Orange chicken meatballs

 Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg

1/2 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

zest of 1 orange, minced

olive oil

Sauce:

1 1/5 cups orange juice

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoon coconut aminos

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon tapioca starch (added later)

Add-Ins:

2–4 cups fresh broccoli florets

Instructions

Combine orange juice, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, garlic, coconut aminos and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Let simmer while making the meatballs.

Combine ground chicken, egg, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl.

Scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, forming a ball, and place on a large plate.  Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used. (See Notes)

Take large/medium cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan.  Add chicken meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes.

Turn down heat to medium and cover.  Let cook 10-15 minutes, moving around frequently, until fully cooked (165 internal temperature – I recommend using a meat thermometer).

Once meatballs are fully cooked remove them from the skillet and place on a plate; set aside. In the same skillet you cooked the meatballs, pour in the sauce that has been simmering. Add in the tapioca starch and whisk continually, bringing the sauce to simmer. It will slowly start to thicken.  Once sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the meatballs back in.  Toss to coat the meatballs. Remember the sauce will thicken even more as it cools a little.

If you are making broccoli to go with this you can add that in at this point, cover the dish and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes (just don’t let the sauce go above a small simmer or it may get gummy).  You can also just steam your broccoli separately and then add in to the sauce or serve it on the side.

Serve immediately.