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 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.
Recipe 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 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.
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.
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
Healthy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in ½ inch cubes
- 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.
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david says
I was cooking skillet ginger Bok Choy and found this Healthy Orange Chicken as a compliment. My wife had her PCP physical today, we had COVID the first week in January and at 75, she has allowed me the food shopping, house cleaning and cooking chores. I thought she would enjoy something different, since Trump has been in charge, she gets quite depressed around suppertime.
We both thought this recipe was perfect, the flavor, ease and healthy result is greatly appreciated. *One consideration, if you like sauce on your rice, I'd double the sauce amount. I had bought 1.3lbs of skinned breast meat, put 1 cup of fresh orange juice & some pulp in, which called for 1/2 juice, next time I'll use 2 cups of juice and double the other sauce ingredients, possibly not 2tabs of corn starch, I'll check on that. Fabulous, she loved your HOC and her depression from tonight's Trump News will be limited.
Kathryn Doherty says
Oh I'm so happy to hear you loved it - thank you for sharing! And I'm so honored to be a part of your evening and to have brought a little happiness to a tough time of day for your wife. Sending her big hugs and all the comfort she can find to manage these hard times. It's wonderful that you are helping to care for her so well. And that's a great idea to double the sauce to have extra for rice! I love drizzling sauce over my whole plate : )