Honey orange chicken is a healthy, fruity, and savory chicken recipe that can be made in less than an hour.
If you are looking for a quick and tasty chicken dinner, look further because this healthy orange chicken recipe is it. There is very little prep time required to make it and it cooks quickly on top of the stove.
Recipe Highlights
- It’s healthy! This orange chicken is sauteed quickly and not deep-fried like some orange chicken recipes are.
- It is a gluten-free recipe. The chicken is dredged in tapioca flour which thickens up the sauce nicely.
- Honey orange chicken is a quick and easy recipe. It’s made with nine healthy ingredients and is ready in about 35 minutes.
Here is What You Will Need
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Chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts
Tamari sauce
Honey
Fresh orange juice
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Toasted sesame oil
Olive oil
Tapioca flour
Skillet or Wok
Here is How to Make Honey Orange Chicken
Dredge the chicken pieces into the tapioca flour making sure the entire piece of chicken is coated and set it aside.
In a small bowl mix the tamari sauce, honey, orange juice, crushed garlic, ginger and sesame oil together and set it aside.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces. Let them sit without moving them for about 4 to 5 minutes, at this point they should begin to turn light brown and a bit of a crust. Flip the chicken over and cook it on the other side until the chicken is golden brown on both sides.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the sauce. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer, this sauce should thicken up and be ready to serve within 5 to 8 minutes.
Total Estimated Time to Make This Recipe: 35 to 40 Minutes
Make-Ahead Instructions
Honey orange chicken can easily be made ahead of time and assembled just before serving, here’s how:
Dredge the chicken tenders and cook them in a skillet. Allow them to cool off and place them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for two to three days.
Mix up the ingredients for the sauce and place them in a separate container for two to three days.
To serve, heat a little bit of oil in a skillet over medium to high heat and add the cooked chicken tenders and the sauce, once the sauce bubbles, reduce the heat to low until everything is heated through and serve.
Tip! You may need to adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding a little bit of water if it’s too thick or tapioca flour if it’s too thin.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
The chicken breasts can be substituted with boneless chicken thighs.
Fresh garlic can be substituted with 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.
Fresh ginger can be substituted with 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger.
Tamari sauce can be substituted with an equal amount of soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Fresh orange juice can be replaced with an equal amount of bottled orange juice.
Tapioca flour which is a versatile gluten free flour that is a wonderful thickening agent,can be substituted with an equal amount of whole wheat or white flour, arrow root or 1/2 the amount of cornstarch.
Make it spicy by adding a teaspoon or two to taste of red pepper flakes.
Serving Ideas
Serve honey chicken over steamed brown rice, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles with a side of steamed broccoli or stir-fried veggies.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover healthy orange chicken in the refrigerator for up to four days in an airtight container.
Reheat it on top of the stove until it’s heated through in a covered skillet over low heat or in the microwave.
Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding a small amount of water to thin it out or tapioca flour to thicken it.
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Honey Orange Chicken
Honey Orange Chicken is a delicious, fruity, slightly sweet and savory chicken recipe that can be made in less than an hour.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons tamari sauce
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Dredge the chicken pieces into the tapioca flour making sure the entire piece of chicken is coated and set it aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the tamari sauce, honey, orange juice, crushed garlic, ginger and sesame oil together and set it aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces. Let them sit in the pan without moving them for about 4 to 5 minutes. At this point, they should be turning golden brown. Flip the pieces of chicken over and cook them on the other side until they begin to turn golden.
- Turn the heat down to low and stir in the sauce. Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for 5 to 8 minutes until it begins to thicken.
Notes
If the sauce is too thin, you can add a little bit of the tapioca flour. If it is too thick use a little bit of water to thin it out.
This recipe serves 2, double the recipe for four servings.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1/4 pound chickenAmount Per Serving: Calories: 466Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1094mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 38g
Nutrition information is provided by an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates.
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