A heads up on this orange chicken: as much as we love the orange coated, sticky, fried goodness that comes from popular Chinese takeout places this is not that. It is delicious and it has a great orange flavor but it is not deep fried and it is not swimming in sauce, which is just the way we like it! If you prefer your stir fry heavier on the sauce then we recommend doubling the sauce ingredients in this recipe.
Happy Cooking!
Orange Chicken
This gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free orange chicken is to die for! This healthier version of the popular Chinese dish will not only satisfy your craving but it'll keep you coming back for more.
Servings 5
Calories 384kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 TBSP coconut aminos, divided
- 3 TBSP minced garlic (roughly 3 cloves)
- 2 TBSP minced ginger
- 2 tbsp chicken broth
- 1/4 cup + 1 TBSP tapioca flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup orange juice (from roughly 2 large naval oranges)
- 1 TBSP orange zest
- 2 TBSP honey
- 2 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 5 cups chopped kale, stems removed
- 1/4-1/2 cup avocado oil
Instructions
- Cut chicken thighs into bite sized pieces
- In a large ziplock bag or container with a lid, combine 2 TBSP coconut aminos, minced garlic, minced ginger, and chicken broth. Add the chicken and shake to combine. Place in the fridge and allow to marinade for at least 25 minutes or up to 2 hours
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add 1/4 cup of avocado oil.
- While the oil heats add 1/4 cup tapioca flour, salt, granulate garlic, and pepper to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and mix to combine
- Once the oil is hot, start to dredge your chicken pieces in the flour mixture and carefully add to the oil. Only dredge as many pieces as will fit in the pan at one time. May need to work in batches
- Cook the chicken pieces for 5-8 minutes, flipping half way, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate. Use tongs to flip instead of a spatula or wooden spoon. Stirring will take the dredged coating off. We also recommend putting the wire rack over paper towels to catch any excess drips
- Repeat process with remaining chicken. You may need to add more oil and scrape out any browned bits in between each batch.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove any excess oil and browned bits from the pan and lower heat to medium
- Add remaining 2 TBSP coconut aminos, orange juice, orange zest, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the pan and bring to a boil. *** (see recipe notes for sauce quantity)
- In a separate small bowl make a slurry by combining remaining 1 TBSP tapioca flour to 2 TBSP water. Whisk in the slurry to thicken and let simmer for 1-2 minutes
- Add the broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the kale and cook for another 2-4 minutes or until broccoli is soften but still has a slight crunch and kale is cooked down.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to combine
- Serve as is, over rice, or over cauliflower rice
Notes
This is enough sauce to just coat the chicken and vegetables. If you prefer your stir fry heavier on the sauce then you may want to double the sauce ingredients (orange juice, orange zest, rice vinegar, and honey). For the slurry you’ll want to use 1 1/2 TBSP tapioca flour to 3 TBSP water. We did not double to sesame oil as we found it became too strong with the double dose.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g
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