This healthy orange chicken recipe is perfect for weekly meal prep and quickly comes together in less than 30 minutes. The chicken thighs are covered in a flavorful orange sauce made with fresh orange juice, coconut aminos, sesame seed oil, honey, and ginger. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice for a delicious meal that is just as tasty as takeout!
Why You’ll Love This Orange Chicken
- Easy & Healthy - I like to make this recipe on the days I have no ideas what to make for dinner. It comes together in under 30 minutes with only a few healthy ingredients that I usually already have.
- Flavorful - This orange chicken is made with fresh ingredients like fresh orange juice and ginger to make the most flavor impact.
- Gluten Free - There is no breading or deep frying required in this recipe and it’s entirely gluten free, dairy free, and can be made paleo friendly!
Ingredients For Healthy Orange Chicken
- Chicken thighs
- Orange juice and zest
- Honey
- Coconut aminos
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sesame seed oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- For serving: rice (or cauliflower rice), green onions, sesame seeds
How To Make Easy Orange Chicken
Cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Heat the sauce ingredients in the skillet. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit to desired consistency. Add the chicken and stir to cover with sauce.
Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
Substitutions and Tips
Chicken - I suggest using boneless skinless chicken thighs for the best flavor in this recipe but you could use chicken breasts instead. Feel free to use fresh or frozen chicken but just make sure to thaw it before preparing it.
Spicy - I give the option to add red pepper flakes to the orange sauce depending on if you like spice or not. Feel free to adjust the amount based on preference.
Make Paleo - You can serve this chicken without the rice or with cauliflower rice for a paleo friendly dish!
How To Store
Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Leave a Review
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe or have a question, please leave a review and comment below! Also feel free to tag @withsweethoney on Instagram!
If you’d like to stay in the know about all things With Sweet Honey, please consider subscribing to our newsletter!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting With Sweet Honey!
Easy Healthy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken boneless skinless thighs
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Orange Sauce
- ¾ cup orange juice fresh
- 1 tbsp orange zest fresh
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
For Serving
- rice or cauliflower rice
- green onions chopped
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Heat the sauce ingredients in the skillet. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit to desired consistency. Add the chicken and stir to cover with sauce.
- Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
Leave a Reply