Healthy Orange Chicken
I’m SO excited to share this orange chicken recipe with you because it’s a delicious and nutritious meal that the whole family will love. Seriously, my family requests it regularly. Juicy chicken is simmered in a double citrus sauce that’s sweet and savory and perfectly balanced. Serve with fluffy rice and a green veggie for a balanced meal that might end up to be a family favorite at your house, too.
Delicious, nutritious, and regularly requested. 🍊
This meal is weeknight dinner ready in just 30 minutes, made with everyday ingredients, and contains all the components I look for in a healthy meal: protein, produce, carbs, and flavor!
Orange chicken is typically deep-fried and then finished with an orange sauce (sometimes it feels overly sweet, but that’s relative, I suppose). Instead of deep frying, we’re coating the chicken in some corn starch before browning it in the skillet to get it naturally crispy without needing to deep fry it. And while many orange chicken stir fry sauces are sweetened with sugar or corn syrup, we’re adding natural sweetness from orange marmalade and fresh orange juice. It ends up being lower in added sugars and has a much brighter and vibrant citrus flavor.
😋 Seriously delicious: Sweet, savory, tangy, and satisfying this meal is so so good!
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: You don’t need anything too fancy for this dinner.
🍊 Real orange flavor: Bright and fresh flavor two ways – orange marmalade and orange juice.
🥡 Family-approved: This takeout favorite is a hit with kids and adults, my kids request this meal all the time. It’s a family favorite.
🔥 Quick to make: On the table in 30 minutes, it’s doable for weeknights.
🥦 Easy to pair with veggies: Great with broccoli, snap peas, green beans, bok choy, or your favorite sauteed veggies.
You’ll also want to try pepper steak stir-fry, beef and broccoli, ground turkey stir-fry, and slow cooker chicken teriyaki.
Awesome recipe, my family loved it and so easy to make. This will be in our regular rotation of meals. –Patt
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this meal to the table: chicken thighs, cornstarch, orange marmalade, orange juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, oil, rice, sesame seeds, and green onions for garnish if desired.
- Chicken thighs: Buy skinless, boneless chicken thighs for the best flavor and texture. You can use chicken breasts, but the higher fat content in the thighs works best as the chicken will stay nice and juicy. You could also use frozen popcorn chicken bites for a quick shortcut. Bake as directed and then toss in the sauce in a large skillet.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: For perfect crispy chicken, you’ll need to cook the chicken in two batches so it isn’t crowded in the pan. I find myself doing this at times – and others I throw it all in there at the same time. It doesn’t get as golden brown but the end result is still yummy so it depends if you have the time and can deal with the effort.
- Shortcuts: You can use breaded popcorn chicken if you want something with a bit more breading and don’t want to have to deal with the prep.
- Feeding kids without pressure: This is pretty kid-friendly (sweet, familiar, fruity), but serve a small piece on its own if it’s a new food. Serve the meal with a few sides you know they will eat, like milk, fruit, and bread with butter if they don’t do rice.
Healthy Orange Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Our zesty orange chicken recipe is a bright and flavorful stir-fry – no frying required. Quick, nutritious, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 3 Tbsp. orange juice
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- rice for serving
- veggie side
- sesame seed garnish
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package instructions.
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces and place into a large bowl. Toss chicken with cornstarch to coat. (Start with 1/4 cup.)
- Mix up orange sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange marmalade, orange juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
- Make chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of chicken to the skillet (in order to not over-crowd it) and let cook, undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Flip pieces over and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set onto a plate lined with paper towel. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and cook the rest of the chicken.
- When the second batch is done cooking, drain oil from the pan if necessary and add the first batch back to the skillet. Stir in orange sauce and stir to coat the chicken. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Serve over rice with a veggie side. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Storage: Store any leftover orange chicken stir-fry in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can store the components separately or mixed together for an easy leftover meal that just needs to be reheated. Reheat leftovers in a nonstick skillet until heated through for the best results or in the microwave for an easier option.
- Prep ahead: You can mix up the orange stir-fry sauce a day or two in advance. Store in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before using.
- Serve with: Serve with haricot verts or air fryer broccoli if you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
One of the reasons we love stir fry so much is that the sides are really easy – you need rice and a veggie!
- Rice: White rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice
- Sauteed green beans
- Sauteed bok choy
- Sauteed spinach, cabbage, snap peas, etc.
- Air fryer broccoli
FAQs
If you’re willing to cook the chicken in a few steps, you can manage to get it pretty nice and crispy. The trick is two-fold: tossing the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then frying them in batches so they aren’t crowded in the pan, as the crowding isn’t ideal for browning.
Definitely cook them separately so that they are each cooked to perfection. We also don’t want to crowd the chicken in the pan.
More Stir-Fry Recipes
It’s no secret that we love stir-fry dinners at our house. Here are a few favorites:
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
This post may contain affiliate links. They do not add any charge to you, but I will make a very small commission from them. I only link to products I use and recommend. Thank you for your support!
Easy and delicious! Only had apricot jam on hand (instead of orange marmalade) and it was very tasty! Looking forward to trying with orange marmalade soon!
Thanks so much, Joline! Appreciate you leaving a review and also the apricot jam substitution so that others can try it, too. 🙂
Really great orange flavor. When we do chicken stir-fry type of dishes it never tastes like the flavors the recipe creator is getting at, but not this one. It’s tasty orange chicken that taste like orange, yum!!
Hi Kathryn, I’m so happy to hear this! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Awesome recipe, my family loved it and so easy to make. This will be in our regular rotation of meals.
Hi Patt! Thanks so much, glad to hear this!
The orange flavor of the chicken & broccoli is mild and satisfying in a comfort food way. I’ll fix it again soon.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Everyone loved this chicken! It will be a regular rotation.
YAY! It’s a regular at our house, too. 🙂
This will be as staple in our household. My husband even asked for seconds, which rarely happens. I ended up using left over Costco rotisserie chicken, and just heated it up on the stove top with the sauce. Turned out delicious.
YAY! Thanks for sharing that shortcut tip, too! That’s so smart and cuts down on a lot of prep.
I have made this two times and it is so good. Makes great leftovers for lunch the next day.
So great to hear, thanks Michelle!
This recipe is delicious and easy too. My kids loved this dish. 🥰
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!