Healthy Orange Chicken

Healthy orange chicken is browned, crispy and tossed in a sauce that’s got a little bit of sweet and a little bit of heat. This delicious dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

I'm trying to soak up the summertime since we're getting dangerously close to August and my kids are starting back to school in just a few more weeks.

Bah! I'm not quite ready for that... so we're trying to enjoy these long, hot days. Pool time, playing outside, tons of reading, some movie nights and more.

And we're also watching ALL of the Olympics right now. My kids are 10 and (almost) 8, so they're pretty into it. It's fun to check out all the crazy sports that are part of the Olympics.

But let's move on to the food.

I’m excited to bring you yet another takeout fakeout dish that we make ourselves at home.

(See easy chicken pad Thai, easy chicken lo mein and quick chicken curry for some other favorites. Oh and cashew chicken and chicken chow mein, which are each ready in just 20 minutes.)

Today, it’s this healthy orange chicken that is browned and crispy with a saucy coating that’s got a little sweet with a little heat.

In other words, this dish is totally irresistible!

You really won’t be able to stop reaching for another piece coated in that yummy sauce mixture. It’s just so good!

The chicken pieces are shaken in a flour and cornstarch mixture then cooked in a bit of canola oil in a regular pan until they are browned and crispy.

(Full disclosure: The texture is definitely not like a full fried crunchy. But of course, that’s kind-of the point here with a lightened up version.)

The trick is to be sure to really heat your oil and then when you add the chicken to the pan, leave it alone for 5-6 minutes so it develops some good color.

Then flip each piece over and give them another couple of minutes to get the other side nice and browned before you remove them. (They don’t have to finish cooking at this point because they’ll go back in the pan with the sauce.)

Hot oil and leave them alone. That’ll give you the color and crispiness you’re looking for.

And bonus? This healthy orange chicken recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes!

That’s my kind of weeknight cooking.

(And weekend cooking, too, honestly. I don’t particularly want to slave in the kitchen when I finally get a break from work on the weekends!)

So between ordering, driving, picking up and getting back home, this homemade orange chicken is even faster than takeout.

Not to mention, you get to control the ingredients and it’s so much healthier than a deep-fried restaurant version.

OK, let’s get cooking so you can start enjoying this too.

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up on how to make healthy orange chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making healthy orange chicken:

• Chicken: The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time and ensure the chicken cooks through.
• Orange: Fresh orange juice adds the best flavor - and doesn’t have any extra sweetness or added sugars. Plus, you need an orange for the zest, so you might as well juice it! You’ll need 1-2 oranges to get the ½ cup of juice needed.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour and occasionally white wheat flour. Another alternative flour might be fine, too, but I haven’t tested in that way.
• Cornstarch: I’ve only tried this with cornstarch, but I think you could substitute arrowroot if needed.
• Red pepper flakes: This dish is low to medium spicy as is, with the ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. You can cut that back to ¼ teaspoon to keep it mild or add some more if you want it on the spicy side.

Alright, let’s round out the rest of the meal so we can dig in!

As for serving, we love having this chicken over some steamed brown rice. White rice of course is fine, too, as is cauliflower rice if you want to go low-carb.

If you’ve got some, it’s great with some sliced green onions on top, but no need to buy any just for this recipe.

As for a vegetable side, we usually go with some steamed broccoli or warmed up peas. But this quick bok choy with garlic and ginger makes a stellar accompaniment.

Got leftovers?

Leftover orange chicken and sauce, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave. The crispiness might be lost, but it still tastes great.

There you go! You can make orange chicken in your own kitchen any time you like. And it’ll be loads healthier than the restaurant version.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Stay tuned because I’m testing and perfecting an Air Fryer version of this recipe.

You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!

PRINT PIN SaveSaved!

No ratings yet

Healthy Orange Chicken

Healthy orange chicken is browned, crispy and tossed in a sauce that’s got a little bit of sweet and a little bit of heat. This delicious dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

1x2x3x

Cook Mode

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, for cooking

For the sauce:

• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup orange juice (from 1-2 oranges)
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

• Combine the flour, cornstarch, black, pepper, onion powder, paprika, salt and ground ginger in a large ziptop plastic bag and shake to mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat in the flour mixture.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Carefully add the flour-coated chicken pieces (discard the remaining flour mixture)  and cook over medium high until well browned on all sides, about 7-8 minutes. Tip: Add the chicken and then leave it alone for 5-6 minutes to develop really good color and crispiness on the first side. Then flip it and give it a couple more minutes on the other side to get color and crispiness.
• Remove the chicken and keep warm. (The chicken doesn’t have to be completely cooked through at this point; it will return to the heat.)
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Whisk together the orange zest and juice, water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, red pepper flakes and cornstarch until everything is well combined and the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.
• Wipe out the pan that you cooked the chicken in and return it to a burner over medium heat. Add the sauce and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the pan, toss to coat it in the sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
• Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce.

Notes

Chicken: The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time and ensure the chicken cooks through.

Orange: Fresh orange juice adds the best flavor - and doesn’t have any extra sweetness or added sugars. Plus, you need an orange for the zest, so might as well juice it! You’ll need 1-2 oranges to get the ½ cup of juice needed.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour and occasionally white wheat flour. Another alternative flour might be fine, too, but I haven’t tested in that way.

Cornstarch: I’ve only tried this with cornstarch, but I think you could substitute arrowroot if needed.

Red pepper flakes: This dish is low to medium spicy as is, with the ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. You can cut that back to ¼ teaspoon to keep it mild or add some more if you want it on the spicy side.

Leftovers: Leftover orange chicken and sauce, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave. The crispiness might be lost, but it still tastes great.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 549mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!