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
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.
This was definitely a great healthy option and the orange flavor was perfect! The pepper intensified so it was too much for our 4y/o and 1y/o, but my hubby and I liked it. Next time I’ll cut the pepper in half and see how it goes! I put mine over brown rice that I did in the InstaPot – YUM!
I’m so glad you liked it, Kelly! You definitely can cut back on the pepper for your family!
This is the perfect recipe! Easy to make and the sauce packs a TON of flavor. I recently made it with ground chicken and it was delicious. I know that this will continue to be on repeat for lunches and dinners!
Thank you so much, Lauren!! I’m so glad you liked it!
Ok, holy moly this is amazing. I made this last night for my boyfriend and I and we were fighting over who got to lick the spoon after dinner. This was so good! I am def. not a cook, I actually hate cooking because every recipe I find usually have 12,000 ingredients that I don’t have and don’t want to buy just to use once. This recipe has minimal ingredients and the great part about Liz, is that most of her other recipes have the same ingredients so I’ll use them again.
The sauce was so easy to make- like I said, I’m not a cook and even I could do this super easily!! What a huge win and we will definitely be making this again…like real soon.
Thank you SO much Emily!! I’m so glad you and your boyfriend liked it. I totally hate recipes with a million ingredients too – so I’m glad this was easy for you and you enjoyed it!!
This will definitely go on heavy rotation for me! I had it with quinoa, zucchini, and broccoli. My boyfriend had it with Trader Joe’s fried rice. Both were so yummy 🙂
Thanks Hattie!! That fried rice from TJs is so good – perfect thing to pair it with!
This was absolutely amazing. Like, we almost couldn’t eat it because we kept looking up at each other, astonished, saying: this is as good if not better than going to pfchang’s. Seriously, delicious! Sticky, slightly sweet, orange-y, not too salty. Ugh! The best! I should’ve doubled the recipe. I used: Bragg’s liquid aminos (slightly less than what’s called for), my fresh ginger was a no go… used ground, forgot to zest the oranges before they were in the trash. Still turned out amazing! We would love to sprinkle in some crushed red pepper next time because hubby likes heat. Will be making this weekly… no joke. Bahaha! Thank you, Liz!
This makes me so happy to hear, Brianne!! I think it’s better than takeout too 🙂 You totally can add in crushed red pepper or even some sriracha. Tyler likes this a little spicier too – so he usually will add sriracha at the end or to the sauce!
Do you think this could be made ahead and frozen?
I would definitely not recommend that. Cooked chicken does not freeze well in my experience and I don’t think that the sauce would freeze well either, although I haven’t tried it.
Made this tonight for dinner with rice and steamed broccoli and it was so incredibly yummy!!! Definitely recommend!
So glad you liked it, Elizabeth!! It’s one of our favorites too 🙂
This recipe was delicious, giving the Pad Thai a try the week! Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m so glad you liked it!! This makes me so happy to hear!
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while now and I finally gave it a shot. My husband and I are starting to meal prep and eat cleaner throughout our work week. I made this today and it was delicious and a great addition to our rotation. You really have to be patient with the sauce and let it boil and simmer for those 20 minutes but it’s worth the wait. I used freshly squeezed orange juice and just strained the pulp and it gave it a fantastic taste. Absolutely great dish and can’t wait to try more!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Jessica! This makes me so happy to hear. You’re totally right on the sauce – it’s worth the wait 🙂 This Healthy Chicken Pad Thai is one of our other favorite takeout ‘fakeout’ recipes. Soooo yummy!
I made this recipe tonight and, while I overcooked the chicken (newbie cook), it was an incredible dish! Very easy to make and I had no problem thickening the sauce without any thickener by following the instructions. I will definitely be making this again.
So glad you liked it, Igor!
I have made this recipe half a dozen times now and my family actually asks for it! Due to multiple allergies in our home, we eat pretty clean. Soy free Chinese food is difficult to do, but this is EXCELLENT! Seriously, I crave this sauce!!!
