Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
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Skip takeout and try this Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe instead! Gluten free and high protein – it’s a delicious healthy chicken recipe! Made with just a few ingredients, it’s tasty and easy to make!
This post was originally shared in 2015 but has since been updated.
If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to orange chicken look no further! This Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe is one of our all time favorite meals and one of the most popular recipes on our site with close to 500 5 star reviews!
Made with only a few ingredients, it’s full of flavor, and easy to make. This dish is one I always turn to when I need something easy and healthy.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Baked, not fried: Typically orange chicken is battered and fried, then tossed in sauce. This healthy orange chicken recipe is sautéed lightly in oil and then tossed in the sauce making it lower in fat and carbs.
- Lower in sugar: Orange chicken often comes tossed in a very sweet, thick sauce. This healthy sauce recipe tastes just as good with way less sugar and calories!
- Minimal Ingredients: This orange chicken recipe was made to be gluten free, dairy free, grain free, refined sugar free and paleo friendly so that anyone can enjoy it regardless of their diet.
This healthy chicken meal holds a close second to my Healthy Chicken Pad Thai for best ‘takeout fakeout’ recipe… (Chicken Fried Rice is up there too, and so is this Ground Turkey Stir Fry!)
Ingredients
Other dinners we love:
Substitutions:
Toasted Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil is pretty essential for flavor. If you don’t have it, you can omit it from the sauce, but it will impact the flavor
Chicken: You can substitute chicken breasts with chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Veggies: Serve this healthy orange chicken with any vegetables you like. Our favorite veggies to serve it with are steamed green beans or broccoli. You could also serve it with our cauliflower fried rice.
Orange Juice: You can sub regular bottled orange juice with freshly squeezed orange juice but we don’t recommend it. We don’t recommend low calorie or low sugar orange juice in this recipe. It can make the sauce taste bitter. Do not try to cut back on the orange juice used!. The orange juice helps the sauce thicken and is necessary!
Coconut Aminos: Coconut aminos are a gluten free soy sauce alternative. You can sub coconut aminos with soy sauce or bragg’s liquid aminos. If using Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, use HALF the amount – bragg’s is much saltier!
Honey: You can sub honey with maple syrup. We have never tried making this with sweetener substitutes so we’re not sure how it would work. Coconut sugar will not work in place of honey. You need a liquid sweetener.
Vegan/Vegetarian: You can sub chicken with tofu, or try our Vegan Orange Chicken!
Ginger: You can substitute fresh ginger with 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
How to make Orange Chicken
- Heat oil in pan and cook chicken until browned then set aside.
- While chicken is cooking, whisk together sauce ingredients.
- Add sauce ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
- The sauce should be bubbling and actively boiling for 15 minutes or so until it thickens. Make sure to constantly stir so that it doesn’t burn.
- You’ll know the sauce is thickened when it coats the back of a spoon.
- Once the sauce is thickened, add the chicken back to the pan and toss until coated.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this healthy orange chicken in so many different ways!
Over rice: Our favorite way to serve this recipe is with cooked white or brown rice. Quinoa or cooked farro is also a good option!
Low Carb/Grain Free: If you’re looking to eat lower carb, skip the rice. You can serve it over cauliflower fried rice, plain steamed cauliflower rice, or just with plained veggies.
Veggies: Broccoli, green beans, or steamed cauliflower are great for veggie side dishes.
Salad: You can also serve this alongside a salad. I love this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad!
Storage
Storing: Healthy Orange Chicken will stay in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Reheating: You can reheat this healthy orange chicken in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. If reheating in the pan I recommend adding a little bit of water to loosen up the sauce.
Freezing: We have not tried freezing this healthy orange chicken but I think it would work!
Tips for Making this Recipe in the Instant Pot:
- Make sure you pat the chicken breasts dry before you put it in the hot oil so they will brown.
- Brown the chicken breasts whole prior to dicing them. This ensures that maximum surface area makes contact with the pan and the chicken actually browns. Browning the chicken is an important step. This seals the juices in and ensures the chicken doesn’t release too much liquid while being pressure cooked. This additional liquid effects the consistency of the sauce.
- The sauce will seem thin until you add the corn starch slurry and reduce it down. This is normal!
What to do if your sauce doesn’t thicken:
If your sauce isn’t thickening first, make sure that the sauce is boiling. It should be bubbling the entire time it is cooking. Then, give it time! It will take at minimum 15 minutes of boiling for the liquid to evaporate and for the sauce to thicken.
It can take up to 20 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Be patient! Stir the sauce every few minutes to prevent it from burning. When the sauce starts to pull away from the pan as you scrape it back, you’ll know it’s ready!
Healthy Orange Chicken FAQs
Yes! This is totally fine! Your sauce might look a little dark then these photos simply due to the ingredients you use. The color won’t impact the flavor!
You can use honey in place of sugar for orange chicken! Maple syrup would also work well.
Love chicken? If so – here are some of our other favorite healthy chicken recipes! This Chicken Vegetable Soup is my favorite!
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
For serving:
- 4 cups steamed broccoli or green beans
- 2 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Cook green beans and rice according to package directions.
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes until the edges are brown and slightly crispy.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl.
- Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked remove it from the pan and set aside in a clean 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 the sauce has thickened when you scrape the pan with a spatula and the sauce pulls away from the pan. The sauce should be bubbling the entire time.
- Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked chicken back to the pot. Stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
- Serve over steamed vegetables and rice.
