Orange Chicken Recipe, Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe, Low Fat Orange Chicken (2024)

Feb 29, 2012 | Dinner | 19 comments

Over the last year, I’ve slowly been increasing our repertoire of deliciously, simple recipes, which are easy enough that my kids can make. It’s completely a bonus when I’ve tweaked the recipe to where they are low fat as well.

Just like my Simple Sesame Chicken recipe, this “Chinese” Orange Chicken recipe delivers all the taste of the recipe we love without all the fat from deep frying. Two years ago, at my band rehearsal, my friend brought me a little Tupperware full of this Orange Chicken. I devoured it and insisted on the recipe. She proceeded to tell me, garlic, ginger, red chili sauce, soy sauce and orange marmalade with NO amounts listed. I panicked. How can she except me to guess, yet those are the types of challenges that have made me a better cook over the years.

I am listing amounts, but remember that once you’ve made it once, tweak it to your family’s palette. Enjoy this Low Fat take on Orange Chicken. Since I grill and bake chicken strips in bulk, and then have Ziplock bags ready to go in my freezer, this meal whips up quickly, meeting my requirements for a great Ten Minute Dinner.

Recipe: Easy Orange Chicken

Summary: A simply delicious, low fat take on this citrus inspired Orange Chicken recipe.

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup orange marmalade or jam
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water (I’ve used orange juice, but it makes it very orange. Again, preference)
1-2 teaspoon ground ginger (fresh is best, but ground ginger works as well)
1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chili paste (This gives it an extra “kick,” especially if you add 2 tsps.)
Choice of oil (I use olive or sesame oil.)
3-5 garlic cloves (Since we love garlic – use less if you don’t love it.)

Instructions

Chicken Strips Preparation
Cut chicken breast into 1 inch strips.
Dredge chicken in flour for a quick breading.
Heat (medium-high) a large skillet that has been coated with your choice of oil.
Cook chicken strips in a few cloves of minced garlic, oil and a few dashes of soy sauce until no longer pink.
Remove chicken from pan and deglaze pan with some of the vinegar.
Orange Chicken Sauce Instructions
Saute remaining garlic and then add orange marmalade, soy sauce, water, ginger, chili paste, red pepper flakes, and the rest of the vinegar.
Cook on medium – high heat until sauce begins to thicken slightly. Reduce heat. Initially, it will be very liquidy and seem as if it won’t thicken, but it will. ( Some choose to add 1/4 cup cornstarch to help aid that process.) This is also when I do a taste test, and ask myself those important questions. Do I want more of a kick to it? Then I add some more red pepper flakes. Is it not sweet enough? Add more marmalade Too sweet? Then I add a bit more soy sauce and rice vinegar. I love that this can be mastered into the perfect fit for your taste.
Pour chicken into skillet with sauce. It will continue to thicken.
You can add more water if sauce is too thick. (Taste test to see if additional seasoning needed.)
Serve with recipe.

I always double the amount of sauce since we like extra for rice and left overs.

Preparation time: 10 minutes (Much less if using prepared chicken strips)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

My very simple breading technique is to just use flour. Mix the flour and chicken in a ziplock bag or just a bowl for ease. I guarantee, you will want to make additional chicken in this manner for lots of easy chicken recipes.
De-glazing the pan is just the fancy cooking term that means remove all those extra yummy, caramelized pieces that were left behind when you cooked up your garlic and chicken and make sure they get added to your sauce.

Yes, it starts out liquid-y, but will thicken into sheer deliciousness.

I double and triple this recipe and my family will still continue to eat as long as I’ve made it. I try and put some away before they see the extra amounts, so that I have another meal out of it. It freezes very well, but typically, we just heat it up the next day.

The kids still pick my Sesame Chicken Recipe (which is the same technique) as their first choice, but since they love a change like I do, this is another great low fat option. I’ve included multiple steps, but once you’ve made it a few times, it will be one of those recipes that you have memorized and go to on any busy evening.

ENJOY!

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