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An overhead photo of a bowl of rice with healthy orange chicken. A fork rests in the rice.
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4.93 from 14 votes

Healthy Orange Chicken

This healthy orange chicken is a lightened-up take on the classic Chinese take-out dish. It’s loaded with flavor, easy to make and absolutely delicious especially when paired with rice and a side of veggies.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: healthy orange chicken
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sauce

  • cup tamari coconut aminos or soy sauce
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • ¾ cup orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Chicken

  • ½ cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 large eggs whisked
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons avocado or olive oil
  • Sliced green onions for garnish
  • Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
  • Red chili flakes for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add all your sauce ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
    Tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, water, arrowroot powder, orange juice, orange zest, garlic, fresh ginger, honey, sea salt, black pepper in a bowl being whisked together.
  • Place arrowroot powder, flour, baking soda, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Crack eggs into another shallow bowl and whisk.
    Chicken breast chunks in a bowl next to a bowl of egg wash and arrowroot powder and flour mixture.
  • One by one, dredge each chicken chunk in the egg bowl, wiping off any access and then dip each into the flour mixture. Roll until each piece is covered completely.
    Coating chicken in flour after the egg wash.
  • Place the coated chicken on prepared baking sheet with parchment or a wire rack that fits on a baking sheet, without parchment. Be sure to spray the wire rack with cooking spray or the chicken will stick! Bake chicken for 15 minutes.
    Pieces of chicken on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet after being dipped into egg and then flour mixture.
  • When baking timer only has a few minutes left, add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When chicken is done in the oven, add to warm skillet and allow chicken to crisp up for about 2 minutes per side.
    Baked chicken in a skillet to crisp up.
  • Once chicken is golden brown and completely cooked through, add chicken to a plate and set aside while heating the sauce. Pour sauce mixture into the same skillet over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let sauce thicken up until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5-6 minutes.
    Pouring orange chicken sauce into a skillet to warm it up.
  • Once sauce has thickened up, add chicken back to the skillet and toss until all the chicken is coated.
    Chicken tossed in orange sauce in a skillet.
  • Serve chicken over rice and garnish with green onions. Serve with a side of broccoli or another green veggie.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1706mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g