Classic orange chicken is an Americanized Chinese fast food classic that consists of cubed pieces of chicken breasts that are breaded and deep fried, then coated in a sweet, sticky orange sauce. While orange has its diehard fans (including my husband), it can be cloyingly sweet. The fast food variety certainly isn’t winning any nutritional awards. But if you place a plate of today’s healthy orange chicken recipe near me? I promise there won’t be any leftovers! It’s better tasting, better for you, and less expensive than orange chicken from [insert your Chinese takeout chain here]. This skinny orange chicken is also quick and easy to put together. You won’t regret ditching the delivery and making this homemade version instead. In place of the OMG what did I just do?? feelings of regret you may have experienced upon hitting the bottom of a white cardboard delivery container, you’ll feel great eating a monster portion of this lightened-up recipe tonight. In the unlikely event of leftovers, you’ll want to do it again tomorrow too. Like many of my other healthy fast food make overs (this Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry being the most recent favorite), this recipe keeps the spirit of the dish, but delivers it in a more wholesome way. You’ll find the signature orange chicken sauce and orange chicken crispy coating, but the chicken is baked and not fried. And since we’re heating up the oven and need a side dish to serve with our homemade orange chicken anyway, why not take a note from this Sheet Pan Shrimp and Broccoli and throw a head of broccoli onto the sheet pan alongside the chicken as it bakes? Cooking the chicken and broccoli side by side is a dynamite two-for-one approach that this household plans to revisit on many a busy weeknight to come (I also enjoy using broccoli for this Crockpot Beef and Broccoli).
Secret to the BEST Healthy Orange Chicken
Just like in Bourbon Chicken, the secret to the best orange chicken is in the sauce! Instead of orange chicken with orange marmalade and brown sugar (which is essentially two rounds of sugar), this orange chicken sauce is made of a few wholesome ingredients. I based it loosely off of my equally healthy and delicious Crockpot Orange Chicken. The most important ingredient is real orange juice and orange zest. You simply cannot beat the taste of fresh orange. It makes the chicken taste like the citrusy, sweet (but not too sweet), and delightfully sticky fast food favorite, only better. You can buy orange chicken sauce, but it’s generally full of added preservatives and sugar. Once you experience the fresh flavor of orange chicken sauce from scratch, you’ll never want to use the bottled kind again.
How to Make Orange Chicken from Scratch
Ready for Panda Express orange chicken taste, with fewer calories and without the mess of a deep fryer? Here’s what you need.
The Ingredients
For the Crispy Baked Chicken
Chicken Breasts. Because we’re baking the chicken instead of frying it, this orange chicken is good for you. After it’s baked, the chicken becomes the perfect combination of crispy outside and moist and tender inside. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could also try this as an orange chicken thighs recipe.Panko Breadcrumbs. Whole wheat Panko crumbs are the best way to help crisp up the chicken without frying it. They also absorb the sauce, giving the chicken pieces their hallmark sticky texture.Green Onions. One of my favorite additions to stir fry recipes. They add balance to the sweetness of the sauce and give freshness and color to the dish.
For the Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce
Orange Zest + Juice. The key to our fresh, bright orange flavor. The best part: both of these ingredients can come from the same orange (winning!).Honey. In lieu of using refined sugar in this recipe (and in Sesame Chicken), I added honey. It gives the orange sauce its trademark sweetness while keeping the recipe on the healthy side.Soy Sauce. A star ingredient in almost every stir fry recipe. Soy sauce brings a savory, salty complement to the sweetness of the orange and honey.Ginger + Garlic. The Asian flavor dream team!Cornstarch + Water. Creates a cornstarch slurry to help thicken the sauce.Red Pepper Flakes. Orange chicken is not spicy on its own, so I threw in red pepper flakes for some heat. Add as much or as little as you want to reach your desired level of spiciness.
The Directions
Add the broccoli to a greased baking sheet, topping it with the oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread into an even layer, moving it over to one side of the baking sheet. Toss the chicken with the breadcrumbs, then add the chicken pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet next to the broccoli. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F, then flip over the pieces of chicken. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 additional minutes, until chicken is cooked through. As the chicken bakes, prepare the sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan, then add the slurry. Boil until the sauce has thickened, then stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the chicken and green onions to sauce, stirring to coat. Serve hot with the broccoli and rice. ENJOY!
More Sides to Serve with Orange Chicken
Vegetables. This recipe includes a moderate portion of broccoli for each serving, so you could also include additional roasted vegetables for a larger serving. Red peppers, sugar snap peas, or mushrooms would be delicious.Rice. We love serving this baked orange chicken recipe over a bed of brown rice or quinoa. For a low-carb option, cauliflower rice would also be tasty.Salad. Try serving your leftover orange chicken on top of a green salad, like this Ramen Salad.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
To Make Ahead. Cut the chicken into pieces, and chop all vegetables up to 1 day in advance. Store each in a separate container in the refrigerator for healthy orange chicken meal prep. If you want to make extra broccoli, it can be chopped up to 2 days in advance or fully roasted 1 day in advance; this lightening-fast Roasted Frozen Broccoli is great to make a day ahead then reheat in the oven towards the end of the chicken’s baking time. To Store. Place leftover orange chicken in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.To Reheat. To help the chicken recrisp, rewarm this recipe on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F until hot. In a pinch, you can also reheat it in the microwave.To Freeze. Store orange chicken in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The chicken may not be as crispy once thawed, but it will still taste delicious.
More Homemade Healthy Asian Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic ChickenTeriyaki Chicken Stir FryCrock Pot Cashew ChickenCrock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Recommended Tools to Make Healthy Orange Chicken
Baking Sheets. These are heavy-duty and will last for years to come.Small Whisk. Ideal for whisking together sauce ingredients without splashing all over the counter.Nonslip Cutting Board. Great for chopping, and it’s easy to clean if you are cutting meat for any of my healthy chicken recipes.
Swap the takeout menu for your trusty sheet pan, pick up your chopsticks (or a fork, I won’t judge!), and let this healthy orange chicken and broccoli be your weeknight winner. If you try this tasty orange chicken recipe, please leave a comment to let me know how it goes. Your comments and ratings really help my blog and are so helpful to other readers too!
