Healthy Chinese Orange Chicken

Chinese orange chicken with rice on a white plate

This easy and healthy Chinese Orange Chicken comes together in less than 30 minutes and is the perfect combination of sweet and savory with a little kick of spice!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 327kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

For the Chicken

750 grams (1 ½ pounds) Skinless Chicken breasts, cubed (see note 1)
2 tablespoons Soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 teaspoon Rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Cornstarch/cornflour
3 tablespoons Vegetable oil (or peanut, or grapeseed oil)

Vegetables and Aromats

1 teaspoon Ground ginger (or fresh or ginger paste)
3 cloves Minced garlic (or garlic paste)
¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes (or chili flakes) or more for heat
5 Green onions (or shallots), chopped whites separated
1 medium Capsicum (red bell pepper) chopped

For the Sauce

1 ¾ cup Orange juice (see note 2)
3 teaspoons Orange zest
4 tablespoons Soy sauce
3 teaspoons Rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoons Sesame oil
2 tablespoons Sugar free maple syrup (or granulated sweetener) (see note 3)
4 teaspoons Light or sugar free sweet chili sauce (see note 4)
3 teaspoons Cornstarch/Cornflour (see note 5)

To Serve

4 cups Rice (white or brown), cooked

Instructions

Flour Chicken: In a medium sized bowl, place the cubed chicken, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Gently toss to coat. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Cook Chicken: Add oil to a large skillet or wok and warm on medium-high heat. Add coated chicken into the hot pan. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Prepare Sauce: While the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce. In a medium sized bowl or jug, mix together the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce and remaining cornstarch. Whisk until all the cornstarch clumps have dissolved.
Add Aromatics: Once the chicken is done cooking; add the ground ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and the whites of the green onion (leaving stems for garnish). Cook for 2 minutes.
Add Sauce: Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken mixture, over a medium to high heat or until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat (it will thicken a little more as it cools).
Serve: Top with the chopped green onion stems and serve over a bed of rice. Garnish with additional orange zest if desired.

Notes

Chicken: You can use either skinless boneless chicken breast or chicken thigh cut into 1 inch cubes. Make sure they are all roughly the same size so the cook evenly.
Orange Juice: Either a store bought orange juice or freshly squeezed orange juice will work. For Sore bought, make sure to buy a no added sugar variety and that it is not a concentrate. For freshly squeezed, make sure to remove pips and seeds.
Sugar Free Maple Syrup: This adds additional sweetness to the sauce and can be substituted with the same quantity of granulated sweetener such as Monkfruit or stevia.
Sweet Chili Sauce: There are many varieties of Lite or No Added Sugar Sweet Chili Sauce available at the supermarket or in speciality stores. If I’m buying, my favourite is Ayam Lite Sweet Chili Sauce which is very low in calories compared to the regular ones. I also love to make my own sugar free sweet chili sauce.
Conrstarch/Cornflour: this is a thickening agent that helps to create a nice sauce consistency. Dredging the chicken before cooking will create a “crust” on the outside and provide the perfect surface for the sauce to grab onto.
Storage: my orange Chinese chicken recipe will keep in the fridge (in meal prep containers) for upto 4 days
Freezing: Freeze in air tight containers and individual portions for upto 6 weeks
Reheating: Defrost overnight in the fridge and microwave, or microwave on high rom frozen.
Nutrition information doesn't include rice.

Nutrition