In college, orange chicken was my weakness. I loved Chinese food and frequently ordered other menu items, but the crispy chicken tossed with vegetables and a sweet and spicy orange glaze was my favorite. I ate it many late nights while studying. Healthy? Not so much. Delicious? Absolutely.
These days I prefer to make restaurant favorites at home with healthier ingredients. I’ve overhauled many Chinese favorites, includingkung pao chickenandbeef and broccoli. Now, for all you other orange chicken lovers out there, here’s how I make it.
Homemade Crispy Orange Chicken
As with practically all foods, I’ve found that healthy versions made at home can actually taste better than the original. Even without the MSG and chemical flavoring agents, something about real whole foods just wins out.
To make the chicken crispy, I bread it in a mix of almond flour, arrowroot powder, and spices. Then I fry it. I like to use coconut oil or tallow for frying because of their healthy fat profile, mild flavor, and high smoke point. If you’ve never tried frying, don’t be intimidated. It’s a lot easier than it seems. Just make sure your oil is nice and hot before you start, and let it heat up again between batches.
However, if you don’t love the texture of crispy, fried chicken or just don’t want the bother of frying, you can absolutely just saute the chicken pieces until they’re cooked through. I’ve done it that way myself on busy nights, and I promise the end result is still delicious.
Making a Flavorful Orange Sauce
While the chicken is cooking, I make the zesty orange sauce to pour over it. I use the juice and zest of three whole oranges and one lemon and add some coconut aminos for salt, chili garlic sauce for a little heat, and arrowroot for thickening.
I let it all simmer for a good while to let the flavors meld and the sauce thicken. If you decide to saute the chicken rather than fry it, you can just whisk the sauce ingredients (minus the arrowroot) into the sauteed chicken and let it all simmer together for a while. Add the arrowroot at the end to thicken.
I like to serve the finished orange chicken over some cauliflower riceor fresh steamed broccoli. It’s delicious, filling, and nutritious. If you like Chinese food, try this recipe! Maybe next I’ll try making aveggie lo meinwith shirataki noodles.
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
A delicious orange chicken recipe made with healthier ingredients, that rivals the best restaurants for taste!
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Calories 414kcal
Author Katie Wells
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Servings
4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 1 cup coconut oil (or tallow, or lard for frying)
Breading
- 2 eggs
- 1 TBSP water
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger (optional)
Sauce
- 3 oranges
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 TBSP chili garlic sauce (optional)
- ¼ cup honey (optional)
- 1 TBSP arrowroot powder
Instructions
To Cook the Chicken
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil, tallow, or lard over medium-high heat.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the water and set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, mix together the almond flour, the ¼ cup of arrowroot powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ginger.
Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture, shaking to remove excess flour.
Test the hotness of the oil by dropping a small bit of chicken in. If it immediately starts foaming and bubbling vigorously the oil is ready.
Carefully drop the breaded chicken pieces into the hot oil, cooking about 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Do not stir or move chicken except to flip once during cooking as it may knock off the breading.
Carefully remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate to cool.
Repeat with all the chicken until cooked.
To Make the Sauce
While chicken is cooking and cooling, zest and juice the oranges and lemon into a medium-sized saucepan.
Add the coconut aminos, chili garlic sauce, and honey.
Stir well and whisk in the 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder.
Bring to a simmer and continue simmering over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches desired thickness. Do not let it boil or burn! If you want a thicker sauce, add a little more arrowroot.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and lightly toss to coat.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 414Calories from Fat 166
% Daily Value*
Fat 18.4g28%
Saturated Fat 14.4g90%
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 279mg12%
Carbohydrates 51.2g17%
Fiber 4.4g18%
Sugar 32g36%
Protein 12.8g26%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notes
You can completely skip the flour and egg steps if you don’t want to bread the chicken and can just stir fry the bite-sized pieces of chicken in 2 tablespoons coconut oil until cooked
Alternately, you can bread the chicken and place it on a well-oiled baking sheet and bake at 375°F for least 30 minutes or until cooked through in the oven.
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Ever made healthy versions of your favorite foods? How did they turn out?
