Healthier Orange Chicken — Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this HEALTHIER orange chicken at home in less than 10 minutes!! EASY, authentic, and so INCREDIBLE that you’ll never miss the fat and calories!!
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
If I’m walking by the food court in the mall and if I can snag a free sample of Panda Express orange chicken, I do a little happy dance inside. But I don’t order it because I know it’s greasy and loaded with calories and fat that I don’t need.
Enter: this homemade, healthier, not fried version of orange chicken that’s made in one skillet and ready in 10 minutes. No fuss, hassle-free, and perfect for busy weeknights.
The skinny orange chicken is ridiculously tender, juicy, and full of orange flavor. When I say ridiculously tender, I mean it just melts in your mouth. You’d swear it was fried but it’s not.
Ingredients in Healthy Orange Chicken
To make the healthy orange chicken sauce and chicken, you’ll need:
- Chicken breasts
- Cornstarch
- Toasted sesame oil
- Olive oil
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
- Lite soy sauce
- Honey
- Green onions
How to Make Healthy Orange Chicken
This really is such an easy orange chicken recipe! Here’s a quick overview of the cooking process:
- To a large skillet, add the freshly squeezed orange juice, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, olive oil, and boneless skinless chicken breast pieces that have been dredged in cornstarch (it’s the secret ingredient).
- Cook until the chicken is done. It will take less than 10 minutes!
- Dig in to this better-than-takeout copycat orange chicken alongside your favorite rice.
What to Serve with Orange Chicken
You can serve your favorite Asian-inspired sides with this skinny orange chicken. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Better-Than-Takeout Fried Rice (omit the chicken in the fried rice)
- Low-carb cauliflower rice (you can buy pre-made packets at the grocery store)
- Fresh spring rolls
- Crunchy peanut salad
- Sheet pan ginger vegetables (omit chicken)
- Mango teriyaki salad
Can I Use a Cornstarch Alternative?
A few readers have asked about using arrowroot powder or another cornstarch alternative in this recipe. I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure if arrowroot or another substitute will give you the same results.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
Most likely, yes. However, I’ve only made this orange chicken recipe using chicken breasts.
How Much Orange Juice Is Needed for This Recipe?
You’ll need the juice of two large oranges, which is equal to roughly 3/4 cup bottled orange juice. However because this is such a critical element of the recipe, I recommend juicing the oranges yourself versus using bottled juice.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Yes! It’s best fresh from the skillet, but you can divide the chicken into meal prep container and reheat throughout the week if desired.
If at all possible, reheat the chicken in a lightly oiled skillet. I try to avoid microwaving leftover chicken because it winds up being tough and dry, but do what’s best for you.
Tips for Cooking the Chicken with Cornstarch
Cornstarch thickens any liquids or sauces it comes into contact with. In this recipe, it helps the orange chicken sauce tighten up and cling to the chicken as if it had been fried and then coated in a sugar-laded orange sauce, but we’re not frying anything today.
Cornstarch is a kitchen magician in many regards, but there are some pitfalls. If you’re not careful you can have a gloppy mess in a hurry.
My tips for avoiding that include:
- Cook over medium heat.
- Flip the chicken and stir the pan sauce that coats the chicken nearly constantly.
- If at any time your sauce is tightening and thickening up faster than you’d like because the chicken isn’t quite cooked through, simply add more orange juice.
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Healthier Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large oranges, juiced; plus more orange juice if necessary
- ⅓ cup lite soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon green onions, diced into thin rounds
Instructions
- To a large bowl or ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, cornstarch, and toss or shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly; set aside.
- To a large skillet, add the oils, orange juice, soy sauce, honey, and the chicken pieces but not any excess cornstarch that's at the bottom of your bowl or bag.
- Turn the heat to medium, and cook until chicken is done and cooked through; flip chicken and stir pan sauce that's forming nearly constantly. Tip - If at any time your sauce is tightening or thickening up too much before the chicken has cooked through, simply add additional orange juice to thin it and keep stirring.
- Evenly garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
- Extra chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Asian Chicken Recipes:
ALL OF MY ASIAN-INSPIRED RECIPES!
