Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

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Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (1)

Happy New Year’s, everyone!

I hope that your 2014 is off to a terrific start. And hopefully, a delicious and healthy start!

So for all of you new years resolution folks who are out there scanning the world wide webosphere looking for lighter recipes after a holiday season full of sweets, you’ve come to the right place. Because I am dedicating theentire month of January this year to sharing healthy recipes with you. And I am stoked to kick things off with a lightened-up Chinese food classic — Skinny Orange Chicken.

This version packs all of the amazing sweet and savory orange flavor of the restaurant-style version, but with only a fraction of the calories and fat. And it is naturally sweetened with honey. And it can be served over rice or (my favorite) quinoa. And it can be made in just 20 minutes from start to finish.

Interested? You should be. :)

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2)

The main key to lightening up this restaurant classic is that we simply saute the chicken instead of fry it. The chicken is sauteed until golden and drenched in an orange chicken sauce anyway, so I guarantee you won’t even miss the frying! Plus, it saves us lots of unnecessary fat and calories in an already delicious dish.

And as I said, this skinny orange chicken recipe can literally be made in about 20 minutes. So here’s what you need to make it happen.

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (3)

First, begin by cutting your chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Mine were roughly 1-inch cubed. Then season them with lots of salt and pepper for extra flavor.

Next, we make the rockstar of this recipe — the orange chickensauce. This sauce really could not be simpler. Simply whisk all of the ingredients together along with some cornstarch (for thickening), and you’re ready to go.

Chicken + Sauce. Done.

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (4)

Next, saute the chicken in some olive oil until it is nearly cooked through. Be sure to let it rest in the pan a bit while cooking so that the sides can get nice and browned.

Then pour in the sauce, which should come to a boil within a minute or so. Let it boil for about 1-2 minutes, or until it’s nice and thickened.

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (5)

Then top the chicken with some extra orange zest, green onions and toasted sesame seeds, and you’re good to go!

If you want to go the traditional route, you can serve this orange chicken recipe over rice. But I’m a big fan of eating stir-fry recipes with quinoa. So I whipped up a quick batch for this recipe, made (as always) with chicken broth for extra flavor.

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (6)

I mean, really, just look at that gorgeous dish!

So much great flavor, and so little unnecessary fat and calories from frying the chicken. I’m pretty positive that even your friends or family members who usually prefer the fried version will go “poco loco” over this dish. :)

Stay tuned for more healthy recipes to come this month on Gimme Some Oven. And cheers to a great 2014 ahead!

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Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (9)

Skinny Orange Chicken

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9 from 54 reviews

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: About 4-6 servings 1x
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Description

This homemade orange chicken recipe comes together in just 20 minutes, and is a crazy delicious! (And healthier than the restaurant version!)

Ingredients

Scale

Orange Chicken Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • orange chicken sauce (ingredients below)
  • toppings: thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, orange zest

Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. white pepper
  • zest of one orange
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

(Optional: Quinoa Ingredients)

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

To Make The Orange Chicken:

  1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through.
  3. Pour in the orange chicken sauce, and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil, then boil for an additional minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately over quinoa or rice. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and additional orange zest.

To Make The Orange Chicken Sauce:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together until combined. If you would like the sauce to be even sweeter, add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of honey.

To Make The Quinoa:

  1. You can see my step-by-step photo tutorial for how to cook quinoa here http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-recipe/.

Be sure to also check out these related recipes:

How To Cook Quinoa (A Step-By-Step Tutorial)

Sesame Chicken with Quinoa

Lighter Chinese Chicken Salad

posted on January 1, 2014 by Ali

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285 Comments »

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to bake chicken low and slow or high and fast? ›

Question: When I cook chicken, it always comes out tough. Am I cooking it too long, too short, too high or too low? The slower you cook chicken, the better. That's the overall rule for cooking protein.

How to thicken orange chicken sauce without cornstarch? ›

Mix 2 tablespoons (16 g) of flour with 1/4 cup (60 mL) of cold water, then add to your sauce and stir over medium heat until it thickens. Alternatively, create a sauce-thickening roux by whisking 1 tbsp (15 g) of butter and 1 tbsp (9 g) of salt together, then adding the mixture to your sauce.

What is the secret to cooking chicken? ›

Chicken breasts must be at room temperature before going in the pan as cold chicken can cook unevenly and tends to be tough. Allow the chicken breast to sit out for 20 minutes. That should do the trick.

How to level up Trader Joe's orange chicken? ›

Leveled Up Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken

1 small onion or ½ medium onion, diced. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 package Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar.

What oven setting is best for chicken? ›

Basic recipe for foolproof roast chicken

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit the chicken in a roasting tin. Ease the skin away from the breast and push the butter underneath the skin. Season with salt and pepper.

What can I use instead of cornstarch for orange chicken? ›

Cornstarch is REALLY reliable and will give you restaurant-quality sauce every time. If you avoid corn products or need a grain-free option, I suggest arrowroot. IF NOT GLUTEN FREE/PALEO: You can absolutely use soy sauce. I recommend low-sodium.

Can you dip chicken in cornstarch instead of flour? ›

Both flour and cornstarch are used to coat chicken, fish, and vegetables before deep-frying. Cornstarch typically makes for a crispier finish than flour. Cornstarch absorbs moisture from the food and expands, giving deep-fried foods a crispy coating.

Is it better to bake chicken at 350 or 400? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

What is the secret to juicy chicken? ›

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

How to upgrade frozen orange chicken? ›

microwave those frozen packages and then add some orange zest. the juice of an orange and half a cup of soy sauce. this is just a way to elevate the orange flavor in the orange chicken. mix it all together and bring it over to the cooking chicken & vegetables and mix that in.

How to cook Yang's orange chicken? ›

Crispy, juicy chicken battered and glazed with Mandarin Orange Sauce. PREPARATION: OVEN - Place a single layer of chicken on baking sheet. Heat at 400°F for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F.

How many pounds of orange chicken does Panda Express sell a year? ›

stores, and a big part of that success is the signature. sticky-sweet orange chicken, of which it sells over. 110 million pounds per year. pounds per year.

Should I bake chicken on high or low heat? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Does cooking chicken low and slow make it more tender? ›

The Benefits of Cooking 'Slow-and-Low'

There are so many benefits to this cooking method. Not only does it make the meat far juicier and more tender but it also works with all kinds of meats. No matter your preference, this cooking method works well with whole cuts of pork, beef, lamb, and even veal.

Is it better to cook chicken on high heat or low heat? ›

While some recipes recommend baking chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, go for anything between 375 to 450 degrees to seal in the juices. The only exception here is if you're making just chicken thighs — in that case, avoid cooking them with high heat so you don't immediately burn the skin.

Does chicken get more tender the longer you slow cook it? ›

That is why tough meats become “fork tender” in the slow cooker. Chicken breasts have very little connective tissue; that means they can be cooked quickly because the long cooking time needed to soften connective tissue isn't necessary. They also have little fat, which means they can become dry if cooked too long.

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