Asian Chicken Rainbow Carrot Pasta

AIP keeps asking you to loosen your grip on what a meal is supposed to look like, and rainbow carrot ribbons standing in for pasta is one of the clearer examples of that. Running 6 large carrots through a peeler until your arm is tired and the cores are too narrow to keep going takes real patience, and the payoff is a bowl that looks more like a still life than a substitute.

Gingerols and shogaols, the active compounds in ginger, have been studied for a role in helping the body manage its own inflammatory response. Turmeric works alongside it through curcumin, thought to influence how immune signaling behaves, which matters directly, since calming an overactive immune system is the entire point of this phase. Beta-carotene from the carrots is on its way to becoming the vitamin A that keeps the gut's mucosal lining intact.

1 pound of chicken thighs or tenderloins becomes this dinner, and it deserves a quiet nod to the life this chicken lived before it became dinner; cook it with care and let none of it go to waste. Scatter cilantro, set out lime wedges, and let the colors in the bowl be part of what makes this dinner feel like more than compliance.

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 3 TBSP lime juice
• 2 TBSP tigernut flour
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 TBSP fish sauce
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (for cooking the chicken)
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (for the carrots)
• 1/2 TBSP coconut aminos
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 lb chicken tenderloins or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 large rainbow carrots (regular carrots may be substituted)
• 1 TBSP chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• Lime wedges for serving

Method

In a mixing bowl or large measuring jug, whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, tigernut flour, honey, fish sauce, coconut aminos, ginger, turmeric, garlic powder, and salt until smooth. Set the sauce aside.

Peel the rainbow carrots. Using a vegetable peeler, draw long strokes down the length of each carrot to create wide, thin ribbons. Rotate the carrot as you work. Continue until each carrot is too narrow to ribbon comfortably - reserve those cores for snacking or broth. You should end up with a generous pile of ribbons that will behave like wide pasta in the pan.

Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil in a large skillet or wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on the outside and cooked through - about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 TBSP of olive oil to the same pan. Add the carrot ribbons and toss for 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to soften and brighten in color.

Pour the sauce over the carrots and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the carrots are tender but still have some texture.

Return the chicken to the pan and toss everything together. Add the chopped cilantro and stir once more.

Serve in wide bowls with extra cilantro and lime wedges alongside.

*Adapted from Wendi's AIP Kitchen*