This is a recipe I’ve been working on for a while and I am so excited to share it with you today. I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine and flavors. I that with just a few ingredients, you can make something incredible. Trust me, you are not going to believe this is Whole30. Without further ado, ladies and gents, Whole30 Orange Chicken.
Now, what makes this recipe is the sauce and you only need a few ingredients to make it. Now because this dish is Whole30, we aren’t using any added sweeteners which is very common in most Orange Chicken recipes. For this Whole30 compliant recipe, we are simply using fresh orange juice and coconut aminos.
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The coconut aminos adds great depth of flavor and sweetness. The orange juice also adds a little sweetness as well as a fresh citrus flavor. We will also be utilizing the zest of the orange to add more citrus flavor and color to the dish.
OTHER ADDITIONS TO ORANGE CHICKEN
Now, if you want to make this dish a little heartier, you could definitely add some vegetables. Once you are done making the entire dish, transfer the chicken to a serving dish and leave some of the sauce in the skillet. To that skillet, you can add a little more fat (ghee or whatever fat you choose), and then add peppers, onions, broccoli, zucchini…etc to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until they are fork tender. Then serve those vegetables alongside the chicken with the cauliflower rice for a heartier dinner.
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Let’s Get Cooking
Let’s Get Cooking
The Best Whole30 Orange Chicken
Forget takeout, this Whole30 compliant orange chicken is naturally sweet and tangy with bold Asian flavors. Serve over cauliflower rice and steamed bok choy.
Forget takeout, this Whole30 compliant orange chicken is naturally sweet and tangy with bold Asian flavors. Serve over cauliflower rice and steamed bok choy.
Prep Time:5 mins
Cook Time:30 mins
Total Time:35 mins
Yields:4 Serves
1X
2X
3X
Ingredients
-
1.5
lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
-
1/2
tsp sea salt
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1/4
tsp black pepper
-
1/4
tsp Chinese five spice
-
1/2
a tsp orange zest, plus more to garnish
-
1
heaping tbsp arrowroot flour, for keto, use coconut flour or low-carb alternative
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3
tbsp grass fed ghee, divided
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2
cloves garlic, finely minced
-
1
tsp freshly minced ginger
-
1/2
tsp crushed red pepper flakes
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1
cup freshly squeezed Orange juice (about 4â5 large oranges)
-
1/4
cup coconut aminos
-
2
scallions, chopped with whites and greens separated
-
sesame seeds
Instructions
- To begin, toss the chicken thigh pieces with the salt, black pepper, Chinese five spice, 1/2 a teaspoon of orange zest and the arrowroot starch.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken pieces for 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. If your pan isn’t big enough, make sure you sear the chicken in batches. You want to get the chicken pieces nice and brown with a good crispy crust. So do not crowd the pan.
- Now, add the remaining tablespoon of ghee to the same pan and sauté the garlic, ginger and crushed pepper flakes for a couple minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Pour the orange juice and coconut aminos into the pan, stir and simmer until the sauce has reduced to about half, this will take about 8-10 minutes.
- Once the sauce has reduced, return the chicken to the pan along with all its juices. Turn the heat up to high and continue to cook the chicken in the sauce, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat and stir in the whites of the scallions.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, garnish with the greens of the scallions, sesame seeds and Orange zest and serve immediately over cauliflower rice or white rice.
Fabulous recipe! Thank you!!! It’s a new favorite in the Nesbitt household!?
Thank you for trusting me and my recipes to feed your family❤️
Excellent. Made exactly as written except my package of chicken was a little more than 1.5 lbs 🙂 I love these flavors and am so happy I came across your blog on Instagram. Eating clean does not have to be hard and overly complicated. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Love! I’m so happy you enjoyed it doll
This recipe is so delicious! I already want to make it again!
It is always a hit. Happy you enjoyed it!
So easy and delicious! I doubled the recipe for leftovers and I’m so glad that I did. This recipe is just sweet enough with a nice spicy and flavorful kick. I tossed in broccoli and water chestnuts at the end to finish and served it over rice. A perfect healthier spin on a takeout classic.
I love the addition broccoli and chestnuts! perfect finish Whitney!
My husband and I made this for dinner last night. I blended and strained oranges which were a first for me. I realized I should have given myself more time to do this since it took a while. Overall the recipe came out great. We made it with chicken breast since we didn’t have thighs. I like it wasn’t super sweet/sugary like standard orange chicken. I think if we made it again, we’d make a few modifications like maybe adding a little maple syrup because my husband wanted it to be a little sweeter, but it’s definitely a recipe we’d make again.
Thank you for this Imelda! Yea i would definitely recommend a dash of maple syrup if you want it sweeter. But this recipe is intentionally not very sweet because I don’t love how overly sweet most takeout places make orange chicken. I can’t wait to here what you guys think after the modifications you mentioned. Thank you again.
I literally make this every Monday night because that’s the first meal after I get groceries.
Then I spend the next six days dreaming about it. I save some of the sauce and add to my frozen stir fry veggies after the chicken has cooked. I also have two toddlers who gobble it too. So good, thank you Charlotte!
aww thank you so much Micah! I gotta start saving some sauce for quick stir fry! That is such a good idea!
Absolutely delicious. We LOVED this and it will most certainly be added to the rotation. I’m already looking forward to lunch tomorrow, so I can eat the leftovers.
Thank you so much Lani! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it!
This was the best recipe and easiest I have made in a long time. 10/10. The whole fam, including our 6&8 year old inhaled it. We barely have enough for leftovers and I’m kinda mad about it.
Thank you so much Diana! I really appreciate you. So happy everyone enjoyed it
Yes, yes, yes!!! This is sooooo delicious!
Thank you Jordan! Happy You enjoyed it!
Will orange juice in place of fresh squeezed OJ effect the taste?
No not at all. depending on if there is added sugar in the orange juice you are using, it’ll probably be sweeter.