Vegan Orange Chicken is a delicious plant based dinner made with chickpeas! Gluten free, healthy, delicious and done in 30 minutes!
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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 is, I always say it’s this Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe.
This recipe is extremely popular, with millions of people visiting it and hundreds of 5 star reviews.
We don’t want our vegan and vegetarian friends to miss out on this easy dinner that has minimal ingredients and is so full of flavor so we decided to make Vegan Orange Chicken!
This vegan orange chicken is made with chickpeas but has a delicious sweet sauce that tastes just like takeout! There are tons of ways to customize it, but no matter how you make/serve it- it’s the perfect healthy meal!
What makes this dish healthy:
This dish is healthier than traditional takeout for a few reasons:
- Plant Based-We are all for eating high quality animal protein, but many people enjoy meatless options. This recipe is great if you’re looking to eat less meat.
- Refined sugar free – Many takeout recipes have lots of sugar in them. These chickpeas are sweetened with maple syrup!
- Low Calorie – These chickpeas have under 400 calories for the whole meal with veggies!
Ingredients for healthy orange chickpeas:
To make healthy orange chickpeas you’ll need:
- chickpeas
- broccoli
- toasted sesame oil
- orange juice/ orange zest
- coconut aminos
- maple syrup
- garlic powder
- fresh or ground ginger
- pepper
There are many substitutions for this recipe listed below in the green shaded substitutions box!
How to make Vegan Orange Chicken:
Making vegetarian orange chicken is easy! We use canned chickpeas which cuts down on a ton of cooking time.
- Whisk together sauce mixture.
- 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 rinsed + drained chickpeas into the pot. Stir to coat the chickpeas.
- Serve over steamed broccoli or green beans or rice/quinoa.
The sauce on the chickpeas is seriously the best part. It’s SO delicious!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR ORANGE CHICKPEAS
This recipe is pretty versatile and can be customized depending on what you have at home
Orange Juice– you can sub regular bottled orange juice with freshly squeezed orange juice
Chickpeas- You can substitute chickpeas with tofu or chicken breasts. I haven’t tried tofu, seitan, or soy curls but I’m sure it would work. Check out our Healthy Orange Chicken for chicken instructions. I haven’t tried subbing in other beans but I think it would work!
Ginger– you can substitute fresh ginger with 1/2 teaspoon 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. If using Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, use HALF the amount – bragg’s is much saltier.
Maple Syrup – I haven’t tried subbing maple syrup with agave nectar, but I think it would work. You can sub honey but that is not vegan.
Garlic Powder – You can sub garlic powder with 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
Ways to serve Orange Chickpeas:
These chickpeas go with pretty much everything!
Over grains: Serve it over a giant bowl of brown rice/quinoa + broccoli.
Low Carb: Skip the rice entirely or do cauliflower rice.
Veggies: Broccoli, green beans, or steamed cauliflower are great for veggie side dishes. It would also be delicious with our cauliflower fried rice.
Storing Healthy Orange Chickpeas:
Storing: I keep these healthy orange chickpeas in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
Reheating: You can reheat this healthy orange chicken in a pan or in the microwave.
Freezing: We have not tried freezing this healthy orange chicken but I think it would work!
Vegan Orange Chicken FAQ
This vegan orange chicken is made of wholesome ingredients like chickpeas, orange juice, maple syrup, and spices!
Yes! Orange chicken is typically sweet, while sweet and sour chicken typically has a tangy taste to it
Give it time, I promise! 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!
Other healthy takeout recipes:
We love takeout but hate all the junky ingredients. Here are some of our favorite takeout foods made healthier!
Vegan Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz canned chickpeas rinsed + drained
- 4 cups steamed broccoli or green beans
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger***
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together the sauce mixture.
- Heat a large saute pan, and pour the sauce mixture into pan. 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 rinsed + drained chickpeas into the pot. Stir to coat the chickpeas.
- Serve over steamed broccoli or green beans or rice/quinoa.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds + enjoy!
- *** If substituting ground ginger for fresh ginger, cut the amount to 1/2 teaspoon
Trudi says
I am thinking that it would also be easy WHEN i try it for two people
Maggie Marino says
Surprisingly satisfying, I say this as a meat eater. I served it over a frying pan combo of crispy broccoli, steamed green beans, a bag of cauliflower rice and 1 1/2 cups wild rice. It was quick and I had everything in my pantry. Another bonus- it fit in my goal of meatless Monday dinners.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks Maggie! So glad you liked it!
Amanda says
Excellent! As someone who doesn’t love chickpeas, I was hesitant. It was great. The recipe was easy to follow. I substituted soy sauce and ground ginger and it was excellent. I love that it was easy to put together with things I had around the house.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Amanda! Thank you!
Ashley Parks says
Made this for meal prep this week, and I was nervous going into it as a meat eater and amateur cook! I was BLOWN AWAY though at how delicious it tasted and how easy it was to make! I substituted ground ginger because I already had it in the pantry 🙂 Then served it with some brown rice and green beans. Definitely going on the list to make in the future!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy to hear this, Ashley! Thank you!!