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Delicious & easy crispy orange chicken recipe made without refined sugars! The thick sauce is so wonderful and the dish is seriously better than takeout.
Orange chicken was one of my favorite dishes growing up when we got Chinese takeout. The crispy breaded chicken with the thick sticky sauce was just pure heaven in a bite. These days, my tolerance for sweet takeout food has gone down and I haven’t been able to enjoy most of the dishes after going gluten free. However, I recently started making crispy orange chicken at home and I fell in love with my version.
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
What is Orange Chicken?
The origin of Chinese orange chicken recipe actually started in the US by the chain restaurant, Panda Express, as a variation of General Tso’s chicken. It’s actually rarely found in mainland China. Most commonly, chicken pieces are battered then fried, then coated in a sticky sweet orange-chili glaze.
What does orange chicken taste like? It’s crunchy from the batter, with a sweet and sour flavor from the thick sauce. You’ll commonly see orange chicken and rice served together.
Whole30 & Paleo Orange Chicken Recipe
While restaurant-style version can extremely sweet, this homemade orange chicken recipe doesn’t use any refined sugars. The orange juice in this healthy orange chicken sauce is the only sweetener you need and it still delivers plenty of flavor. My entire family loved this recipe so much that it’s going on our regular rotation. While it’s breaded, I was able to make a gluten free orange chicken recipe by using arrowroot starch, instead of all-purpose flour.
Whole30 Orange Chicken Ingredients
There are two components to easy crispy orange chicken recipe: the sauce and the chicken. Here are the ingredients for each component:
Easy Orange Chicken Sauce:
- avocado oil: I love avocado oil, because it’s a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoking point, but you can use your oil of choice.
- garlic
- ginger
- chili flakes: Sichuan chili flakes like this one will work best, but you can also use red pepper flakes as a substitute. If you aren’t a fan of spicy flavors, then you can omit it completely.
- oranges: You’ll need both the juice and the zest.
- coconut aminos: This is a soy-free soy sauce substitute for making this Whole30 and paleo orange chicken. It also gives a slight natural sweetness to the sauce so no other sweetener is needed.
- rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar will also work in a pinch.
- arrowroot starch: You can also use tapioca starch if you don’t have this on hand.
Crispy Chicken:
- chicken thighs: I prefer thighs, but you can also use chicken breasts for this homemade orange chicken recipe.
- eggs
- arrowroot starch
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- avocado oil: This is used to fry the breaded chicken pieces. You can also use tallow, lard, coconut oil, or palm oil.
How To Make Homemade Orange Chicken
For the orange sauce:
- Whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and arrowroot starch in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, and stir cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the orange juice mixture and stir occasionally while it comes to simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, and remove from heat and cover. Set aside.
For the chicken:
- The breading is important for how to make orange chicken crispy. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs. Add the chicken pieces and stir together to coat.
- In another large shallow bowl, add arrowroot starch, salt, and pepper. stir.
- Take each chicken from the egg wash, remove excess dripping, and coat in the starch mixture.
- In a wide skillet, heat 1/2 inch of avocado oil over medium high heat.
- Once sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Place the cooked chicken in a large bowl.
- Pour the orange juice over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and serve immediately over rice or cauliflower rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a good oil for pan frying besides avocado oil?
I always try to use oils with high smoking point for any kind of frying. If you don’t have avocado oil and you are trying to keep this Chinese orange chicken recipe paleo and Whole30, you can use tallow, lard, coconut oil, or palm oil.
Any ideas on what to serve with orange chicken?
I always enjoy the combination of orange chicken and rice or cauliflower rice (for paleo and Whole30). For other side dishes for orange chicken, try these green beans or this pan fried zucchini dish. I also love the combo of orange chicken and broccoli.
How long can you keep leftovers?
This dish will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. If you make it and know you can’t finish the whole thing, I would hold off on coating the chicken with the yummy homemade orange chicken sauce, and store each component separately. This way, the chicken can crisp up better when you reheat it.
What’s the best method for how to reheat orange chicken?
To reheat orange chicken, I found that the air fryer crisps up the chicken the best. Just place on the air fryer basket or tray in a single layer, and cook at 400 degrees F for 6-7 minutes on each side. You can also the use the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy again. Microwaving is another option, but the chicken pieces won’t crisp back up with this method.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like…
- Sticky Asian Chicken Meatball Recipe (Paleo, Whole30)
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings (AIP, Paleo)
- Paleo Mongolian Chicken with Shish*to Peppers (Whole30)
Paleo & Whole30 Orange Chicken
Delicious & easy crispy orange chicken recipe made without refined sugars! The thick sauce is so wonderful and the dish is seriously better than takeout.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Keyword: chinese orange chicken recipe, gluten free orange chicken recipe, healthy orange chicken sauce, homemade orange chicken recipe, orange chicken from scratch, paleo Chinese food, whole30 Chinese food
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 26 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 407kcal
Ingredients
Orange Sauce
- Juice of 2 oranges about 3/4 cup
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- 1 tsp avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes or red pepper flakes
Crispy Chicken
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 eggs whisked
- 3/4 cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil, for frying
- Chopped green onions & toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
For the orange sauce:
In a bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and arrowroot starch. Set aside.
Heat avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, and stir together for 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the orange juice mixture and heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Once it becomes thick to your liking, about 3-4 minutes, remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
For the chicken:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
In another large shallow bowl, stir together arrowroot starch, salt, and pepper.
Remove each chicken from the egg wash, shake off excess dripping, then coat in the starch mixture.
In a wide skillet, heat 1/2 inch of avocado oil over medium high heat.
Once sizzling hot, add coated chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the bottom, then flip to cook for 2-3 more minutes. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Place the cooked chicken in a large bowl.
Pour the orange juice over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and serve immediately over rice or cauliflower rice.
Nutrition Facts
Paleo & Whole30 Orange Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 serving – makes 4)
Calories 407Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 13g
Cholesterol 179mg60%
Sodium 757mg33%
Potassium 398mg11%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 311IU6%
Vitamin C 24mg29%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Video
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