This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn qualifying purchases. ClickĀ hereĀ for more about this policy.
Skip the takeout and make this flavorful Healthy Orange Chicken for dinner! No frying or excess sugar, just the taste you love and 34 grams of protein!
Quick Summary: Healthy Orange Chicken
- Why Make This Recipe: Substitute takeout night for this healthier orange chicken dish that’s bursting with flavor and only a fraction of the calories.
- Nutrition: 369 calories, 34 grams protein, 5 grams fiber
- Diet: High-Protein, easily Gluten-Free, Low-Calorie
- Time: 45 minutes
- Method: Stovetop
- Best for: Easy dinners, make-ahead meals, and takeout cravings
- Tip: Cook the chicken pieces in batches to avoid steaming them if your pan isn’t big enough.
This high-protein orange chicken skips the added sugar and loads of oil, creating a dish that tastes as good as takeout and supports your health goals.
When I first started losing 80 pounds, I ate smaller portions of my favorite takeout dishes, but the ingredients made me feel awful. This healthier orange chicken swaps those ingredients for more nutritious options, so you feel full and nourished while satisfying your cravings.
If you like saucy, healthy Asian-inspired recipes, you will love my healthy General Tso’s recipe and ground beef stir-fry.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review & Comment
“Absolutely amazing! This was incredibly easy to make and so very much flavor! This is going into my recipe book and the weekly rotation. Definitely one of the top 10 recipes I’ve made.”
– Glenda
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better Than Takeout: Enjoy all of the flavors of your favorite takeout dish without the excess fat and calories! This orange chicken uses oat flour and simple pantry staples to make a more nutritious version of your favorite low-effort meal.
- No Frying: Rather than frying dredged pieces of chicken, this recipe pan-sears the chicken to lock in the moisture without the excessive amounts of oil needed for frying.
- No Added Sugar: The only sweetener in this recipe is orange juice! That decreases the calories and the amount of sugar in the dish, while still delivering the sweet and spicy orange chicken flavor you love.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes to ensure the meat cooks evenly.
- Oat Flour: Oat flour coats the chicken before searing for a crispy exterior and added fiber. If you need gluten-free, make sure to use oat flour labeled gluten-free for the coating.
- Orange Juice and Zest: Use fresh orange juice for the best flavor and zest your orange before juicing. If using store-bought orange juice, make sure it has no added sugar.
- Garlic & Ginger: Powdered garlic and ginger contain a lot of concentrated flavor, so they are the best options for this sauce. You can also use freshly minced garlic and ginger if you prefer.
- Broccoli: Fresh or frozen broccoli florets pair perfectly with your orange chicken and give you a great dose of vegetables.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Try a Different Protein: Instead of chicken, you can make this dish with shrimp or tofu instead. Cook shrimp similarly to my kung pao shrimp recipe to ensure you don’t overcook it.
- Add More Veggies: You can never have enough veggies with dinner! Try adding zucchini, bell peppers, snap peas, or green beans to your orange chicken for an extra serving of vegetables.
- Make It Spicy: Give your orange chicken sauce a little punch of spiciness by adding crushed red pepper, sriracha, or garlic chili sauce to the orange and soy sauce mixture.
- Make It Gluten-Free Orange Chicken: Make sure your oat flour is gluten-free and use Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos instead of the regular soy sauce.
How to Make Healthy Orange Chicken
This healthy orange chicken stir-fry is the perfect dinner for when you’re craving takeout but don’t want the excess calories. It’s cooked on the stove, but isn’t fried, so it tastes lighter but no less delicious.
- Step 1: Cube the Chicken. Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat with the olive oil and two tablespoons of broth. Cut the chicken into even 1-inch cubes and pat them dry.
- Step 2: Coat the Chicken. Pour the oat flour onto a large plate, then coat each piece of chicken with the flour. Place the coated chicken in the preheated skillet.
- Step 3: Brown the Chicken. Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes, then flip it over and sear the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Once each piece is evenly browned, remove them from the pan and place them on a clean plate. You may need to cook in batches depending on the size of the pan.
- Step 4: Mix the Sauce. Whisk together the orange juice, ¼ cup of chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic powder, and pepper to make the sauce.
- Step 5: Thicken the Sauce. Add the sauce to a pan and bring it to a boil for 15 minutes, stirring every 4-5 minutes. It’s ready when it thickens to a syrup-like consistency.
- Step 6: Add the Chicken Back. Once the sauce thickens, add the chicken back to the pan and coat it with the sauce.
- Step 7: Finish the Sauce and Chicken. Add the orange zest to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow it to finish cooking. Then top with green onions.
- Step 8: Steam the Broccoli. While the sauce cooks, steam the broccoli florets in a separate pot for 5 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Step 9: Serve. Serve the chicken over rice, quinoa, barley, or for a low-carb option, use cauliflower rice and the broccoli or your favorite vegetable on the side.
