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.
I love orange chicken and this recipe looks like it came from my Chinese takeout!I do not have a hot pot,can I cook it in a crock pot or is there another way to cook this easily?Thank you,your recipes have me cooking healthier and liking it!
Hi Melanie – There are instant pot and stove top instructions in this recipe. I have not made this in a crockpot and wouldn’t recommend it. You need heat to make the sauce thicken.
This was by far the best chicken dish I have ever had. My son and I cooked this dish together. We used skinless chicken thighs and he cut them up into large chunks & added some salt and pepper. We did have to let the sauce cook down more than 15 minutes to thicken, as there was quite a bit of the liquid left from cooking our chicken. Once it was thick, we added our cooked chicken back in and let the sauce thicken even more to where it was nice and sticky, a little crunchy almost on some pieces. Forgot to buy the broccoli and made cilantro lime white rice for this dish.
Thank you so much, Renee! The cilantro lime rice sounds delicious!
Can I use regular sesame oil?
No you can’t. Toasted sesame oil is what gives it the flavor!
I would suggest using regular seasme oil as toasted sesame oil has a higher smoke point and will result in a more burnt taste. If you are cooking aggressively, rule of them is to use regular sesame oil and top the dish at the end with toasted sesame oil.
It’s fine to cook with toasted sesame oil but if you’re bothered by it you can cook the chicken in whatever oil you like. They all have relatively similar smoke points!
Any suggestions on how to thicken the sauce? I’ve made this recipe a total of about 10 times and the sauce always seems too thin. Not sure where I’m going wrong.
All my tips for thickening the sauce are included in the post. Are you substituting any ingredients? And are you actually letting the sauce boil?
Is it best to use orange juice with bits or without bits ?
It doesn’t matter. Either one will work. We usually just buy no pulp 🙂
Amazing recipe! Will definitely be a staple. It was so easy to make.
Thank you so much Taylor!! I really appreciate it!
Delicious and easy to make. I made mine in my instapot. I definitely will make it again.
So glad you liked it, Francis! Thank you!
This was delicious!! I’ve never tried orange chicken before so I’m not sure what to compare it to, but yum!! I served it with a brown rice and cauliflower mixture, and broccoli! The sauce took a while to thicken, but I doubled the recipe so that’s probably why. I added some red pepper flakes to add a bit of a spice. Was a bit “orangey” but over all sooooo good. My whole family loved it.
So glad you liked it, Bridget! Doubling the sauce will definitely lead to a longer cook time. I’m glad your family enjoyed it!!
I’m so glad you guys added how much the serving size is!! Most recipes don’t put exactly how much it is. But i am a little confused is it 1 1/2 cups of chicken and 1 1/2 cups of veggies or a combined 1 1/2 split between the chicken and the veggies ?
Hi Hayley – The serving size is an approximation. I wrote it as 1.5 cups being a mix of chicken/veggies. If you need exact serving sizes/macros – you’ll need to weigh everything out and use something like My Fitness Pal. hope that is helpful!
First time making this, it was amazing and kid approved! I do believe I put a little too much orange zest but other than that, I would highly recommend this recipe.
Glad you liked it, Rachel! Thank you!
So so good! Love how simple and healthy it is to make
So glad you liked it, Michelle!
It was so good! We used white rice because my family won’t eat brown rice 😂 but we made it into lettuce wraps and it was really delicious. I will definitely be making it again!
So glad you liked it, Natalie! We usually serve it over white rice too 😉 Lettuce wraps are a great idea!
I tried this recipe today and it was so gooood!! I really loved it! Will surely be cooking this dish more often! Thank you for this yummy recipe!!
So glad you like it Antoinette! Thank you so much 🙂
Can’t understand the video that in the pan 0:33 min?
Hi Anna – I’m not sure what your question is. You cook the chicken completely and remove it from the pan. From the same pan you add the sauce and bring it to a boil. Is this what your question is referring to? Thanks!
This was so great! I love how simple it was to put together!
I used lemon infused honey from a local company and it was a great added citrus flavor!
So glad you liked it, Ashlee! Thank so much!
Great recipe! We made this tonight, and it was a big hit. I probably didn’t let the sauce reduce enough because it was still pretty thin, but still really good overall! We ‘ll definitely make it again and I’ll give it more time before adding the chicken back in. Thanks!
Glad you liked it, Haylee! Definitely give it a little more time next time – it should be at a rolling boil until it thickens 🙂
Fantastic GF recipe! Will definitely make this again.
So glad you liked it, Alex! Thank you so much!
The sauce is super flavorful! Made this for meal prep and shared the recipe with a friend at our gym who made it for heathy dinner. Great recipe that everyone loved and is in line with our clean eating methods that we recommend at our gym. Looking forward to enjoying these meals for quick prepped meals to eat on a busy work day. Definitely recommend this recipe!!
So glad you liked it, Jen! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
This was amazing! Thank you for this recipe. I was craving it this week and I made it for my family. So surprised that it turned out so well and everyone loved it!
So glad you liked it, Alina! Thank you so much!
I made this for the first time and loved it. I can’t wait to make it again for my whole family!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy! Thank you so much!
Wow!! I’m so glad i came across this recipe!! This is out of this world and my fiancé even loved it and he’s brutally honest with my cooking! Thanks so much, this one is definitely on the chicken roster
Thank you so much, Megan! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
I just made this recipe tonight and not only was it so simple, it was absolutely delicious! My husband is quite the critic and he was also impressed!
So glad you both liked it, Erin!
Was a delicious easy recipe and kid friendly, for the pickiest eater! My kids loved it!
So glad your family enjoyed it, Monica!
My family was skeptical about a sauce with orange juice but they all ended up liking it better than they thought they would. It was pretty good and a healthier alternative to regular orange chicken. I accidentally forgot the honey and it turned out fine.
Thanks, Lydia! Glad you and your family enjoyed it!
I thought this was really tasty, my boyfriend especially loved it and went back for seconds, so no leftovers! I served it in a bowl with white rice and broccoli. I spoke so highly of it to my sister that she made it herself a few days later and loved it as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Tay! Glad you both liked it. Thanks for sharing with your sister too – I really appreciate it!