Bang Bang Chicken With Spicy Almond Sauce

🧂 Ingredients

• Coconut oil for cooking
• 4 chicken thighs

  boneless, skinless
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

  black can also be used
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
• 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond milk

  or coconut milk, water could also be used
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/2 small onion

  diced (or 1/4 large)
• 1/2 long red chilli

  sliced or finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic

  finely diced
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos

  or Tamari wheat-free soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey

  or maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons coconut yoghurt

  or cream
• 1/4 cup water
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 head of baby gem lettuce

  shredded
• 1/2 long cucumber

  sliced into thin strips
• 1 large carrot

  sliced into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 yellow pepper

  thinly sliced into strips
• 1 small mango

  sliced into thin strips or diced
• 1/4 cup diced scallions/spring onion
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• A good pinch of salt

Instructions

• 1 Marinate the chicken.
  
  Ideally, marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. Lay the
  chicken pieces on a cutting board close together and sprinkle evenly with all of
  the spices and salt. Massage the chicken meat to make sure the spices are
  distributed evenly. Leave in the fridge for an hour or overnight and make sure
  to remove from the cold for 10-15 minutes before frying.
• 2 Make the sauce.
  
  This can also be made ahead of time if you’re doing this as part of meal prep on
  the weekend. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil,
  onion, chill and salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until
  softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir over heat until melted and
  combined (for about a minute).
• 3 Purée the sauce.
  
  Transfer the sauce mixture to a small blender or a food processor and blend
  until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. If storing in the fridge, simply
  reheat before serving to thin it out (you can add a little more water if gets
  too thick in the fridge).
• 4 If not using a blender or a food processor, dice the onions, chill and garlic
  very finely, so that once the sauce is combined in the pot, you can leave it
  unprocessed.
• 5 Make salad.
  
  Do this before you start cooking the chicken. That way all the components are
  ready for service. Cut the salad ingredients and assemble them in a bowl or a
  large platter. Drizzle with lime juice, sprinkle with a little sea salt and
  drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
• 6 Cook the chicken.
  
  Make sure the chicken is out of the fridge so it’s not too cold. The first step
  is to make the flour slurry. Combine the flour with the almond or coconut milk
  and whisk through until smooth. Add the slurry to the chicken and mix until
  evenly coated.
• 7 Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (a thin layer) over medium-high heat and once
  hot add the chicken pieces, one by one, making sure there is a little space
  around them. I like to use chopsticks for this as you can delicately move the
  pieces around the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side. Use a thin spatula to
  slide under the chicken if it feels a little stuck before you turn it over.
• 8 Serve the chicken over the salad platter and drizzle with a few tablespoons of
  the sauce. Serve extra sauce on the side. I like to also serve some extra green
  vegetables such as steamed broccoli or snow peas.

Nutrition Info