of popular takeout foods, my first thought was “I want that book”, followed by “that’s quite an undertaking!”. Sean & I watched Russ’s cooking demo at Paleo f(x) this year and his demo was more than just about food – it was a history lesson! Russ has a genuine appreciation for all types of cuisine, and goes the extra mile to learn the history of the dishes as well.

Paleo Takeout

With Paleo Takeout: Restaurant Favorites Without the Junk, Russ has given us a whopping 200+ recipes to satisfy that craving for ordering out. Think of it as the book equivalent of that takeout menu drawer transformed into healthy, paleo, gluten-free recipes right at your fingertips.

Let me guess what’s in that drawer (besides a few rubber bands, an old cell phone cable, probably some paper clips) – takeout menus from a pizza place, Thai food, Chinese, Indian… Now I know ordering and having someone else make the food is fantastic, especially when you have a place that knows how to handle gluten-free, but nothing like breaking out of your cooking comfort zone than to learn how to recreate your delivery favorites.

Russ not only includes American favorites like pizza (his pizza crust recipe is SO GOOD), wings, Chicken Parmesan, gyros with tzatziki sauce and tacos but also an extensive collection of fabulous recipes from across the globe to delight your tummy. This is where the book really stands out in my opinion. Recipes for such cuisines as Chinese (Hot & Sour Soup and Mongolian Beef), Japanese (Ramen & Dashi broth), Korean (Kimchi, Korean Fried Chicken), Thai (Tom Kha Gai, Pad Thai) and Indian (Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken). Seriously I’m getting so hungry just writing about it!

Russ has done all the dirty work (read: testing recipes over and over again to get them right) and truly puts his heart and soul into each recipe to make sure they are the very best they can be.  The respect to the cultures and dedication to learn the stories behind the recipes really shows through.   A couple weeks ago I made his Sweet & Sour Chicken (over cauliflower rice) for a non-paleo crowd: my parents and brother. Well, we didn’t have any leftovers and everyone gave it a glowing review! Well, I can’t just go on talking about this recipe without giving you a sneak peak, now can I?! Lucky for you we’re able to share his recipe for Sweet & Sour Chicken with you! AND guess what? There’s also a chance for you to win a copy of the book! Check out the recipe and how to enter below! IMG_5168 Paleo Takeout: Restaurant Favorites Without the Junk is out now! Buy it at your local bookstore or online today and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

4.7 from 3 reviews
Review: Paleo Takeout | Sweet and Sour Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 6
Ingredients
SAUCE
NUGGETS
SLURRY
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 1 tbsp cold water
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds, to garnish
  • 2 green onions, sliced, to garnish
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then reduce the heat to low to gently simmer as you prepare the rest of the meal; stir occasionally.
  2. Preheat your oven to 250°F. In a wok or skillet, warm the coconut oil over medium heat. Combine the tapioca starch, salt, and pepper, then toss the chicken pieces with the starch mixture. With your fingers, dip a starchy chicken piece in the beaten eggs, shake off the excess egg, and then add to the oil. Repeat until you have filled your skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken until cooked through, flipping every 2 minutes, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch. As you finish each batch, place the cooked pieces on a plate lined with paper towels; put them in the oven to stay warm. You should be able to cook the chicken pieces in 3 or 4 batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
  3. Once the chicken is cooked through, finish the sauce. Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if needed. If the sauce is too dark and strong tasting, add a little chicken broth to thin it out. At this point, the sauce should be about as thick as tomato soup and should have a sharp but not overwhelming flavor.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the arrowroot starch and cold water to create a slurry. Raise the sauce temperature to medium; once bubbling, add half of the slurry and stir until thickened, adding more slurry if needed. Remove from the heat.
  5. Toss the chicken pieces with the sauce, then garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over Basic Steamed Rice (page 286) or Cauliflower Rice (page 288).
Notes
*Consider adding chunks of onion, bell pepper, or even pineapple to enhance the flavor of this dish. These ingredients should be added with the starch slurry in step 4.

*This dish is equally delicious made with sliced pork loin or shrimp.

 

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Comments

  2. I cannot wait to try the sweet and sour chicken! Thanks for making real food that tastes amazing!

  4. It’s been so long.. but my fav take-out used to be veggie lo mein and sesame noodles.

  9. My favorite take-out dish is either a carnitas salad with guacamole from Chipotle or Mussels Marinara from a good Italian restaurant.

  11. I love anything Chinese for takeout! I used to love pizza, but I can’t tolerate dairy now, so pizza is off the table now.

    • Love me some sesame chicken. It was the only chinese food I would eat when I was younger. ~ Sean

    • Chick-fil-a is one of a kind. Russ has a recipe for the nuggets on his website though!

  14. my favorite takeout is definitely general tso’s chicken – haven’t found a healthy/paleo version that lives up to it but I’ve heard Russ’ recipe is great

  16. I love sweet and sour chicken, but haven’t been able to eat it as it has so much sugar in restaurants!

  18. My favorite takeout dish… that’s a tough one. I love chicken and broccoli, but my stomach doesn’t love broccoli so much anymore. I also love Indian food, but the nightshades make it hard for me to enjoy. It’s hard to go wrong with a burger and sweet potato fries, too!

  19. I LOVE sweet & sour chicken, and all variations! I gave this recipe (subbing Tamari for coconut aminos and subbing tomato paste for homemade ketchup) and it’s wonderful. I can’t wait to try more Paleo takeout recipes!

  22. Japanese food. I love getting a bento box, tempura, sushi, katsu, beef teriyaki, miso soup.