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!
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.
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.
- Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Keep these cuts on the smaller side for faster cooking.
- 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.
- Whisk the egg wash together in its own bowl, large enough to hold all of your chicken.
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in its own bowl, reserving the arrowroot powder for later, only if needed.
- Place all your chicken in the egg wash bowl and stir it around to coat the chicken well.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove from heat immediately so the sauce doesn’t go from glaze to goop. (Goop will still taste good though!)
- Serve over rice and top 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
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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!
NEED RECIPE SUPPLIES?
EASY ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE:
Recipe adapted from Dinner Then Dessert
Easy Orange Chicken Recipe
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.
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.
Egg Wash
- Whisk this all together in a bowl large enough to hold all of your chicken.
Sauce
- Whisk all ingredients together, reserving the arrowroot powder for later, only if needed.
Putting It All Together
- Place all your chicken in the egg wash bowl and stir it around to coat the chicken well.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove from heat immediately so the sauce doesn't go from glaze to goop. (Goop will still taste good though!)
- Serve over rice and top with sliced, green onions
