One of my friends pointed out to me the other day that I must be missing Chinese food. I have been on the Autoimmune Paleo Diet for almost 9 months, and she was right! I do miss Chinese food! Standard American-Chinese food has many offenders for me. There are a lot of battered meats, soy sauce contains soy and gluten, many dishes use MSG, and there is a lot of added sugar, to name a few. She had the idea for chicken chow mein with spaghetti squash for noodles. It sounded intriguing, so I did a little research, and played around with some adjustment to a basic sauce to make it MSG, gluten, dairy, corn, soy and nut free. I know it has been awhile, but it really did taste like the Chinese food I have been missing, and I don't have to worry about a raging migraine later tonight. My husband and daughter kicked it up a notch with Sriracha, but I thought it was perfect as written.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed in small pieces
1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
1 bag of cole slaw (shredded green cabbage with carrots)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
3 green onions, green tops only, sliced
6 Small spaghetti quash, halved with the seeds scraped out
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Turn the spaghetti squash open side down on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then scrape the inside with a fork to get the 'noodles'
While the noodles are in the oven, make the sauce, recipe below.
Preheat a large skillet or wok on medium high heat, and then add the coconut oil.
Add the diced chicken and let it brown on all sides, it will cook quickly. (You can cook the chicken in two batches depending on the size of the skillet. If you overcrowd the pan, the chicken will steam instead of browning.)
Remove the chicken and set aside, then add the garlic, cabbage and carrots.
When the vegetables are soft, turn the heat to low, add the spaghetti squash noodles and chicken back to the pan.
Add 1/4 cup of the sauce, or more if you like, and save the rest for your next stir fry.
Top with green onions, and serve in the empty squash bowls.
SAUCE
1/4 Cup Coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you do not have dietary restrictions)
1/4 Cup Tahini (you can substitute another 1/4 cup of coconut aminos for AIP)
1/4 Cup Fish sauce
1/2 cup Pomegranate juice (or cooking wine if you do not have dietary restrictions)
1/4 cup Arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
2 Tablespoons Pomegranate molasses
1 Tablespoon Honey
2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
2 teaspoons of black pepper (omit for AIP)
Combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake well.