Skip the takeout and make this Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe for dinner! A simple, delicious dinner that is paleo, gluten free, packed with flavor and done in under an hour! Made with just a few ingredients, it’s tasty and easy to make!
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I really don’t play favorites with my recipes.. or at least I try not to.. but whenever someone asks me what my favorite recipe from my site it, I always say it’s this Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
(with these Healthy Chicken Tenders coming in at a close second!).
Made with minimal ingredients, full of flavor, and easy to make – this dish is one I always turn to!
Orange Chicken is one of my favorite things to order when we get takeout. But as I’m sure most of you know.. Chinese food is definitely not the healthiest dinner option (Hello MSG overload!)
Years ago when I first started eating healthy was on a mission to try to make all my favorite foods healthy, and orange chicken was one of the first things to get a makeover!
I’ll admit, there were (and still are) many concoctions that I try that come out a total mess. Muffins that are flatter than pancakes… Breads that never rise..
But THIS lighter orange chicken recipe recipe is one where all the healthy substitutions turned into something SUPER delicious!
This was one of those recipes that as I was making it I was a little skeptical.. Would the flavor be right? Would the sauce be thick enough or would I just be eating chicken coated in a weird orange juice mixture??
So many questions. Thankfully the flavor was so on point and the sauce was perfectly thick. It had the same consistency of the amazing sauce you get at a restaurant!
On top of being super delicious + beyond easy to make, this recipe is so versatile. Here are different ways to serve this Healthy Orange Chicken.
Ways to Serve this Healthy Orange Chicken
- Feeding a crowd of hungry people? Serve it over a giant bowl of brown rice/quinoa + broccoli.
- Trying to keep paleo? Skip the rice entirely or do cauliflower rice.
- Not a huge fan of cauliflower rice? Serve it over zoodles!
- Broccoli, green beans, or steamed cauliflower are great for veggie side dishes
What to do if the sauce doesn’t thicken with this Healthy Orange Chicken
Give it time, I promise. Re-read the directions listed in the recipe. The chicken needs to be completely removed from the pan, and the sauce needs to boil for 15-20 minutes. Stir the sauce every few minutes, and once the sauce starts to pull away from the pan as you scrape it back, you’ll know it’s ready!
My sauce is more brown than orange, is this ok?
Yes! This is totally fine! Your sauce might look a little dark than these photos simply due to the ingredients you use. The color won’t impact the flavor!
The next time you’re tempted to get takeout… skip the delivery service and just make it yourself!
I hope you love this amazing twist on takeout as much as we do.
Substitutions for this Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe:
- Orange Juice– you can sub regular bottled orange juice with freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ginger– you can substitute fresh ginger with 1/4 tablespoon ground ginger
- Coconut Aminos – You can sub coconut aminos with soy sauce or bragg’s liquid aminos – but the recipe will no longer be paleo.
How to make Healthy Orange Chicken:
Other healthy paleo chicken dinners you’ll love:
- Sheet Pan Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thigh Dinner
- Healthy Maple Mustard Chicken
- Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles
Healthy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cleaned + cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 cups steamed broccoli or green beans
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Sauce
- 2.5 cups orange juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger***
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, cook the cubed chicken in the toasted sesame oil until the edges are brown and slightly crispy (Approx 5-10 minutes)
- As the chicken is cooking, stir together the sauce mixture in a separate bowl
- Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked remove it from the pan and place it off to the side in a separate bowl.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the same pan you cooked the chicken in.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring every minute or so until it starts to thicken. (You will know it has thickened when you scrape the pan and it pulls away from the pan)
- When the sauce thickens, add the cooked chicken back in + stir to coat the chicken
- Serve over steamed broccoli or green beans for a paleo option, or rice/quinoa.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds + enjoy!
- *** If substituting ground ginger for fresh ginger, cut the amount in 1/4 to 1/4 tablespoon.
Video
Notes
- Feeding a crowd of hungry people? Serve it over a giant bowl of brown rice/quinoa + broccoli.
- Trying to keep paleo? Skip the rice entirely or do cauliflower rice.
- Not a huge fan of cauliflower rice? Serve it over zoodles!
- Broccoli, green beans, or steamed cauliflower are great for veggie side dishes
Nutrition Facts
thetrainerlife
The sauce sounds amazing. I will definitely give it a try this week.
Clean Eating & Focused Training
It is ! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Wendy @ Wholistic Woman
Love this! I’ve been craving Chinese food lately (the unhealthy kind) and this may do the trick.
