I wanted to create an orange chicken recipe that isn’t breaded, fried, or loaded with empty calories, fat, and salt.
But that tastes amazing and is the kind of meal you’ll make over and over.
I succeeded because this easy, one-skillet, 15-minute dish is bursting with orange flavor. There’s orange juice, orange zest, and orange marmalade. How’s that for an orange lover’s trifecta.
Ginger adds an Asian flair and some very subtle heat, but if you’re not a ginger fan or are sensitive to it, eliminate or reduce the ginger.
The chicken is juicy and moist, the vegetables are crisp-tender, and everything is coated in the luscious orange-honey sauce that I could eat by the spoonful.
I used broccoli, sugar snap peas, and red peppers but you could work in carrots, peapods, or other favorites. Rice is a perfect complement for the stir fry.
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One-Skillet Orange Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons orange zest + more for garnishing
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauce + 1 tablespoon for cooking chicken
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- about 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
- about 2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces (I use florets and stalks)
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, peapods may be substituted
- ½ cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced small (orange or yellow peppers may be substituted)
Instructions
- To a medium bowl or large measuring cup, add the orange zest, orange juice, orange marmalade, honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, salt, pepper, optional cayenne, and whisk to combine; set sauce aside.
- To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, flipping intermittently so all sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts and sizes of pieces. Chicken should be about 90% cooked through.
- Add the sauce, noting that it may bubble up in the first few seconds.
- Add the vegetables and allow sauce to bubble at a medium-fast boil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce has reduced some, chicken is cooked through, and vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir intermittently throughout. If you prefer crisp-tender vegetables (not mushy) turn off the heat sooner rather than later because they will continue to cook from the carryover heat from the sauce and pan. 3 minutes is usually I need but preferences vary.
- Taste and check for seasoning balance, making any necessary adjustments (more salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne, splash of orange juice, etc.) and garnish with a pinch of orange zest before serving. Will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve cold or reheat gently prior to serving if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I substituted soy sauce (or one can use low-sodium soy sauce) for the salt and Asian sesame oil for the olive oil to make it more authentic- it was great !
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you with soy sauce and sesame oil (I love sesame oil!) and I bet the flavor was so great!
This recipe looks so bright and beautiful! We really love all the different components of orange — the juice, the marmalade, the fresh slices. Is there anyway to prepare this sans cornstarch?
You could probably omit it, although the sauce will be looser and not as thick.
This orange chicken is perfect to eat during the week. Love the brightness of it all!!!!
We are having orange chicken tonight for dinner! A completely different way, but still it’s orange chicken. I love orange chicken, it’s so delicious!
Seriously, it’s like you know Jordan. Every dinner you make would be her favorite, this one is #1!
Tell her to c’mon down for dinner :)
I love orange chicken. This looks absolutely beautiful and delicious.
Orange chicken is one of my favorite dishes from Chinese restaurants. Love that this recipe is much better for you and significantly lower in salt intake! All of those fresh veggies make it even better. Yum! Pinning to make next week!
Thanks for pinning and if you make it, LMK!
Im so glad i found your website im 21 and i love your breakfast smoothies i have tried all of them ! Great Job keep doing what your doing !!
Oh.My.God.
For real? I could eat this dor dinner every day. ACV, ginger, orange, a little sweet/hot action with all those veggies? Hell yes.
These are your flavors, for sure!! And they were so good. I could just spoon that over veggies (or drink it by the spoon) all day long, too!
Orange chicken.. now this sounds amazing!
I love orange chicken I always get at Chinese restaurants or you know those cheap mall eateries like Panda express, while is always good and VERY unhealthy and my liver is crying in disappointment I can never turn down orange chicken if its on the menu. I love this flavorful yet so much healthier and good for you version that I can enjoy in the comfort of my home, definitely making this one!
I had Panda in mind when I made this and wanted to try to replicate some of the flavors, minus the salt, fat, frying, etc.
This looks so delicious! My husband would absolutely LOVE this!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
A terrific summer recipe, easy, quick – and I won’t miss the extra calories and salt in so many chicken stir fry recipes.
You and me both are not into salt-laden recipes and most restaurant or deli counter type of orange chicken is a salt bomb so I came up with one that’s not!
Ginger and citrus is always a winner and I love your lightened up version–it looks so fresh and flavorful. I need a couple of quick meals for the weekend so this and your cilantro lime chicken are in my cooking plans….I just need to decide which one to make first!
And between the two, they’re so different…from Mexican to orange. You can’t go wrong with either. LMK what you end up going with!
This was a fantastic and quick dinner! Love the orange, ginger and cayenne–just enough sweet heat for us. I stay away from orange chicken in restaurants because it’s usually battered, salty, and deep fried so I love having a healthier alternative to make.
I’m with you and usually shy away from most things that are battered, salty, and fried and so glad you like this version! I love the sweet heat flavor too and so glad you guys enjoyed this!
Orange chicken is definitely one of my favorite meals…but with bikini season, I can DEFINITELY do without the empty calories. Loving this lighter version, and with all those fresh veggies! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and I totally know what you mean about avoiding those empty cals!