Gluten Free Orange Chicken
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Gluten free orange chicken is a quick & easy recipe with the most delicious sauce! It’s healthy & more delicious than Chinese restaurant take out!
My obsession with making Chinese food favorites gluten free started with this Gluten Free General Tso’s Chicken recipe. It then continued on to Gluten Free Chinese Honey Chicken and this Gluten Free Orange Chicken.
Needless to say, if you’re gluten free, you don’t have to miss out on your favorite Chinese restaurant favorites anymore!
Instead of battering the chicken in flour, I batter it in cornstarch. And instead of deep frying the chicken, I stir fry it on the stove. I use gluten free soy sauce to make the best orange sauce ever!
Out of all the recipes I’ve ever made on the blog, this is my brothers favorite recipe! The best part is, it’s made in just 29 minutes. It’s easy enough to whip up for dinner tonight!
How to make Gluten Free Orange Chicken
In a medium bowl, combine fresh squeezed orange juice, white wine vinegar, gluten free soy sauce and sriracha. Add garlic, orange zest, ground ginger and brown sugar to make the orange sauce.
Add a whisked egg to a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine cornstarch and brown sugar. Place bite size chicken breast pieces in the whisked egg, then dip in the cornstarch mixture. Shake off any excess cornstarch, then place the chicken aside until it’s all battered.
Quick Tips: Use one hand for the egg mixture and another for the cornstarch mixture. My Dad taught me this trick as a kid when we would make fried chicken together. If you use the same hand in the egg and the cornstarch, the egg from your hand will drip into the cornstarch. This can make the cornstarch mixture become clumpy.
Chicken thighs can also be used in this recipe, instead of chicken breasts, if you prefer.
Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and pan fry for 5-7 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds.
How long can orange chicken stay in the fridge?
This orange chicken recipe will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a sealed container.
How to Reheat Orange Chicken
To reheat the orange chicken, use a microwave or oven. If using the microwave, place the chicken in a microwave-safe dish for 2 minutes.
If using the oven, place the chicken in an even layer on a baking sheet. Heat the broiler on the oven to low. Place the chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. This will heat the chicken and keep it crispy, without making it tough.
I like to squeeze a little fresh orange juice on top after reheating the chicken. This gives it a fresh burst of flavor.
Gluten Free Orange Chicken Video
Watch how to make this orange chicken recipe on my web series “29 Minute Meals”!
Is General Tso’s Chicken the same as Orange Chicken?
While both Chinese chicken dishes are prepared similarly, the sauces are different. Orange sauce is sweeter and is not spicy. General Tso’s sauce is less sweet and more spicy.
If you want to spice up this orange chicken recipe, you can do so in a couple of ways. First, you can add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or an additional tablespoon of sriracha to the sauce. Second, you can top the completed dish with red pepper flakes or drizzle a little sriracha right on top.
What to serve with Orange Chicken
Chinese Orange Chicken is commonly served with white rice. For a low carb option, serve the chicken with Cauliflower Rice or serve it in lettuce wraps.
Steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, snap peas and cauliflower also make a great side to go with this orange chicken recipe.
What Chinese food is gluten free?
Most Chinese food is not traditionally gluten free. But these recipes will help you easily make gluten free Chinese meals at home!
- Honey Walnut Shrimp – this classic Chinese dim sum dish is easy to make at home in only 25 minutes!
- Sweet & Sour Chicken Fried Rice – this recipe combines two Chinese restaurant favorites into one delicious gluten free meal!
- 20 Minute Kung Pao Chicken – Kung pao chicken is a spicy good time! You’re going to love this easy gluten free version!
- Chinese Lettuce Wraps – if you’ve ever been to PF Changs, I guaranteed you’ve tried their appetizer lettuce wraps! This is a healthier version of those, that’s just as flavorful and delicious!
- Sriracha Steak Fried Rice – this 15 minute one pan recipe is perfect for a gluten free weeknight meal! It’s super quick and easy to make!
- Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry – this popular Panda Express menu item is so easy to make in your own kitchen! And I promise it’s 10 TIMES better than Panda Express!
Don’t forget to pin this Orange Chicken recipe for later. When you make it, be sure to share a pic on Instagram and tag me @WhitneyBond or use the hashtag #WBRecipes!
Made this recipe and loved it? Be sure to rate it 5 stars below! ↓
Gluten Free Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into large chunks
- 1 egg, whisked
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh green onions, chopped – garnish
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by combining the orange juice, white wine vinegar, gluten free soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, orange zest, ground ginger and ¼ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl.
- Set the sauce aside.
- Prepare a shallow dish with the whisked egg and another shallow bowl with the cornstarch and 2 tbsp brown sugar.
- Place the chicken into the egg then lightly coat in the cornstarch mixture.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the breaded chicken.
- Cook 5-7 minutes, or until chicken begins to lightly brown.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Reduce heat to low and cook 8-10 minutes.
- Serve with rice, vegetables or lettuce for wraps.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- This orange chicken recipe is sweet, to add some spice, add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or an additional tablespoon of sriracha to the sauce. You can also top the completed dish with red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha.
- To reheat this chicken in the microwave, place in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 2 minutes.
- To reheat this chicken in the oven, place in an even layer on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler on low in the oven for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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23 Comments on “Gluten Free Orange Chicken”
This is so good, we actual triple the sauce because it’s so good. Can’t go wrong with this. Seems like we’ve been eating it every week for dinner. Both gluten free and gluten lovers enjoy it! Thank you! Will try out your other recipes.
Wonderful Ana, I’m so happy to hear that! I totally agree with you on the sauce, it’s my fav!!
Excellent. We did it the first time as the recipe calls, but we didn’t have enough sauce. So the next time we made it, we doubled the chicken and quadrupled the sauce. AMAZING. Thank you! We will try your other Chinese recipes.
Wonderful Ana! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for sharing your review!
I loved it! Thanks for sharing it!
Wonderful Elena! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I’ve made it twice now and we LOVE it. Today I added a little more sriracha and made a double recipe.
I made extra sauce too because it was a little light on sauce last time.
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe Jeanette! Thanks for sharing!
We substituted GF Bisquick for the cornstarch which gave it a little crunch. Orange sauce was fabulous!
Oh interesting, love that idea Chester! So glad you enjoyed it!
Do you have a rough estimate on how much 2 chicken breasts weigh? Thinking about modifying this recipe for boneless/skinless chicken thighs, but not sure how much I’ll need to scale the recipe….
Hi Angel, you’ll need app. 1 lb of chicken thighs instead of breasts. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi! I love this dish, I make it in double batches all the time for meal prep. Do you have a rough calorie count for each serving? Thanks so much for posting <3
Hi Rose, so happy to hear that! According to the website Yummly, which I use for checking nutrition information, this dish is 280 calories per serving.
made your orange chicken last night – i am coeliac – but my fiance is not, and we both LOVED it! thanks for sharing – Kirsty x
Hi Kristy! I’m so happy to hear that! My brother is celiac, but his wife is not. They make this dish once a week! I’m excited you all loved it too!
I made this for my daughter’s 16th birthday. It was amazing. I used regular olive oil. And I substituted 2 different hot sauces for sirachi. I served with rice and broccoli. It was colorful and delicious! Everyone raved about it!
Could this be done as a freezer meal? Has anyone tried? If so, what was your method and result?
Hi Aimee, I haven’t tried it! Anyone else out there tried this?
That is simply a beautiful dish.
Thanks Sean 🙂
Love the addition of sriracha in this, sounds amazing!!!
Thanks so much Matt! I love me a little sriracha addition to pretty much anything!