I’m so glad you like it, Kimberly!! And that your family loves it too 🙂
I made this last night and can’t believe how Delicious it was!! It had so much flavor and didn’t taste healthy at all! I’m trying to find ways to eat healthy without getting bored and this one is one of my favs! Thanks!
So glad you liked it, Marisela!!
Loved the recipe! The fresh oranges make it so delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
—@dcfoodnoobs
So glad you liked it, Kim!
I made this last for my husband and I (he’s a super picky eater) and we both absolutely loved it! I made a whole bunch for the week. Definitely give it a try!!
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it Bailea! And I’m jealous you get to enjoy it all week long 🙂
Wow. This turned out amazing. I will continue using this recipe. The key to the sauce really is to be patient. I let mine simmer for almost 25 minutes. It turned out perfect.
Thanks, Lauren!! So glad you liked it!
Amazing recipe, I loved it. I brought the sauce to a boil for 20 minutes but it still didn’t thicken as much as I had hoped… any advice on what I should do next time?
Hi Melina – Was the sauce at a rolling boil (bubbling) for the full 20 minutes? That’s the key!
My whole family loves this recipe! It’s definitely a keeper! I substituted with soy sauce since it’s what I had on hand but still amazing!
So glad you liked it, Dawn!!
Just tried it. I followed the recipe and mine thickened up nicely after 20 minutes or so. The flavor is fantastic! I will keep the sauce as it is for the future but I enjoy sous vide and will probably cook my chicken that way next time. This is a definite keeper. Thank you. In look forward to checking out your other recipes.
I’m so glad you liked it! I don’t have a sous vide but I’ve heard such great thing about it!
Whenever I crave Chinese food I dread the gross/sick feeling I get afterwards but this cleaner ingredient orange chicken never makes me feel like crap. Love this recipe!! ❤️
This makes me so happy to hear, Erin!! That’s exactly why I created this recipe 🙂 I’m so glad you like it!!
I’ve been waiting for a suitable meal to leave a review for on this website and so; here I am. If it is an orange chicken, take-out heart warming meal you’re craving, this is easily the correct choice. The greatest flavor without an excessive amount of ingredients and the absence of an unwelcome aftertaste. I decided to go prepare this meal tonight but rather coconut amino I opted for Soy sauce. This added a bit saltier taste than some may prefer so keep that in mind. Thank you for sharing this dish with us!
I’m so glad you liked it, Kyle! Soy sauce is an easy sub in this recipe and definitely gives it more of a saltier takeout feel 🙂
WOW! This was amazing! This was an all time favorite and it will be repeated often! YUM!
Glad to hear it, Jo! It’s on repeat in our house too:)
Thank you for this recipe! It was easy & delicious! I followed the exact recipe & boiled the sauce for 20 plus minutes but did not thicken. Still tasted delicious but would like to figure out how to thicken the sauce…maybe boiler it for longer?
Hi Jodi – Was the sauce at a rolling boil (bubbling) for the full time? That’s what it needs to thicken!
This was delicious!!! 5 Stars!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you liked it, Jeannie! It’s one of my favorites too! 🙂
If your sauce won’t thicken, try adding in corn starch and let it continue to boil.
Hi Kira – You could do this, but if you just follow the directions and let it boil for 15-20 minutes it will naturally thicken on it’s own from the natural sugars in the orange juice/honey!
This is amazing…
A few points:
1). Unless you have a giant skillet, divide the sesame oil and chicken between two pans. Otherwise, it’s difficult to brown the chicken (especially with today’s water-added chicken breasts) without overcooking. The pan is too crowded with all in one.
2). Add 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of red Chile (I used the slightly dried red chile, depending on taste. Most orange chicken recipes in restaurants contain some, and the heat is a good counterpoint to the rich sweetness of the orange sauce.
But overall, a great healthy recipe.
Hi Ben – Glad you liked it! I cook this in a pretty standard size pan and don’t seem to have a problem with browning it! This recipe used to have 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, but I removed it because many people commented that it was a little to spicy for their family/kids. I like the addition of that as well!