Healthy Orange Chicken
Course: lunch, dinner, main, sidesCuisine: american, asian, chinese2
servings20
minutes20
minutesBetter Than Take-Out Orange Chicken
Let me show you how to turn the classic Chinese Take-out favorite into your homemade favorite
I never really enjoyed eating this dish because I always found the sauce way too sweet and artificial; plus it was always more batter than chicken
In my version, I bump up the orange flavor and make it all about the chicken
I use real orange as the foundation for the sauce building up the flavors and adding texture by adding in the zest and pulp. The chicken gets a special marination technique that keeps it juicy and flavourful
*Marinading the chicken with corn starch is a pro tip as the starch binds with the liquid ingredients in the marinade and seals them to the meat. It also helps to get caramelization w/o needing to use lots of oil
*Using xanthan gum to thicken lets us achieve that nice consistency w/o adding tons of starch/ingredients that can dilute/hold back flavor. Plus it’s so strong you don’t need much which means zero calories
Sauce Macros:
~1/2 Cup 117 Calories 23Carbs/1Fat/4 Protein
For 1tbsp 16 Calories 4C/0F/0P
Ingredients
- Chicken
1 lb Chicken, boneless skinless, breast or thigh works equally, choose what you prefer
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Corn Starch*
1 /4 tsp Sweetener
1/4 tsp White Pepper
- Orange Sauce
1 Large Orange, zest, juice, &pulp
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp Ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Sweetener
Sriracha, to preference
Xanthan Gum, just a pinch*
- Garnish
Green Onions
Sesame Seeds
Cilantro
Directions
- Juice and zest one orange
- In a sauce pot, add the orange juice along with the garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sweetener, and some siracha
- Mix and reduce the sauce by half and adjust the seasoning before thickening it with cornstarch to the point that it looks like honey
- Next, marinate the chicken with soy sauce, cornstarch, sweetener, and white pepper.
- In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, heat some neutral oil and add the chicken. Cook each side for 1-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the sauce to the chicken and toss to coat evenly
- Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and cilantro
- Serve and enjoy
