Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe

Healthy orange chicken tastes just like the fast-food, Chinese version, only made with wholesome, from-scratch ingredients. Made with any cut of chicken, orange juice, fresh spices and coco aminos, serve this orange chicken with bone broth rice and veggies of choice. Learn all about it in this simple tutorial. 

Healthy orange chicken tastes just like the fast-food, Chinese version, only made with wholesome, from-scratch ingredients. Made with any cut of chicken, orange juice, fresh spices and coco aminos, serve this orange chicken with bone broth rice and veggies of choice. Learn all about it in this simple tutorial. 

Why We Love This 

Orange chicken is a classic Chinese dish that combines flavors of orange with spices, sauces, and rice. While orange chicken is usually made with soy sauce, oils, and prepared as fast food, I was set out to recreate the recipe using only natural, from-scratch ingredients. 

This orange chicken recipe uses orange juice, with the actual orange zest being optional. Orange zest adds great flavor and color to make the chicken orange but is not necessary for a successful orange chicken recipe. 

Healthy orange chicken is made without soy sauce. We use coco aminos instead of soy sauce for a natural, soy-free alternative that my family loves.

Serve orange chicken with homemade rice cooked in bone broth in the instant pot. Add veggies of choice for a complete meal. Our favorites are steamed broccoli or oven roasted cauliflower. 

Don’t forget to save the fried chicken recipe! 

Now, this orange chicken recipe is ALSO my go-to for any fried food, minus all the orange and spices. Meaning, the first part of this process is frying up your chicken. You can use this part of the recipe for many other recipes, like BBQ fried chicken, or just seasoned fried chicken or fish served with ranch dressing. The possibilities are endless! 

And the best part is, you don’t have to feel guilty about it. Usually fried food is made with bad oils, but when you use einkorn flour, avocado oil, and your own ingredients, there’s nothing to worry about! 

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More Farm to Table Recipes from the Duvall Homestead

Dinner in a Pumpkin (Ground Beef Pasta Soup)

Einkorn Sourdough Chicken Pot Pie

Creamy Basil Chicken Pasta

The Best Fall-Apart Pork Shoulder Roast

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe

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Tools Needed 

Cast Iron Skillet

Two medium size bowls

Measuring cups and spoons

Fork

Spatula

Instant pot (for the rice)

Healthy Orange Chicken Ingredients 

Serves 2-4 people.

For the fried chicken:

Two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half, and cut into chunks (about 1 1/2 pounds). Note: you can also use chicken tenders, or any chicken you can cut up. 

Avocado oil

1 large egg or 2 small eggs

1 cup flour 

1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated

1 tsp salt

1 tsp seasoning of choice (optional)

For the orange sauce:

1 cup orange juice 

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

3 tbsp coco aminos

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp ginger powder or fresh ginger

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped, or 2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder 

1-2 tbsp flour (we like to use einkorn flour)

Zest of 1 orange (optional, adds bright orange color and extra flavor) 

Pinch of salt, to taste 

For the rice:

2 cups rice (we like Thai jasmine rice) 

2 cups bone broth (note: substitute for water if you don’t have bone broth)

Coco aminos for topping 

How to Make Healthy Orange Chicken

I like to prepare healthy orange chicken with the following process for everything to be ready at about the same time: cut the chicken, fry it, start the rice, finish the chicken, start the sauce, then the chicken + sauce will be ready about the same time as the rice. 

Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.

Grab two medium size bowls. In the first bowl, add the egg and whisk with a fork. In the second bowl, add the flour, parmesan, salt, and seasoning. Combine with a fork. 

Add the chicken chunks to the egg bowl. Use your hands or a spoon to stir them around until all of the chicken is coated with egg. Then transfer the chicken to the flour bowl and do the same thing so all the chicken is coated with the flour mixture. 

Add enough avocado oil to the skillet so that it is about 1/2 inch thick. Then add the cut up chicken to the skillet and spread out evenly. 

Meanwhile, start preparing the rice by rinsing it in the sink. 

Using the Instant Pot or similar rice cooker, add the rice and the bone broth to the pot, seal, and set to rice mode. If you do not have bone broth, water will work too. 

Cook the chicken 5-7 minutes each side, checking to make sure it’s getting brown but not burned. Adjust the skillet heat as necessary. Flip chicken over and cook 5-7 minutes on the other side. Once chicken is browned, transfer it to a plate and set aside. 

Turning the skillet down to medium-low, add the sauce ingredients. Whisk together with a fork. Let simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Then add the chicken back in, and simmer another 5-10 minutes until your ideal sauce forms. You may choose to add more orange juice or even bone broth for a more liquid sauce, or you may add more flour if you want it thicker. 

Serve with vegetables on the side and top the rice with coco aminos. Enjoy! 

FAQs:

What kind of meat is orange chicken?

I find that chicken breasts, cut up, or chicken tenders, work best for orange chicken. 

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