Chinese Five Spice Powder is Amazing!  It is a combination of Star Anise, Fennel, Black Pepper, Cinnamon and Cloves.  It is a warming blend that pairs wonderfully with meat!  Here I use it to make Five Spice Chicken Thigh Bites using boneless chicken thighs.  This is very kid friendly because of the bite size pieces, and it is slightly sweet with fresh squeezed orange and lemon juices and just a bit of heat with red pepper flakes.  You can turn up the heat by adding more red pepper flakes if you like, but don’t leave them out.  You need them to balance the dish.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons of Chinese Five Spice Powder (Gluten Free)

2 teaspoons Ground Ginger

3 Tablespoons of Clear Honey

1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan Pink Salt divided

1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon of White Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Quarter each boneless chicken thigh into 4 cubes.  Mix together in a small bowl the Chinese Five Spice Powder, Ground Ginger, 1 Teaspoon Salt, White Pepper and Black Pepper.

Place Chicken Thigh cubes and powdered spice mixture into a gallon ziplock bag and shake until very well distributed.  Get in there and massage with your hands if necessary. 🙂

Mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, honey, red pepper flakes, and the other 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced by half. Melt the coconut oil in a large oven safe skillet or fry pan. Add the chicken cubes in one layer (very important for browning, so make sure your pan is big enough).

Chinese Five Spice Chicken Bites

Brown for five minutes not touching, then flip the cubes and brown 5 more minutes. Pour the reduced sauce over the chicken cubes and transfer to the oven in the pan and bake for 5 minutes.  Viola! Done!  Pour the chicken and sauce into a serving dish and toss a couple times to coat with the sauce.

Eat Your Nutrients!

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