Easy 30 Minute Orange Chicken

Name: Easy 30 Minute Orange Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 3/4 cup orange juice; zest of half an orange; 1 TBSP soy sauce; 1 tsp rice vinegar; salt and pepper; 1 1/2 tsp olive oil; 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tsp cornstarch; 2 TBSP olive oil; 3 TBSP cornstarch; salt and pepper; 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 " cubes; 1 medium orange, peeled and segmented; green onions, sliced; sesame seeds; 2 cups hot cooked ice

Stumble

This easy 30 minute Orange Chicken is full of real ingredients, tons of great flavor, and is perfectly easy for any night of the week!

Orange Chicken is one of those meals that I want to love sooo much but have a hard time enjoying. Its so hard to find a recipe (or something to order off a menu) that actually tastes like it has any orange in it at all. Seriously, why is it called orange chicken if the only thing “orange” about it is the fact that there are 4 tiny strips of orange peel in it? Between that and the seriously amount of breading (and frying) and fake ingredients – its really hard to love Orange Chicken. But I want to soooo much!

So, I set out to find and make my own version of orange chicken. One that actually has oranges in it, with real ingredients. Something that tastes great, is easy to make, and is healthy for you! Our whole family loves this meal! Its ready in about 30 minutes, its easy, it tastes great, and its healthy! AND even my kiddos like it! Say what?! It’s seriously a weeknight winner!

Easy 30 Minute Orange Chicken

Author: Jenni
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Category: 30 Minute Meal
Method: Skillet
Cuisine: Asian

Description

This easy and healthy Orange Chicken is perfect for any weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

Sauce:

3/4 cup orange juice
zest of half an orange
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cornstarch

Chicken:

2 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP cornstarch
salt and pepper
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 ” cubes

For serving:

1 medium orange, peeled and segmented
green onions, sliced
sesame seeds
2 cups hot cooked ice

Instructions

To make the sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add in the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
Add in the orange juice mixture to the skillet.
Bring to a low bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together 2 tsp of the hot sauce with the cornstarch, and then dump that back into the pan and whisk well.
Boil for 2 minutes, and then turn down to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it thickens up.
Transfer to a bowl and cover – allow to sit on the counter while you prepare the chicken.

Chicken:

In a large skillet over medium/high heat, heat up the remaining olive oil.
In a large ziplock bag, add the chicken, cornstarch and salt and pepper to taste. Seal and shake to evenly coat the chicken.
Dump the chicken into the hot skillet and cook until brown and crispy (about 3 minutes per side)
When the chicken is done, remove from heat.
Add in the sauce and toss to coat.
Top with sesame seeds, green onions, and segmented oranges.
Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Nutrition

Find other easy and healthy 30 minute meals here!

This easy 30 minute Orange Chicken is full of real ingredients, tons of great flavor, and is perfectly easy for any night of the week! Healthy Recipe, Easy Meal, 30 Minute Meal, Family Friendly Recipe,

Stumble

Asian Chicken Orange

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About Jenni

Jenni lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her amazing husband, two girls, two dogs who think they are children, and a feisty cat. She is the creator of The Gingered Whisk, a recipe blog dedicated to finding easy, healthy-ish, and tasty weeknight meals that kids and adults alike will love. She is super passionate about helping every member of a family learn to love great food. When not cooking, eating, or thinking about food, she is often hiking around area parks, creating intricate legos castles with her girls, watching nerdy tv with her husband, or curled up in a corner somewhere reading a good book.