Expert Tips
- Pat the Chicken Dry: Making sure the chicken doesn’t have excess moisture before breading it helps the oat flour stick to the chicken better.
- Cook in Batches: If you overcrowd the skillet, then the chicken will steam instead of sear. Rather than overcrowding the pan with chicken cubes, sear the chicken in batches to ensure the outside is crispy.
- Storing and Reheating: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftovers for 3 months. Reheat the orange chicken over medium heat in a skillet on the stove or in 60-second increments in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
After a long day when the takeout cravings hit, reach into the pantry and make this healthy orange chicken breast instead of ordering food! This is the perfect weeknight meal or a great dinner party option to impress your guests.
- Serve your saucy chicken over a bed of brown rice or this low-calorie fried rice for that authentic takeout feel.
- Enjoy some more veggies with your dinner and pair your healthy orange chicken with a low-calorie Asian salad made with cabbage and carrots.
- If you’re having friends over for dinner, or just really want a large takeout-inspired meal, make beef lettuce wraps as an appetizer!
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can bake the chicken in the oven instead of searing it, but you still need to thicken the sauce on the stove. Coat the chicken in the oat flour, then bake the pieces in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F. Then add the chicken to the thickened sauce.
Absolutely! This is one of my go-to meal prep recipes! Divide the chicken, broccoli, and your grain of choice into airtight containers so lunches are ready to grab all week. The oat flour coating gets a little softer by day two, but it holds up just fine and still tastes great reheated.
Your sauce needs to boil, not simmer. Make sure it’s bubbling the whole time, and give it a full 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes. If it’s still thin, turn up the heat and keep boiling a few more minutes until it’s syrupy and coats the back of a spoon. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!
More Delicious Healthy Asian-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this healthy orange chicken recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, or oil of choice
- 1 lb Chicken Breast
- 2 tbsp Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- ⅔ cup Oat Flour, or gluten-free oat flour or whole wheat baking flour
For the Sauce
- 1 cup Orange Juice, no sugar added
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- ½ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce, or coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 1 tbsp Orange Zest
For Serving
- 4 cups Broccoli Florets
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 2 Green Onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil and two tablespoons of broth. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, set on a plate and pat dry.
- Place the flour on a large place. Coat each chicken piece with the flour then place in the preheated skillet.
- Cook 3-4 minutes then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes or until browned on each side then remove and place on a clean plate. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your skillet is.
- In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, ¼ cup chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic powder and pepper then place in the skillet and bring to a boil for 15 minutes.
- Stir the sauce every few 4-5 minutes. It will start to thicken and you will know it is done when it's a syrup-like consistency. Add the chicken to the skillet once the sauce is ready and coat the chicken with the sauce. Add orange zest and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- While the sauce cooks, cook the broccoli by steaming in a pot with water for 5 minutes or cooking according to your desire. Cook the rice.
- Serve the chicken with sauce over the cooked rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa with broccoli. Add the orange zest, sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top of the chicken for serving.
Notes
- Pat the chicken dry before tossing it in the oat flour to ensure the flour sticks to it.
- Don’t overcrowd your skillet. Cook the chicken in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding; otherwise, the chicken will steam instead of brown.
- The sauce needs to boil, not simmer, to ensure it thickens properly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this recipe! Found this recipe super salty – wondered if maybe the amount of aminos was written wrong but either way will be making again and adjust as needed!!
The recipe doesnāt tell you how much apple cider vinegar to use when browning the chicken. Itās not even in the recipe list.
There is no apple cider vinegar in this recipe.
Absolutely amazing! This was incredibly easy to make and so very much flavor! This is going into my recipe book and the weekly rotation. Definitely one of the top 10 recipes I’ve made.
I notice the total fat content is 15 grams š® I was hoping this would be much less as I have gallbladder issues and can not tolerate fat in those amounts. I wonder if it is because it is cooking in olive oil which is loaded in fats. Could you think of a way I could modify this to significantly lower the fat content?
The recipe has 3 tablespoons of olive oil that is VERY LITTLE FAT for a recipe that yields 4 servings. That is less than one tablespoon of oil per serving and 2 grams of fat is saturated fat (less ideal fat) and the rest is all healthy fat. I want to clarify for those reading the recipe that it is NOT high in fat at all and is at a healthy standard for a low calorie diet. I’m not sure who provided you with nutrition information to believe this is a high fat recipe, but it is not true. Now your issue is with your gallbladder, you could bake the chicken in the oven or air fryer so that you didn’t have to use oil. Cooking spray still has fat and generally people don’t realize that. Broth is what I try to swap for oil, however, when you are breading chicken it will not crisp up very well. You could try that, but I would go with baking or air fryer first personally.
Followed the recipe as printed. It tasted amazing. Will be making this again.
Thank you Chellie so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing recipe