Got 30 minutes and one pan? Then you’ve got this saucy Healthy Orange Chicken. This scrumptious dish is quick, gluten-free, and robust with flavor.
Easy Healthy Orange Chicken
This 30-Minute Orange Chicken is healthy, full of protein, and absolutely scrumptious.
No messy breading, frying, or excess oiling is going to happen here.
What is happening: tender, mouthwatering pieces of chicken breast smothered with a deliciously bright and citrusy orange-soy-brown sugar sauce that is awesome over fluffy rice
Just because a dish takes only 30 minutes or less does not mean it has to be frozen pizza. (Though sometimes it means just that…only not today.)
Most busy weekdays, we go for healthyish meals at home that are nutritious yet tasty enough that the entire family is satisfied. No matter how healthy, it’s gotta be delicious.
It’s also got to happen on the double, pronto. Because time, like money, does not grow on trees. Is that asking too much? We can and will do this.
One Pan Technique for Healthy Orange Chicken
Skip the messy batter and frying oil; there’s no need for all that with this healthy orange chicken recipe. The best thing about recreating this popular takeout dish at home? You get all the flavor, without the not-so-healthy side effects.
No need to heat up the oven, either. Just grab your favorite pan and watch the transformation.
- Use an extra large nonstick sauté pan, which minimizes the amount of oil needed and makes cleanup a breeze. Our sauté pan is the daily workhorse of our kitchen.
- Heat the oil until it’s very hot, as oil that’s not hot enough will not brown your chicken nicely.
- As a rule of thumb, always remove excess moisture from your meats prior to cooking. Paper towels are perfect for the job. If you sauté pieces of chicken that contain excess moisture, the chicken will end up more steamed than browned.
- Always cook pieces of meat in a single layer — do not overcrowd the pan, or that undesired steaming thing will happen. Here’s where you’ll be so glad you have an extra large pan.
- Once chicken is browned, transfer it to your serving dish. Using the same pan, you’ll heat up the easy orange sauce for just 30 seconds.
- Once the sauce is thickened, add back the browned chicken. Stir to coat, and bingo!
What to serve with Orange Chicken
- Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice is our rice of choice, as we love the toothsome goodness of well made brown rice. Since we’re being healthy, might as well rise to the occasion.
- Lo Mein Noodles is a super easy meal prep solution, just like this orange chicken. Both can be made in advance or in larger batches for extra dinners.
- Asian Sticky Rice is a family favorite of ours, as it’s meal-prep friendly and tastes amazing. Our easy homemade version is naturally healthier than takeout.
common questions and answers
We recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs for cooking orange chicken, as dark meat yields more tender results and is generally more forgiving if you accidentally overcook it. If you use chicken breast, take care not to overcook.
Absolutely. This orange chicken recipe is ideal for meal prep, as it can be made in advance in larger batches and keeps well in the fridge. No batter/frying means no worries about anything getting soggy.
There are various types of Asian rice vinegar. Some Chinese varieties are darker in color, while others are light-colored, referred to as white rice vinegar. Asian white rice vinegar is made from fermented rice and adds tangy-umami flavors to your dish. It’s less acidic than typical Western style vinegars.
Also, this: How to make super easy thai fried rice
Healthy Orange Chicken
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This 30-Minute Healthy Orange Chicken comes together easily and quickly, without the mess of batter and frying. It’s easy on the waist and big on taste!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp freshly grated orange zest, plus 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 TB Asian white rice vinegar
- 3 TB soy sauce*
- 2 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp olive or canola oil
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs (chicken breast can be used, though dark meat yields more tender results)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
- Optional: Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Prep the Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha, ginger, garlic powder, and cornstarch. Whisk until cornstarch is fully dissolved, with no white lumps left.
- Cook Chicken: Towel dry the pieces of chicken, as it’s important to remove excess moisture for even browning. Cut into bite-size pieces. In a large nonstick pan, heat oil over high heat until hot. Add chicken and kosher salt. Cook and stir until chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
- Heat Sauce: In now-empty pan, add the orange sauce mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, 30 seconds. Return the cooked chicken back to pan, along with any accumulated juices. Toss to coat chicken.
- Serve: Serve immediately over cooked rice. Sprinkle with scallions for garnish and extra Sriracha sauce on the side, if desired. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for several days.
Notes
This recipe is part of our Healthy Takeout Dishes collection.
We use tamari gluten-free, pure soybean soy sauce. Always use name brand, good quality soy sauces, as there is a difference in flavor.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: dinner, main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: orange chicken, healthy orange chicken, chinese orange chicken, stir fry chicken
Chew Out Loud Never loads properly so that I can see the entire recipe
That is strange; I’ll definitely look into this. Thanks for the heads up!
Darn. I was hoping to find some comments about this recipe. I am a little scared to make this, like I am with most meals because something always goes wrong. I hope this is delicious! I’ll give it a shot!
Thanks for the great recipe and the wonderful blog. I still have Polish on my toe nails and I’m 65 and hanging on to every last day of Indian Summer!! Have a great Fall. Thanks.
You’re so welcome, Cheryl! We’re so glad you came over today 🙂
Great flavor in the orange chicken and a really quick meal to prepare. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Thanks so much, Jim! So glad you liked it; thanks for coming over to let us know 🙂
Do I have to use Sriracha? I don’t eat spicy food.
No, you can skip the Sriracha 🙂
I would love to give this a go. Is it a spicy dish cause I saw Sriracha. Plz let me know.
I was wondering about the nutritional information? I’m counting calories but could live off of orange chicken.
my son LOVES this recipe, and it’s normally impossible to get him to eat any kind of chicken that’s not a breaded chicken strip. definitely adding this into my rotation of meals!!
YAY, Kristine! So so happy to hear it 🙂 Happy new year!!!!
This was very tasty and quick! I did forget to towel dry the chicken pieces, but it didn’t seem to matter! I did cut back the Sriracha Sauce to 1/2 teaspoon and that was just the right amount of heat for us.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed this, Barbara!
I really don’t care for the orange chicken with the breading on the chicken. and other recipes i have tried to make with out the breading are very bland. but this recipe iot the bomb! not only is it really easy to make but full of lots of flavor. it has become the only orange chicken my family will eat. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
So happy your family loves this dish, Kim! 🙂
Amazing how quickly you can make something as delicious as this orange chicken. It looks so flavorful!
★★★★★
This orange chicken was quick, easy, and delicious! I loved it and will make it again. Thank you!
★★★★★