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Easy Orange Chicken

Better than takeout

Orange Chicken is by far the one of the most popular dishes at any Chinese-American restaurant, but have you ever tried to find a lighter, real food version while you’re out and about?

It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack! Because both of our families love this savory dish, we set out to create a lighter version that has less calories, uses FfL-friendly (real food) ingredients and doesn’t involve frying.

What we came up with was tender pieces of pan-seared chicken, paired with broccoli and then smothered in the most delicious sweet and sticky orange sauce. It’s a recipe that is so simple to make, it’s perfect even on busy weeknights. Plus (at least in our opinion), the leftovers taste so good after marinating in the sauce overnight, that we often make a double batch.

Is Orange Chicken the same thing as General Tso’s Chicken?

No, General Tso’s Chicken is almost always deep-fried, often much spicier and typically doesn’t have the same sweet, tangy and citrus flavor of Orange Chicken.

What does Orange Chicken taste like?

The key to this delicious dish is, not surprisingly, the sauce. The ingredients are easy to find and yield a sweet, sour and slightly salty flavor with a mild touch of heat.

Can I substitute ground ginger with fresh ginger?

Yep, substitute 1/4 tablespoon of ground ginger for 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (about a 1″ knob of ginger root, minced).

Can I make extra sauce or freeze it?

You sure can. In fact, we recommend it! Just allow the sauce to cool completely before freezing it. We keep a mason jar or two in the fridge or freezer for a quick-and-easy topping to rice, chicken and even steamed veggies.

What’s a simple side dish to serve this with?

We love to serve our Orange Chicken with whole grain rice, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. When we make rice or cauliflower rice, we add scrambled eggs for a little “fried rice” flavor.

Simple fried rice: Scramble 4 eggs in a pan, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the scrambled eggs with 2 cups of cooked rice. Serve Orange Chicken over rice.

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Easy Orange Chicken


  • Author: hello@thespotmediagroup.com
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x

Description

This healthy version of Orange Chicken features tender pieces of pan-seared chicken, paired with broccoli and then smothered in the most delicious sweet and sticky orange sauce. It’s a recipe that is so simple to make, it’s perfect even on busy weeknights. Plus (at least in our opinion), the leftovers taste so good after marinating in the sauce overnight, that we often make a double batch.


Ingredients

Scale

Sauce:

Other Ingredients:


Instructions

  1. Whisk OJ and arrowroot flour together in a small-medium bowl. Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together.
  2. Heat a large pan over high heat and add oil. Add chicken to the pan and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 4 minutes per side.
  3. Once chicken has browned, reduce the heat to medium/low and add the frozen broccoli and sauce. Cover and simmer until sauce has thickened and chicken has cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  4. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles as desired. If serving as an appetizer, serve with toothpicks.

Notes

Always check for FfL-friendly ingredients.

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.

  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Category: Recipes
  • Method: One Pot, Too Easy

Keywords: Orange Chicken

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Hi beautiFULL, We’re Pam and Kalie

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