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This Paleo stir fry recipe is a delicious veggie-filled recipe cooked in a healthy orange sauce with chicken mixed in. It is full of protein and nutrients.
Table of Contents
If you want to have an absolutely veggie filled meal, than this zoodle stir fry is for you. It has a great orange garlic sauce that the chicken and the vegetables cook in. It’s a healthy homemade take-out meal recipe and it is just delicious.
If you like making your own “take-out” at home, try my honey sesame chicken, coconut aminos fried rice, or my stir fry with rice noodles.
Why this recipe works
- It is great for those following a dairy-free, gluten-free, or Paleo diet.
- It is FULL of veggies. There is zucchini, broccoli, red pepper, carrots, cabbage, and squash inside.
- It comes together quickly.
Recipe ingredients
- Garlic
- Pencil onions
- Maple syrup
- Orange juice
- Red pepper flakes
- Zucchini
- Chicken
- Broccoli
- Red Pepper
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Squash
Step by step instructions:
Step 1: Spiralize the zucchini to create zoodles.
Lightly salt them, place them in a strainer and let them sit, so that the excess moisture drains out.
Step 2: Boil orange juice, garlic, maple syrup and pencil onions together until a sauce thickens.
Step 3: Take 1/2 the sauce out and cook chicken in the other 1/2 of the sauce.
Step 4: Add the broccoli, red pepper, carrots, cabbage, and squash to the pan, and let it all cook for a bit.
Then add the zoodles and other half of the sauce and cook for a few minutes.
Expert tips
- How to store– store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- How to serve– Serve as is! You can also serve with rice ( though rice isn’t Paleo).
Other veggie filled recipes you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Paleo Stir Fry with Zoodles and Chicken
Ingredients
Orange sauce ingredients:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 heaping Tbs minced garlic, (this was 8 cloves for me)
- 4 pencil onions, chopped (including green parts) (note: these are also called green onions)
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 cup +1 Tbs orange juice, (this was the juice of 1 orange for me)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir Fry ingredients:
- 2 medium-large zucchini
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 pound chicken cutlets, cut into bite sized pieces
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 crown of broccoli, cut into smaller florets
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 pencil onions, chopped (including green part) (also called green onions)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 cup of yellow squash, sliced and quartered (this was one small squash for me)
Instructions
Orange sauce instructions:
- Put 2 tsp of olive oil into a sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat. Put the minced garlic, and chopped onions into the pan and mix into the oil with a rubber spatula. Mix often for 2 minutes, making sure it does not burn.
- Reduce the stovetop heat to medium. Put the orange juice, maple syrup, salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes into the pan. Mix and then let the mixture boil for 20 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken. Set the sauce aside when it’s done.
Stir Fry instructions:
- While the sauce is cooking, spiralize the zucchini. (I used the shredder blade from my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer for thinner zoodles). Place the zoodles in a colander/strainer and put a large pinch of salt into them. Toss the zoodles around to spread the salt around. Let the zucchini sit so that the liquid can drain from it. Set the colander/strainer into the sink.
- Put 1 tsp of olive oil into a very large cast iron skillet and heat the pan over medium heat. Put the bite sized chicken into the pan with 1/2 of the orange sauce, a pinch of salt, and a punch of ground black pepper. Let the chicken cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often to cook all sides of the chicken.
- Add the broccoli florets, diced red pepper, chopped pencil onions, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, and yellow squash to the pan. Mix well. Then let the stir fry cook for 5 minutes.
- Increase the stovetop heat to medium-high, put the cover on the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
- During this time, take out a plate, cover it in paper towels and place the zoodles onto it. Cover with a paper towel and press down to get all the remaining liquid off of the zoodles.
- Then, put the zoodles and the remaining 1/2 of the orange sauce into the pan, mix and cook for 1.5 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, and serve immediately. (The zoodles are crunchier right away, but you can still eat them later)
Notes
- How to store– store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- How to serve– Serve as is! You can also serve with rice ( though rice isn’t Paleo).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for sharing. I used the base concept and adjusted for allergies.
Glad you liked it!
What can I sub the Orange juice with? Would lemon or lime work???
Hmmm… Could you try grapefruit juice? I’m curious if lemon would be too sour, or if adding a bit more maple syrup to the lemon would work. I’ll have to try this sauce with lemon and let you know.
I don’t really do any fruits but lime, lemon & berries. Thanks!
It looks so good
I want it right now