Instead of frying, this healthier orange chicken recipe is stir-fried with less oil making it an easy dinner. Since the orange sauce is so flavorful, this dish still comes out tasty even without frying the chicken.
I’ve been making a lot of popular Chinese-American dishes lately and while it’s been fun making them, I couldn’t help but notice how unhealthy they are.
Most of them have the same basic formula: deep-frying a protein and then coating it in a thick glaze.
I really love orange chicken so I decided to figure out how to make a healthy version.
Healthy Orange Chicken
The deep-frying part is the main thing that makes these dishes so unhealthy. And it also makes it more time-consuming to make. This healthier orange chicken is only about 870 calories and serves 3-4 people, which makes it less than 300 calories per serving.
To make a healthier orange chicken recipe, I decided to simply stir-fry some chicken thigh meat rather than deep frying it. Since the orange chicken sauce is so flavorful, this dish still comes out tasty even without frying the chicken.
I will note that, this works best with dark meat like chicken thigh meat because the chicken breast was just so plain and flavorless and didn’t work as well.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- Cooking oil
- Water
- Orange juice
- Granulated white sugar
- Vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Minced garlic
- Minced ginger
- Sriracha
- Cornstarch
Recipe Steps
Heat the oil in a wok (or large skillet or pan) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook them until they are cooked all the way through. Take the chicken out of the wok and set it aside.
In a small pot, combine the water, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, ginger. Bring the sauce mixture to a boil and stir until well combined.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the rest of the water with cornstarch. Pour it into the boiling sauce and stir constantly until the sauce thickens.
Take the pot off the heat and add the chicken and stir to coat it in the sauce. Serve the orange chicken with rice and sprinkle chopped scallions over the top for garnish.
Tips and Substitutions
Chicken thighs have a lot of flavor, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
If you don’t have sriracha, you can add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
You can add a cooked vegetable on the side like red peppers and broccoli. Instead of regular rice, serve it with cauliflower rice to make the dish even lighter.
If you want other garnish ideas, I think some sesame seeds would add a nice texture. You could also swap the scallions for sliced green onions.
I really enjoyed this healthier version. It takes less time and is less than 300 calories per serving – definitely a lot better than traditional takeout orange chicken.
More Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Healthier Honey Sesame Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Healthier Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 tbsp oil for cooking chicken
for the sauce
- 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 3 tbsp vinegar
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp ginger minced
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tbsp of oil to wok and turn stove heat to medium-high. Once oil is hot, add in chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink and cooked all the way through. Set aside.
- In a small pot, combine 2 tbsp water, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, ginger. Bring to a boil and stir until all ingredients dissolve and become a uniform sauce.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining 2 tbsp water with cornstarch. Mix until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour into boiling sauce and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Turn off stove and add chicken into the sauce pot, stirring to coat chicken pieces. Serve with rice. Garnish with fresh scallions if desired.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
