A lightened up Orange Chicken recipe with veggies! It is a heavenly dish without all of the calories of traditional take out orange chicken.
Who doesn’t love a lightened up Chinese dish? I would say that this is a more American Chinese dish. This Lightened up Orange Chicken Stir Fry is the perfect weeknight meal and ready in under 30 minutes. I love not doing take out: no MSG, no driving to pick it up, no overpaying. It is also great as you can add whatever veggies that you have leftover in the fridge. If you do not want to add any veggies, then you can make it just an orange chicken dish.
A trick that I have found to make the veggies more flavorful is adding a splash of orange juice to the pan when steaming them. It might seem like something so small, but it makes all the difference in flavor. I usually serve Chinese dishes with white or brown rice, but you could also serve it with quinoa or your favorite grain.
Some essentials that I use for this recipe are an Orange Juicer, Zester, and this Chili Paste! These may include an affiliate link: We are not asked or paid to write this post, but this post does have an affiliate link in it.
- Chicken:
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1-inch pieces
- 1½ Tbsp canola oil or coconut oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 green onions, diced
- 1 cup carrots ( I used matchsticks)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces
- Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:
- zest from one orange
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tsp chili paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- Chopped green onions and sesame seeds, for serving
- Sauce:
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, set aside.
- Cut up chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the chicken and saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- Add more oil if needed and add the garlic, green onion stir for 1 minute. Add a few splashes of OJ to the skillet. Add in the carrots and broccoli, cover and let steam for 3-4 minutes until cooked, but still crisp. Add the veggies to the chicken bowl.
- Pour the orange chicken sauce into the empty skillet. Let the sauce come to a boil, allow it to thicken for 2 minutes. Add back in the veggies and chicken, stir until heated through again. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, or sesame seeds.
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I do love love the really bad Orange Chicken (or worse Orange Beef) but this lightened version looks yum! Thanks! It’s bikini season soon so I need a diet
LOVE orange chicken. Citrus + chicken were meant to be together! Love that this is waaaay healthier than takeout!
This looks like such a yummy one dish meal! I am always looking for healthy ways to make Chinese food at home. Can’t wait to try this!