Instant Pot Instructions
- IMPORTANT: If making this recipe in the instant pot you will need 3 teaspoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup chicken stock. You also must use 1/2 the amount of ingredients in the sauce recipe, except for chicken stock. Ex: Orange Juice: 2 cups = 1 cup
- Cook green beans and rice according to package directions.
- Mix together 1/2 the amount called for in the recipe for the orange juice, coconut aminos, honey, garlic powder, ginger, orange zest and pepper. Set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté on the highest heat setting. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and allow it to heat up. The Instant Pot will display the word “hot” when it’s ready.
- Trim the chicken breasts and dry them off with paper towels. When the Instant Pot is hot place the chicken breasts in the oil. You’ll need to do 2 at a time so you do not crowd the pot. Sear them on each side for 2 minutes then flip just to get a golden color. You’re not trying to cook them through.
- Pull them out and set them on a cutting board. Dice them into 1 inch pieces.
- Put the diced chicken back into the Instant Pot and pour the sauce mixture over. Close the lid and put the vent to sealing. Set it to Manual High Pressure for 3 minutes. Note that pot will take 3-5 minutes to come to pressure before the display starts counting down the 3 minutes you’ve set.
- When it’s finished quick release the steam by setting the valve to venting. Be sure to use a towel or pot holder to do this so you don’t get burned.
- When the Instant Pot releases all the steam the button will lower down and you’ll be able to safely open the lid.
- Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Mix together the chicken broth and corn starch.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to sauté choosing the highest heat setting again. Your sauce should begin to bubble. Stream in the corn starch slurry and whisk. Allow the mixture to boil for 7-9 minutes until it’s nice and thick.
- Return the chicken to the sauce and select the “Keep Warm” setting on the Instant Pot. Serve over steamed broccoli or green beans for a paleo option, or rice/quinoa.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Important Note: This is not an authentic orange chicken recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. Here’s a link to an authentic Orange Chicken Recipe.
My family and I love this recipe. It’s one we keep coming back to! It’s easy, super clean, and so tasty! Make sure to really give the sauce plenty of time to simmer and cook down/thicken. It’s worth the wait!
My families favorite
Didn’t this recipie used to use broth? Did you edit the broth out ?
We did! We updated the recipe and it’s much easier/better now!
Very good!
This is a quick, easy, and delicious recipe! I will definitely be making this again and again!!
The video shows chicken bean brown with the sesame oil but the recipe says to use olive oil to brown the chicken. Kind of confusing. I’ve always used a sesame oil in the past but had been so long since I cooked it that I followed the recipe exactly. I’m using the olive oil to cook the chicken in. Hope it turns out.
Follow the recipe as written! Sesame oil isn’t great for cooking at high heat, so we prefer to cook with olive oil
Make this often…delicious and healthy too. Serve over brown rice and broccoli on the side. Nummy!!!
I can’t have Garlic or Sesame. Do you think I could sub 1 TBSP + 1Tsp FODMAP garlic infused oil
I wouldn’t add the garlic infused oil, I think it will be too greasy with that. The recipe calls for sesame oil as is, so I’m confused/not familiar with sesame infused oil. Toasted sesame oil has a distinct flavor so I’m not sure how the product you’re referring to will work int hat. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I loved it SO much. So tasty, easy prep and the leftovers are divine!
My friend sent me this recipe, but the version she printed isn’t the same as what is here on your website.
The website mentions chicken broth for the instant pot version but chicken broth is not listed as an ingredient abd there is no amount given. Also the green beans are on the picture of ingredients and listed on my friend’s printed version but not mentioned at all on this website.
The instructions say : If making this recipe in the instant pot you will need 3 teaspoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup chicken stock. “Optional, for serving: 4 cups steamed broccoli or green beans” is in the recipe!
Great flavor!
My family absolutely loves this recipe. it’s a weekly staple in our house and we don’t even need to make any adjustments to this recipe, it is perfect as is!
This was super yummy! All four of my kids really enjoyed this. A lot of times when we get orange chicken from restaurants it does not heat back up well the next day. With this recipe I was able to double and reheat the next day for my family. Which is such a plus as we are a family of 6!
One of my favorite recipes from the website! It’s a family favorite and everyone looks forward to it!
Hands down the BEST orange chicken recipe out there to make at home. We double the sauce!
Loved it, made it three times in the last month!
My husband and I loved this!! The only comment he made was that he put too much sauce over the chicken and it was too orangey tasting for him. Overall he loved it and he sure is picky so if you get a thumbs up then it is a keeper.
LOL, it is orange chicken, it’s supposed to be orangey! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Boiled the sauce for 30 minutes and it never thickened. I then added corn starch and it still didn’t thicken. Very disappointing recipe.
Hi! Did you make any substitutions to this recipe? There is no way the sauce could’ve boiled for 30 minutes, it would’ve evaporated and burnt in the pan at that long of a cook time from the sugars in the honey/orange juice . If you made substitutions to the recipe, this could definitely affect how the sauce turns out.
For what it’s worth the same thing happened to me and I followed the recipe to the letter. The sauce reduced but never thickened. It had good flavor but was just runny.
Did you let the sauce bubble and boil? This is the key to making the sauce thicken. It can’t be a simmer, it needs to boil for at least 15 minutes with nothing else in the pan.
Another amazing recipe! Full of flavor and so simple to make. You won’t go back to take out again!
This Orange Chicken recipe makes me so happy. I LOVE making this meal so much. Its pretty easy to make, smells amazing, and while its a way healthier version, you don’t feel like you are missing anything. Great meal!
Super easy to make and very delicious!! Definitely will be cooking this one again!!!