Orange Marinated Chicken Bowls with Zucchini “Rice” (Paleo)

Baked Orange-Marinated Chicken Bowls with Zucchini Rice and Orange Turmeric Tahini Sauce. This squeaky clean nutritious bowl is awesome for those looking for a clean dinner, a low-carb, paleo, or Low-FODMAP dinner recipe. Plus, it’s tasty as can be!

Helloooooo baked chicken bowl of my dreams! Finally, we meet!

These bowls are one of those easy yet powerfully nutritious dinner recipes that can be put on repeat over and over. They’re comprised of four simple facets:

Bowl Components:

Roasted Chicken Breast – marinated in orange juice and olive oil and seasoned with paprika and parsley then baked in the oven. SIMPLE!

Roasted Carrots – sliced carrots tossed in avocado oil (or cooking oil of choice) and sea salt, roasted in conjunction with the chicken for ease of preparation.

Zucchini “Rice” – zucchini grated up and sautéed with a little sea salt for that faux carb appeal. A similar concept to cauliflower rice, zucchini rice is a great way of taking in nutrients and fiber.

Orange-Turmeric Tahini Sauce – basically bliss. See below.

I posted the recipe for the Orange-Turmeric Tahini Sauce on Monday, which is probably one of my favorite sauces to date. It’s nutritious, super creamy, perfectly sweet, a little tangy, and does a magnificent job of tying together just about any bowl.

In addition to the Orange-Turmeric Tahini Sauce, I also marinate the chicken in a simple mixture of orange juice, avocado oil, cider vinegar, and sea salt. You’re getting a double-whammy orange feature! This super simple marinade yields tender, flavorful chicken. Always a win!

There are all sorts of ways you can change up this bowl to fit your dietary needs and palate preferences. Check it out:

Recipe Adaptations:

• Add any of your favorite spices, seasonings, and/or herbs to any portion of this baked chicken bowl. I love adding ground cumin to my roasted carrots, and/or fresh garlic or garlic powder to my zucchini rice. Get creative!
• Trade out the chicken for salmon or steak.
• Swap the zucchini rice for cauliflower rice or sweet potato rice (or regular ol’ rice rice).
• Use your favorite sauce in place of the orange-turmeric tahini sauce.
• Swap the roasted carrots for your favorite roasted vegetable, or roast up a vegetable medley. “Cheesy” Vegan Roasted Cauliflower  , Crowd-Pleasing Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Celery Root with Carrots, Parsley and Dill, and/or Rosemary and Cumin Roasted Carrots would be marvelous here.
• Go meatless by adding plant-based protein like chickpeas, black beans, or vegan protein of choice.

^ Close-up on that zucchini “rice”

A low-carb dinner recipe, a clean eating dinner option, a paleo meal, a keto bowl, a Low-FODMAP dinner that’ll make you and your digestive system love life.

However you want to look at this baked chicken bowl, it fits any lifestyle!

Orange Marinated Chicken Bowls with Zucchini Rice

A delicious low-carb dinner recipe of baked chicken, zucchini "rice" and roasted carrots with a fresh orange tahini sauce makes for an incredible, yet simple meal!

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

2 people

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• ▢ 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 3 Tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
• ▢ 3 Tbsp orange juice
• ▢ 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the Bowls:

• ▢ 1 batch Orange-Turmeric Tahini Sauce
• ▢ 3 Tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil, divided
• ▢ 4 medium zucchini, grated
• ▢ 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• ▢ sea salt, to taste
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

Roast the Chicken and Carrots:

• Place chicken breasts in a zip lock bag (or tupperware container). Add the ingredients for the marinade to a small blender and blend until well-combined. Pour the marinade over the chicken and seal the bag. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer chicken (and marinade) to a casserole dish.
• Transfer the chopped carrots to a large baking sheet and drizzle with a generous amount of avocado oil (about 1.5 to 2 Tbsp). Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Place both the chicken and the carrots in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove chicken and carrots from oven and allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Prepare the Zucchini "Rice"

• While the chicken and carrots are roasting, prepare the zucchini "rice." Grate the zucchini using a box grater, or pulse in a food processor until rice-sized pieces form. 
• Heat 1.5 to 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high. Add the zucchini rice, sprinkle and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the water has burned off, and the zucchini begins to brown and crisp up, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste.

Make the Bowls:

• Add carrots, zucchini rice, and chicken to large bowls and drizzle with orange-turmeric tahini sauce. Serve with cherry tomatoes and any other toppings you'd like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 2 - Calories: 735kcal - Carbohydrates: 45g - Protein: 43g - Fat: 45g - Fiber: 16g - Sugar: 20g

Course: Lifestyle

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken recipe, low carb recipe. paleo dinner recipe, orange marinated chicken bowls, zucchini rice

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 735kcal

Author: Julia