Easy Orange Chicken Recipe

This easy orange chicken recipe can be thrown together last minute if you have the Teriyaki sauce already made. It’s quick, simple and equal to anything you’d get in a restaurant…. only better because there are no garbage ingredients in it!

This dish is one I’ve been wanting to make for years. I used to love the restaurant versions, but once my blood sugar took a turn for the worse, I had to give it up. That is, until now!

A front view of this bowl of Easy Orange Chicken topped with sliced green onions for garnish.

WHAT IS ORANGE CHICKEN?

This is a Chinese dish that has Hunan origins. This dish is actually an American descendent of the sweet and sour dishes found in Asia. You would be hard pressed to find orange chicken in Asian countries. Orange chicken has a heavy American influence, but you won’t find me complaining! This chicken is heavily glazed with orange flavored sauce. The thickening comes from the arrowroot powder, but you can feel free to substitute with cornstarch if you don’t have the arrowroot powder. I just find that arrowroot does a better job with the heavy glazes.

A overhead view of this Easy Orange Chicken atop a bed of rice.

HOW TO MAKE EASY ORANGE CHICKEN

So the trick to making sure this dish is easy and fairly quick, is to first make sure your teriyaki sauce is made and ready to go. I usually make a big batch and keep it in the fridge so it’s ready whenever I am. It keeps well in a jar and is great to have on hand for marinade and quick stir fry dishes.

The most efficient way to make this is to make the separate parts of this recipe first. Then once you have those done (you can do them ahead of time if you wish!), you can proceed with making the chicken itself.

Step one of this easy orange chicken recipe is to cut the chicken into small pieces.

  1. Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Keep these cuts on the smaller side for faster cooking.Step two of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to blend your flour mix in a bowl.
  2. Combine the flour mix ingredients together in a separate bowl that is large enough to hold at least half your chicken, if not all of it.Step three of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to prepare your egg wash in it's own bowl, whisking in the spices.
  3. Whisk the egg wash together in its own bowl, large enough to hold all of your chicken.Step eight is to return the chicken to the pan and add the suace.
  4. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in its own bowl, reserving the arrowroot powder for later, only if needed.Step four is to toss the chicken with the egg wash.
  5. Place all your chicken in the egg wash bowl and stir it around to coat the chicken well.Step five is to toss the chicken with the flour mix.
  6. Then place all your chicken in the flour bowl (or start with half the chicken if it’s easier to manage.) Mix the chicken around in the flour being sure to coat it with flour as much as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect.Step six of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to cook the chicken. Either in a skillet or in an air fryer.
  7. Now you have TWO cooking options: Once your chicken is breaded, you can either cook this at 400 F. in an air fryer for about 10 minutes, OR you can put some oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until it’s a light, golden brown on all sides.Step seven is (if you fried the chicken) to transfer it to a plate and scrape the scraps out of your pan.
  8. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it and set it aside on a plate. Scrape out all of the breading crumbs/scraps left behind in the pan and discard into a bowl until it cools enough to put it in the trash.Step nine is to cook briefly until the arrowroot powder gels and the chicken is fully glazed.
  9. Heat about 1 tbsp. of oil in your skillet. Add the chicken. When you hear it sizzling, pour the sauce on and stir quickly. The arrowroot congeals quickly, so this won’t take long.The finished, glazed chicken.
  10. Remove from heat immediately so the sauce doesn’t go from glaze to goop. (Goop will still taste good though!)
  11. Serve over rice and top with sliced, green onions

This Easy Orange Chicken sits on a bed of rice, served in a white bowl and topped with sliced, green onions.

EASY ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE SHOPPING LIST:

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large egg
  • Ground black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Arrowroot powder
  • Oat flour
  • Chickpea flour
  • Teriyaki sauce (see recipe link below)
  • Orange extract
  • 1 large orange
  • Sucanat (I used stevia – sweeten to taste)
  • Chili pepper flakes

Served over rice, OR cauliflower rice, OR Asian noodles

A horizontal shot of the finished dish.

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MORE HEALTHY ASIAN RECIPES RECIPES:

RECIPES USED

  • Teriyaki Sauce – For this recipe, you’ll definitely want to use the arrowroot powder mentioned in the teriyaki sauce recipe. Don’t skip that!
    (It’s optional in the teriyaki sauce recipe)

Enjoy!

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EASY ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE:

Recipe adapted from Dinner Then Dessert

A front view of this bowl of Easy Orange Chicken topped with sliced green onions for garnish.

Easy Orange Chicken Recipe

A delicious orange chicken that is equal to, if not better than many restaurant versions. But better because there's no junk in it!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 342kcal

Equipment

  • Large Skillet
  • Air Fryer (optional)

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into small, bite-sized pieces)

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder

Flour mix

  • ¼ cup arrowroot powder
  • ¼ cup oat flour
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour

Sauce

  • 1 cup teriyaki sauce (see recipe link above)
  • 1 tsp. orange extract
  • 1 tbsp. fresh orange zest
  • 1 tbsp. sucanat (I used stevia - sweeten to taste)
  • 1 tsp. chili pepper flakes (use 1/2 tsp. if you prefer very mild heat)
  • 1 tbsp. arrowroot powder (optional, if the glaze isn't thick enough for you. Add 1 teaspoon at a time.)

Serve over

  • cooked rice
  • cooked riced cauliflower
  • Asian noodles

Garnish

  • 1 large green onion (sliced thin and diagonal)

Instructions

Chicken

  • Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Keep these on the smaller side for faster cooking.
    Step one of this easy orange chicken recipe is to cut the chicken into small pieces.

Flour Mix

  • Combine all these ingredients together in a separate bowl that is large enough to hold at least half your chicken, if not all of it.
    Step two of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to blend your flour mix in a bowl.

Egg Wash

  • Whisk this all together in a bowl large enough to hold all of your chicken.
    Step three of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to prepare your egg wash in it's own bowl, whisking in the spices.

Sauce

  • Whisk all ingredients together, reserving the arrowroot powder for later, only if needed.
    Step eight is to return the chicken to the pan and add the suace.

Putting It All Together

  • Place all your chicken in the egg wash bowl and stir it around to coat the chicken well.
    Step four is to toss the chicken with the egg wash.
  • Then place all your chicken in the flour bowl (or start with half the chicken if it's easier to manage. Mix the chicken around in the flour being sure to coat it with flour as much as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect.
    Step five is to toss the chicken with the flour mix.

2 Cooking Options

  • Once your chicken is breaded, you can either cook this at 400 F. in an air fryer for about 10 minutes, OR you can put some oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until it's a light, golden brown on all sides.
    Step six of this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is to cook the chicken. Either in a skillet or in an air fryer.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, remove it and set it aside on a plate. Scrape out all of the breading crumbs/scraps left behind in the pan and discard into a bowl until it cools enough to put it in the trash.
    Step seven is (if you fried the chicken) to transfer it to a plate and scrape the scraps out of your pan.
  • Heat about 1 tbsp. of oil in your skillet. Add the chicken. When you hear it sizzling, pour the sauce on and stir quickly. The arrowroot congeals quickly, so this won't take long.
    Step nine is to cook briefly until the arrowroot powder gels and the chicken is fully glazed.
  • Remove from heat immediately so the sauce doesn't go from glaze to goop. (Goop will still taste good though!)
    The finished, glazed chicken.
  • Serve over rice and top with sliced, green onions
    A horizontal shot of a bowl filled with Easy Orange Chicken.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 2918mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 102IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg

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