Is orange chicken healthy? Need an easy, healthy weeknight dinner recipe? I’ve got you covered with my delicious, nutritious, and satisfying Orange Chicken and Vegetables recipe. This easy weeknight meal is one the entire family will love! The other fantastic thing about this recipe is that it can be food prepped the evening before for dinner ready the next day! With loads of fiber from the veggies, fresh ginger and orange juice in the sauce, and organic cubed chicken, this is one recipe you won’t want to miss!
Healthy orange chicken and vegetables is perfect any time of the year and makes a great healthy chicken meal! You can pair this with my Chicken Caesar Salad Boats With Homemade Croutons and my Healthy Ranch Dip you can also enjoy my Creamy Lemon Pasta With Chicken and my Dorito Casserole With Ground Beef all of the are quick and easy dinner ideas!
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🍗 Easy Healthy Orange Chicken
One of my favorite meal recipes to make is one that includes protein, vegetables, and carbs.
The wonderful thing about my is orange chicken healthy recipe is that it gives you a full serving of veggies, a full serving of protein, and a full serving of carbs in one meal and yes it's super healthy!
This all-around healthy meal is similar to that famous restaurant that sells their infamous orange chicken, but my version is a healthier spin!
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🍗🍊What Youll Need to Make the Healthy Orange Chicken
Ingredients you'll need for healthy orange chicken recipe:
- Boneless chicken breasts, cubed or skinless chicken breasts
- Bell pepper
- Celery
- Carrots
- Steamed Brocolli
- Cinaltro
- Fresh Ginger
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- Honey
- Sesame oil or Olive oil
- Coconut Aminos
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Chopped Garlic
- Orange Zest
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Salt
- Paprika
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- Flour for coating the chicken
- Jasmine rice or Brown Rice
- Soy sauce (optional)
🍗🍊 How to Make Orange Chicken
First, let's make the healthy orange chicken sauce recipe for this easy orange chicken recipe.
- This recipe is also known as healthy orange chicken with marmalade healthy orange chicken and broccoli
Step 1: In a small saucepan, add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, chopped garlic, and ginger and simmer over medium heat. Wait for sauce thicken.
Step 2: Add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce becomes nice and thick. Add a teaspoon of orange zest to bring out the flavor. Set the sauce aside.
🍗🍊How To Make Chinese Orange Chicken Healthy
I bought organic chicken breasts for this recipe and cut them into cubes. You can also use skinless chicken thighs for healthy orange chicken which is similar to orange chicken Chinese takeout.
Step 1: Next, add the cubed chicken to a small mixing bowl and season with black pepper, Himalayan sea salt, paprika, and garlic salt. Coat the chicken and flour and set the chicken aside while you prep the orange chicken sauce.
Step 2: Heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil or vegetable oil. Saute the boneless skinless chicken brown on each side cooking over medium heat.
Step 3: Next, add freshly chopped veggies one at a time to the chicken. Add the celery, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, and chopped garlic and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Next, pour in the prepared orange sauce into the pan and simmer the chicken, veggies, and sauce together for 10 minutes over low heat.
Step 5: While the veggies and chicken are simmering together, cook the Jasmin rice according to the package directions. Once the rice is finished cooking, grab some serving bowls and fill them with the rice.
You can drizzle more orange sauce on top of the dish and add fresh cilantro for even more flavor.
This low carb recipe is similar to Panda Express orange chicken but way better and is orange chicken no breading. This is healthy orange chicken.
Pro Tip For Orange Chicken recipe not fried: If you want orange chicken without cornstarch, use arrowroot powder instead!
The calories in Chinese orange chicken Chinese in this version is less because this healthy orange chicken recipe isn't fried. You can also make this a low carb orange chicken recipe by not adding the rice and instead using mixed greens for orange chicken protein bowls.
I wouldn't worry too much about the calories in Chinese orange chicken. You could also make this Japanese orange chicken.
The carbs in orange chicken orange chicken carbs are low, especially if you do not add in the rice.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
- is orange chicken good for weight loss - yes this healthy orange chicken recipe is good for weight loss!
- is panda express orange chicken healthy -No
This healthier orange chicken easy weeknight meal is fun to make and so colorful! It’s a traditional orange chicken recipe that's a wonderful addition to add to your weeknight rotation and makes a wonderful weekend dinner too.
This is the perfect couple recipe for celebrating Valentine's Day!
My Easy Orange Chicken and Vegetables also make fantastic leftovers. This gluten free clean eating meal will be the hit at the dinner table!
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📖 Recipe
Is Orange Chicken Healthy? (Recipe Included)
Ingredients
Orange Sauce
- 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup Honey
- 1 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 cup Coconut Aminos
- ¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Freshly Chopped Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Chopped Ginger
- 2 tsps Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
Orange Chicken
- 1 pound cubed chicken
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil or Sesame Oil
- 1 cup Chopped Celery
- 1 cup Sliced Carrots
- 1 Cup Chopped Broccoli
- 1 cup Sliced red bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon Finely Choped Garlic
- 1 Package Cooked Jasmin Rice
- 1 cup chopped Cilantro
Instructions
Orange Sauce
- In a small saucepan, add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, chopped garlic, and ginger and simmer over medium heat.
- Add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce and simmer on low heat for 10-minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add a teaspoon of orange zest to bring out the flavor.
- Set the sauce aside.
How To Cook Easy Orange Chicken
- Add the cubed chicken to a small mixing bowl and season with black pepper, Himalayan sea salt, paprika, and garlic salt. Coat the chicken and flour and set the chicken aside while you prep the orange chicken sauce.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and the vegetable oil or the Sesame seed oil.
- Pour in the seasoned chicken and brown on each side cooking over medium heat.
- Next, add the freshly chopped veggies one at a time. Add the celery, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, chopped garlic, and simmer on medium heat for five minutes.
- Next, pour in the prepared orange sauce to the pan and simmer the chicken, veggies, and sauce together for 10-minutes over low heat.
- While the veggies and chicken are simmering together, cook the Jasmin rice according to package directions.
- Once the rice is finished cooking, grab some serving bowls and fill them with the rice. Top with the orange chicken and veggies. You can drizzle more orange sauce on top of the dish and add fresh cilantro for even more flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
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anindya says
Yes the protein and vegetables make the perfect combination and this can be done any night . Thanks for the recipe
Annie says
I adore orange chicken, and really love that your version is healthier than the restaurants!
xoxo
Annie
Rochelle says
My mouth is watering. I absolutely love orange chicken. I cannot wait to make this recipe!. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kez says
It does look very easy to make! Unfortunately it's too carby for me, but I have a friend who would love this!