The Clean Eating Couple
It totally will Wendy! It kicked my cravings 🙂 We also have a Pad Thai Recipe that is out of this world! https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/2014/02/15/healthy-chicken-pad-thai/
rachel @atheltic avocado
Orange chicken is one of my favorites too!Love the sound of this healthy version! The pictures are gorgeous 🙂
The Clean Eating Couple
Thank you!! I so appreciate that 🙂
Sammy
The chicken looks delicious! Although it doesn’t look like there is much sauce, would eating this with brown rice make it a little dry? Can’t wait to try it!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Sammy – If you want more sauce to put on rice you can just double the sauce ingredients!
Emily
So I can’t say that I won’t ever get take out again, but this looks like an AMAZING alternative when you want to cook something quick.
The Clean Eating Couple
I mean… Takeout is kinda amazing when you need something quick! Who could totally pass it up!? But this is waaaaay tastier 🙂
Eva Geier
I can’t wait to try making this 🙂 Just read your soup post, too. Thank you for sharing!!
The Clean Eating Couple
It’s so yummy!! I’m sure your fam will love it 🙂
Nida
Hi… the recipe sounds delicious, but unfortunately we don’t get coconut aminos her! Can we substitute it with something else. Thanks
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Nida,
Coconut aminos are pretty much everywhere! I would check in your grocery store near the soy sauce – you may have never noticed them before. I’d recommend a low sodium soy sauce in it’s place if you can’t find it!
CEEH
My sauce did not thicken I had to add a thickener. Will have to make some adjustments and try again!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi There – I’m really sorry to hear this! Did you follow the directions on the time for the sauce? It needs to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes before it will thicken.
Lilajo
Mine either what did u use to thicken it!!!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi! Did you follow the directions on the time for the sauce? It needs to boil for at least 15-20 minutes before it will thicken. The sauce should be at a rolling boil + bubbling for it to thicken 🙂 You do not need to add thickeners to it!
Yesenia
What kind of orange juice was used?
The Clean Eating Couple
Just regular orange juice purchased from the store. I always look for one that is 100% real orange juice.
C
Just tried this tonight and it was great, but way too spicy for my toddler and I was nervous to eat it because I am nursing. I think maybe less pepper and omitting the red pepper flakes in the future will make it less spicy – Thoughts?
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi! There’s actually a note in the recipe card right next to pepper flakes saying to omit if you like things less spicy. Next time I would omit that and if you’re serving to kids I probably would omit sriracha. Black pepper doesn’t typically make things spicy but if you want to omit that too you can and always add after.
Brian S
Super good. Made enough for 5 meals. My first time cooking raw chicken lol. Next time I will cut it after the initial cooking while the sauce boils. Sauce didn’t thicken quite as much as I’d hoped, but still tasted great. Do I just keep the sauce on med-high the whole time? Maybe add flour if it doesn’t thicken?
Thanks for sharing this!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Brian – Per the direction, the chicken needs to be cubed prior to cooking it. You need to keep the sauce on medium to high heat and boil it. It will thicken after 15-20 minutes. I wouldn’t add flour, just be patient 🙂
Natalia Thillet
Wow! I’ve tried many healthier/paleo orange chicken recipes and they would never get even close to the main chain restaurants. After watching Liz’s Insta story about it a while back and how much she raved about how similar it was to restaurants, I had to try it. Let me tell you, she wasn’t lying! It is sooooo tasty and I love how the sauce thickens and coats the chicken. I gave it to my husband to try and he was so shocked to hear that it was all healthier ingredients. This is as close as you can get to the real thing and in my opinion better, because you feel great about what you are putting into your body! 🙂
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m so glad you like this recipe, Natalia!! It is one of my favorite dinners to make! And I totally agree- I love that you can feel better about eating this vs takeout!!
Lisa
I made this and it was yummy but my sauce is brown instead of orange – did I do something wrong? The sauce did thicken though after 20 minutes! Thanks for sharing.
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Lisa -I wouldn’t worry if the sauce is more brown than orange. It could just have to do with the brand of ingredients you used. Some orange juices are lighter and some coconut aminos are browner. 🙂
Justin
It’s good but too much pepper. I figured is follow the directions first but that’s the change I’d make.
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Justin – We think the pepper gives it the right amount of kick, are you sure you put in the correct amount? Either way, we appreciate the feedback 🙂
Dawn
The orange chicken was so good! It’s going into our monthly rotation. Thanks for sharing!
