This quick and simple 30-Minute Paleo Hunan Chicken with a sweet and sour sauce with a little kick is a lovely tool to change up weeknight meals. Serve it with cauliflower rice or your choice of steamed or fried rice to fit your dietary needs.
Have you ever tried Hunan Chicken?
I only recently tried it, and true to my nature, I developed a grain-free, soy-free and refined sugar-free version that tastes authentic and comes together quickly for easy healthy weeknight meals.
Quick Chinese-inspired meals like this are a revolving theme on this site.
My Mango Cashew Chicken, 30-Minute Paleo Orange Chicken, 20-Minute Mongolian Ground Beef have been my most recent favorites.
But let’s dive into this sultry little number.
What is Hunan Chicken?:
Hunan Chicken is a Chinese American rendition of what would be a typical dish from the Hunan province of China.
Chili peppers and sweet, tart flavors are used widely in Hunan cuisine, which is where this quick and easy chicken recipe comes into the picture.
Tender chicken and vegetables in a thick, sweet yet tangy spicy sauce, Hunan style chicken is an easy stir fry recipe that we can all make any night of the week.
Hunan Chicken Ingredients:
For the Stir Fry: Chicken breasts, tapioca flour (you can also use arrowroot flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour), broccoli, carrots, bell pepper and avocado oil for cooking.
For the Sauce: Chicken broth, coconut aminos (or liquid aminos or soy sauce), garlic, ginger, red chili paste (such as sriracha), cider vinegar, coconut sugar (or pure maple syrup or regular sugar), and sesame oil.
This combination of ingredients makes for a meal that covers all the flavor bases. Pair it with side dishes to make a complete meal!
How to Make Healthy Hunan Chicken:
Prepare the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small blender and blend until combined. If you don’t own a small blender, simply mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and stir everything in a mixing bowl.
Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and place it in a mixing bowl with the tapioca flour. Stir well until the chicken is well-coated in tapioca flour.
Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a couple of minutes.
When hot, transfer the chicken to the skillet and spread it into an even layer. Allow the chicken to brown for 2 minutes before stirring it and allowing it to brown for another minute or two.
Stir in the vegetables.
Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well.
Cover the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened but are still al dente.
Remove the cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes minutes.
Serve the Hunan Chicken with your choice of cauliflower rice, steamed rice or fried rice.
How to Make this Recipe Mild:
While the recipe isn’t overly spicy as written, it does have a small kick to it. If you prefer your food mild, omit the sriracha and the red pepper flakes. While ginger isn’t spicy per se, some folks find it has a bit of a kick, so you can decrease the amount to 2 teaspoons.
On the flipside, if you love spicy food, add more sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes to increase the heat.
If you love meals like this, you may also enjoy my 30-Minute Sesame Ginger Garlic Broccoli Beef Stir Fry, Salmon Stir Fry with Vegetables, and my Paleo General Chicken.
30-Minute Paleo Hunan Chicken
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour*
- 1 red bell pepper cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium-sized zucchini squash chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large clove garlic peeled
- ¼ cup coconut aminos**
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 Tbsp sriracha or red chili paste
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar***
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar****
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small blender and blend until combined. If you don't own a small blender, simply mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and stir everything in a mixing bowl.
- Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and place it in a mixing bowl with the tapioca flour. Stir well until the chicken is well-coated in tapioca flour.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a couple of minutes.
- When hot, transfer the chicken to the skillet and spread it into an even layer. Allow the chicken to brown for 2 minutes before stirring it and allowing it to brown for another minute or two.
- Stir in the vegetables.
- Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well.
- Cover the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened but are still al dente.
- Remove the cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes minutes.
- Serve the Hunan Chicken with your choice of cauliflower rice, steamed rice or fried rice.
Notes
Nutrition
This was delicious!! Thank you for a great weeknight meal.
Wahoo! So happy you enjoy it, Lori! Thanks so much for the follow-up note!
The picture has broccoli, but the recipe says zucchini. Would I use just a crown of broccoli?