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken – The easiest orange chicken ever because your slow cooker does all the work!! Super juicy, tender, and coated with a sweet-yet-tangy orange glaze that’s irresistible!!
15-Minute Orange Chili Chicken and Broccoli – The orange chili sauce is spicy, tangy, and sweet all in one!! The PERFECT sauce to jazz up chicken and broccoli! A FAST and EASY dinner with great Asian FLAVOR!!
Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken — This sweet and sour chicken recipe takes just 15 minutes to make and tastes way better than takeout. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Sheet Pan Ginger Orange Chicken and Vegetables – Fast, EASY, HEALTHY, and loaded with great orange ginger flavor!! A DELISH one-pan meal with zero cleanup that’s perfect for busy weeknights!!
Mandarin Chicken Stir Fry — An EASY Asian stir fry with tender chicken, juicy oranges, and veggies!! Skip takeout and make this ONE skillet recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights!!
Hi I made the recipe as is but didn’t understand as to why we coat the chicken with the cornstarch first because the moment I put it in the orange juice mixture all the cornstarch came off. I felt my sauce thickened too much because of the cornstarch. I think next time I will add the cornstarch later as to how thick I want my sauce. Otherwise the taste was good. I also did add a bit of sriracha for a spicy kick.
Cornstarch will make the chicken crispier; and it doesn’t all come off, at least not for me. But you can experiment with the recipe and see how it works best for you.
Really weird recipe. I should’ve known when the directions were just “dump everything in a skillet.” I’m sorry, but if I’m going to put a HALF CUP of corn starch in my food, then I feel like the chicken should at least be pan fried so it’s crispy. Instead I ended up with orange chicken jello. Thanks but no thanks!
Approximately how much juice is needed?
Can you use organize no pulp OJ f you don’t have fresh oranges to squeeze?
Yes
is this done in a cast iron skillet? or what kind of skillet?
I use this one https://rstyle.me/+O2aAvHPvP9V9w7ahWgoFVg
Can you make this with breaded chicken? Or would I have to fry it first?
Well the point of this recipe is that it’s sort of tastes like breaded chicken, without breading it. That’s where the corn starch comes in. Give this recipe a try and I think that you’ll really enjoy it.
If you want to start doctoring with the recipe, then you’ll have to experiment, and since I haven’t tried it on my own, I can’t give you feedback or suggestions.
Can arrowroot powder be used instead of cornstarch?
I have only made with cornstarch so I can’t say.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! We love asian food but hubby has diabetes and we try to stay away from fried foods. I used 3 oranges for a smoothe sauce and added garlic and ginger. Loved it and soooo much healthier!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! We love asian food but hubby has diabetes and we try to stay away from fried foods. I used 3 oranges for a smoothe sauce and added garlic and ginger. Loved it and soooo much healthier!
I am glad you loved it and that it worked well for your husband’s needs and yes, much healthier than fried!
a dish I love and miss because it’s usually loaded with things that aren’t that great for you, so love having some of the same flavors in a dish where the ingredients are actually known and much healthier, much appreciated
Totally agreed!
Easy to make and uncomplicated is just how I love my meals and this orange chicken was pure satisfaction and very healthy indeed!
Easy to make and uncomplicated is just how I love my meals and this orange chicken was pure satisfaction and very healthy indeed!
Easy to make and uncomplicated is just how I love my meals and this orange chicken was pure satisfaction and very healthy indeed!
Yum! This is the perfect alternative to the deep fried take out! I love healthy modifications as you can make them much more often without any guilt (and I don’t like dealing with all that leftover oil from deep frying anyway).
Great point, leftover fryer oil, gross and I don’t want to deal with that either!
This is a perfect healthier option and honestly was soooo tasty!
Oh man! This is soooo good! Can’t wait to try it asap!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks and yes so good!
This looks amazing! I’m a sucker for orange chicken, but never make it at home because I don’t need a ton of deep-fried food in my fridge. This looks totally doable though, and I love that it’s on the healthier side. Adding it to my “to-make” list!
-Claire
It is definitely do-able, and delicious!