Heaven in a wok... Oh my!
Orange chicken is a crowd favorite in the world of Chinese takeout. Traditionally, it’s deep-fried in unhealthy oil until it reaches crispy perfection. Smother it with a tangy citrus sauce and you have a crave-worthy meal! Unfortunately, this fast food dish flaunts a less-than-favorable nutritional profile. Luckily, SkinnyMs. has created a light alternative that calls for just six ingredients!
Our orange chicken recipe delivers mouthwateringly juicy flavor without a frightening calorie count. Tender cubes of chicken are sautéed–not deep fried–until they become lightly golden. Then, we make a close-to-from-scratch sauce using a tasty mixture of BBQ sauce, freshly squeezed orange juice, and some light soy sauce. If you don’t have a clean barbecue sauce that you love yet, try our version.
Skip the Takeout Tonight and Still Enjoy Orange Chicken
With 100% clean ingredients and a protein-packed profile, this awesome orange chicken recipe puts takeout dishes to shame! It only takes about 10 minutes to cook, which is a fraction of the time it will take you to drive to your favorite Chinese restaurant! Plus, you probably have all six ingredients on-hand, so you won’t even need to go to the grocery store to make this quick and easy weeknight meal happen.
If you have time to whip up a few side dishes, consider making a batch of fried rice. You can go the traditional route with this Fried Rice with Cabbage, or hop on the cauliflower trend and make Cauliflower Fried Rice instead. You might be surprised at how well the cauliflower mimics rice, all without any of the carbs!
We love clean meals inspired by takeout because they’re such a fun challenge. In the end, it doesn’t take much to replicate your favorite restaurant dishes. Give it a try and let us know what you thought in the comments!
6-Ingredient Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds chicken breast fillets about 3 breasts, cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup flour we used white whole wheat
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 navel oranges
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoon lite soy sauce optional tamari
Instructions
- In a gallon-sized ziplock bag, add chicken cubes and flour. Shake vigorously until chicken is well-coated. Remove chicken and shake off excess flour.
- Add oil to a large skillet or wok, turn to medium heat, add cubed chicken and cook until lightly golden on all sides. Remove chicken and place on a paper towel. Drain any remaining oil from skillet.
- Zest oranges and add to a mixing bowl. Squeeze juice from oranges, discard seeds, and add to the same bowl. Add barbecue and soy sauce and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken and sauce mixture to the skillet. Toss to coat chicken. Cook on medium heat until sauce has thickened to desired consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a platter.
- Garnish with green onion slices, if desired. Add remaining sauce from the skillet to a bowl and serve along side chicken.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @skinnyms on Instagram or hashtag it #skinnyms
Love the orange chicken recipe? Hungry for some sides? Let us know! Leave a comment about this article or anything else on the site. You can also sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook for more SkinnyMs news.
