Healthy Orange Chicken – a simple and delicious weeknight dinner that your entire family will love!!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Real Food Ingredients: I love that you can understand all of the ingredients in this recipe 🙂 they are simple and nothing weird about them!
- Whole30/Paleo Friendly: This is a great option if you eat a more Whole30/Paleo-focused lifestyle!
- Versatile: Easily serve with cauliflower rice or regular rice depending upon who wants what!
What You Will Need
- chicken breasts: we are using boneless, skinless chicken breasts here that we will cut up into small, bite-sized pieces.
- olive oil: this is what we will be cooking our chicken in, you can use really whatever oil you want but I prefer olive or avocado oil.
- salt and pepper: to season the chicken (no one likes under-seasoned chicken!)
- (optional) 1-2 cups broccoli florets: this is optional, but I love the flavor combo!
- sesame seeds for garnish: totally optional!
- orange juice + orange juice concentrate + orange zest: this is where all that orange flavor comes from!
- coconut aminos: this adds in a little umami flavor. If you are aren’t worried about Paleo/Whole30 you could sub soy sauce.
- garlic, minced: for the flavor!
- sesame oil: this helps add a little umami flavor as well!
- tapioca starch: this is our sauce thickener!
What to Serve it With
If you are making this with vegetables in it (like broccoli) and it is more of a stir-fry I would serve it with:
- Cauliflower Rice
- Jasmine Rice
- White Rice
If you aren’t adding vegetables into the sauce and are, instead, serving it plain I would serve it with:
- Baked potato
- Sautéed zucchini
- Steamed green beans
How to Prep Ahead of Time:
- Cut up your chicken ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (you could do this the night before).
- Add your sauce ingredients to a bowl and store in the refrigerator.
- Make your rice ahead of time.
Other Healthy Chicken Recipes
- 35+ Healthy Chicken Recipes (Whole30 + Paleo)
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
- Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl
How to Make Healthy Orange Chicken
Cut up your chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add your sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan and let simmer while you work on everything else.
Cook up your chicken in a cast iron skillet.
Add in your sauce.
Then add in your broccoli (if using).
Serve and enjoy!
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Healthy Beef and Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
- Slow Cooker + IP Chicken Salsa Verde
- Chicken Apple Salad
High quality chicken recommendation:
If you are looking for a great “meat guy” I highly recommend Butcher Box (a service that delivers 100% Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Beef, Heritage Breed Pork, Free-Range Organic Chicken and Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon). All of their meat, including their chicken, is absolutely amazing. Click here for $20 off your first order + free bacon!
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Healthy Orange Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Healthy Orange Chicken – a simple and delicious weeknight dinner the entire family will love!!
Ingredients
- 3 medium chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- (optional) 1-2 cups broccoli florets
- sesame seeds for garnish
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 2 Tablespoon orange juice concentrate
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 3 Teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 Teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 Teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon tapioca starch
Instructions
- Combine orange juice, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, coconut aminos, garlic and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Let simmer uncovered while you cook the chicken.
- Bring large cast iron skillet to medium high heat and add olive oil, allowing it to coat the pan.
- Add chicken and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Move chicken around, allowing it to cook, approximately 10 minutes (or until fully cooked).
- Remove chicken from the skillet and place on a large plate; set aside.
- Pour sauce into the skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Add tapioca starch and use a whisk to combine.
- Continue stirring with whisk until sauce starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add broccoli if you are using it and allow it to cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add back chicken and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: serve on cauliflower rice if Whole30/Paleo – otherwise feel free to serve on regular rice if you want!
- More Veggies: If you want to make this into more of a stir-fry and add even more veggies I would just suggest doubling the sauce so there is enough to coat everything! Super easy!
- Orange Juice Concentrate: orange juice concentrate is found in the frozen section!
Keywords: healthy orange chicken
Ashley Wooldridge says
Excellent recipe! I’ve been looking for a healthy orange chicken recipe.
★★★★★
Emily says
Loved this recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that!!
Kay says
Such fresh, delicious flavors! Thank you, Erin Jensen at The Wooden Skillet!
★★★★★
Lindsey says
This recipe is super delicious and easy to make. Can’t wait to have it with rice after my Whole30! Thanks for a fun and delicious recipe! My husband and I both approve!
★★★★★
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed this, Lindsey! One of my personal favorites 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to leave your review + feedback – I really appreciate it!
Inez says
Would it be ok to do without the orange juice concentrate?
Erin says
I wouldn’t recommend it – it would lose a significant amount of that orange flavor that makes it orange chicken 🙂
Ellie says
What kindof orange juice concentrate do you suggest for this?
Erin says
Any kind that only has “orange juice concentrate” as the single ingredient, which should be most brands!
Shandie-Lyn Stockill says
I made this tonight and it was so simple and quick yet sooo delicious! I added some green peppers and sautéed them with the chicken once it was done cooking. And I only used two chicken breasts but the same amount of sauce because we like things saucy! 100% will be making this again, especially when I need a quick and healthy meal!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Shandie-Lyn!! I love this recipe as well 🙂 And thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback – I really appreciate it!