Orange Chicken makes a favorite Chinese dish. Get this lightened up Skinny Orange Chicken recipe which is Paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and grain-free, but definitely not free of flavor!
Orange Chicken has to be one of my favorite Chinese dishes to order when we order takeout or visit a favorite Chinese restaurant. I’ve made it a few times at home, but decided that I wanted to make a skinny orange chicken recipe.
You know, around the first of the year, that’s what seems to be on our minds. This lighter orange chicken recipe, or my Skinny Orange Chicken, is exactly what I had in mind! It’s so full of flavor and a favorite in my family!
Skinny Orange Chicken
How to Make Skinny Orange Chicken
I begin with four skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I slice in half horizontally. You’ll definitely want to make sure you are using a very sharp knife held parallel to the cutting board when slicing the chicken in half. I then cut the halves into bite-sized pieces. I find that they cook a lot more evenly that way and it saves a ton of time when cooking chicken in recipes like this. and I like to pop my chicken into the freezer for about 15 minutes as it makes them perfect for cutting, in my opinion.
I toss my chicken into a skillet with a bit of oil. I use coconut oil as I want to make this recipe as Paleo-friendly as possible, but you can use olive oil, butter, or a combination of the two for a delicious flavor.
While the chicken is browning, I mix together the sauce for the chicken. While traditional orange chicken always calls for frying the chicken bites in a cornstarch batter, I omit that part to reduce a few calories. Believe me, you won’t miss it once you taste the sauce on this chicken!
Once the chicken is browned, I remove it from the skillet as I cook the sauce to reduce it for the dressing. You are going to love the substitutions I made. It tastes so fresh and delicious!
Here’s my Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe. I think you are going to love it. I know we sure do!
Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish, optional
- Broccoli recipe
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add in chicken pieces and cook until cooked through and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- While chicken is cooking, stir together chicken stock, honey or maple syrup, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, coconut aminos, Sriracha sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes. Pour into heated skillet once chicken has been removed and reduce to low heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce has been reduced and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and pour over chicken.
- To serve, spoon chicken over a bed of broccoli and then spoon on additional sauce. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
For 1 tablespoon coconut oil, use butter or olive oil or a combination of the two
For 1/4 cup coconut aminos, use 1/4 soy sauce If your sauce does not thicken as desired, you may add the following to assist in the thickening:
Mix 1 – 2 teaspoons of tapioca flour or arrowroot powder, if Paleo OR cornstarch, if non-Paleo, with the same amount of water to form a paste. Stir into the sauce well to thicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
What are coconut aminos?
Hi Kathleen,
Coconut Aminos is a soy sauce substitute used for those who are allergic to soy or are making Paleo-compliant or friendly recipes since they do not use soy products. If you aren’t worried about either, you can just use soy sauce. If you are trying to be Paleo-friendly, you can find Coconut Aminos at grocery stores like Whole Foods, as well as online.
Skinny or not this is absolutely gorgeous! Chicken is our go to around here and I’m always looking for ways to switch it up. Happy New Year!! xo
Thanks so much, Kelley! Happy New Year to your family, too!! xo
I am drooling over this dish Robyn!! Need to make it asap!
Thanks so much, Jenny! xo
Sounds yummy, Robyn! Hope to try soon! 🙂
I too was wondering about coconut aminos – never heard of it. But definately going to try it – one of our favorite dishes. Janet/AZ
I love orange chicken and I know that it is so bad for me. I would love to try this recipe, but I’m not familiar with coconut aminos. If I can’t find it, is there any substitute that I can use?
If you can’t find coconut aminos and aren’t worried with making this as a Paleo-friendly dish, you can use soy sauce
Great! Thanks.
Drooling over here. Who needs takeout with easy recipes like this one?
I know, right?
Mmmm, this sounds delicious and I love that you cook your chicken in coconut oil!
Since coconut oil has a high smoke point, it works great for recipes like this where you cook the chicken quickly. Hope you enjoy it.
yum! this looks fantastic! i love orange chicken and very much appreciate the healthy spin on the traditional fried version! 🙂
We actually love it even more than the fried version. I’m thinking I may have started something around here with lightening up some favorites! 🙂
I know what I am making for dinner Tuesday night- this Orange Chicken recipe!
I hope you love it, Alice.