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m so glad you liked it, Dawn!! It’s one of my favorites too!
Meghan M.
Has anyone tried cooking this in the instant pot?
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m sorry but I haven’t tried this in my instant pot + I haven’t heard from anyone else that has either!
Caroline
Thank you for the recipe and including the Nutrition Facts. Could you possibly check the Amount Per Serving? Was it intended to be one gram? Maybe 100g?? Thank you for your time and help. It’s very appreciated!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi! This recipe serves 4, the nutrition facts are for 1 serving. I recommend making the dish and evenly portioning it out into 4 servings. Hope that helps.
Caroline
Thanks!
Andrea
I made this last night for dinner, with brown rice and steamed broccoli. It was amazing! I added a healthy tablespoon of sambal and about a teaspoon of rice vinegar, I like playing around with recipes, usually don’t follow them to a T, unless it’s baking. Anyway, everyone loved it, even the picky one. Thank you for sharing! Definitely will be keeping in the recipe rotation.
The Clean Eating Couple
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it, Andrea! I’m going to try your twist on it – that sounds yummy 🙂
Alyssa
I usually do all of the cooking and rarely actually follow a recipe. Sometimes I need my husband to step in and make dinner during the week. But if I don’t want one of the same 3 healthy dishes he knows how to make, he needs a simple and easy to follow recipe. It’s hard to find one though that’s not only easy, but tastes good and is healthy.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when he was the one who found this recipe. And it was so good! It was perfect to satisfy my chinese craving but was so fresh tasting and not disgustingly sweet (and no ketchup!). If my husband successfully follow this recipe, almost anyone can! The only alterations made were that he used fresh garlic and fresh oranges for the juice.
I’m happy to say that my husband now has 4 healthy meals he can make, and I will definitely be requesting this from him again!
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m so glad you liked it, Alyssa!! If you are looking for another yummy takeout-fakeout recipe, try this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai – I bet your husband can master this one too!!
Madison
We make this recipe multiples times a month!! It is seriously one of our favorites. If I’m in a big hurry and need the sauce to thicken up quicker, I’ll add a teaspoon or so of cornstarch once it’s been bubbling for a while. It’s 100% worth the time waiting for it to thicken on its own though!
The Clean Eating Couple
Thanks Madison!! The cornstarch trick is perfect because I know a lot of people don’t like to wait 🙂
Kelly
If using ground ginger vs fresh, would you still use a full tbsp?
The Clean Eating Couple
If using ground ginger I would cut it down to 1/4, so 1/4 tbsp ground ginger or 1 tbsp fresh ginger. Let me know if you try it!
Kelly
Thank you for the reply. I did make it and it was awesome!
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m so glad you liked it!!
Nancy
I haven’t made this dish but I will soon! Can I replace the coconut aminos with coconut water or would it give the sauce a totally different flavor?
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Nancy – No you can’t replace coconut aminos with coconut water. It would make the sauce too sweet + it wouldn’t thicken correctly. Per the notes under substitutions – you can sub it with soy sauce or bragg’s liquid aminos but then the recipe will not be paleo. You can get coconut aminos for pretty cheap at trader joes- they’re totally worth buying!
Katie Mehaffey
One of our household favorites! Easy, delicious, and healthy!
The Clean Eating Couple
I’m so glad you like it, Katie! It’s one of my favorites too 🙂
Kira
Just made this and it was so good! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Did just want to let you know that the recipe says 1 tbsp fresh or ground ginger. It was only after I put in 1 tbsp of GROUND ginger that I read the comment where you mentioned using 1/4th. Luckily, I love love love ginger, but it’d be very helpful if that was in the recipe just in case some people (read: me) don’t read the comments! Otherwise can’t wait to make this again!
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Kira – I’m so sorry that happened and thank you for pointing it out. I just updated the recipe card because you’re totally right – that is not as clear as it could be. Either way though – I’m so glad you liked it!! 🙂
Pam S.
haven’t tried it yet because was concerned about the high sugar content. 27 grams is a lot! Is there a way to cut that down?
The Clean Eating Couple
Hi Pam – the sugar comes from 100% pure orange juice and honey. Unfortunately you can’t leave either of those out because as those natural sugars cook, that is what makes the sauce thicken. Despite being higher in natural sugars, it’s still infinitely more healthy than takeout!