Baked Skinny Orange Chicken (Easy 30-Minute Meal)

5 from 11 votes

Baked Skinny Orange Chicken (Easy 30-Minute Meal)

This Skinny Orange Chicken is baked, not fried! It’s a delicious and healthier alternative to the takeout version. The chicken is baked, then tossed with the Orange Sauce. Serve over rice and steamed veggies, or any sides of your choice!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: 30-minute meal, has vegan option, healthy, natural

Servings:

Calories: 304kcal

Ingredients

For the Orange Sauce:

zest of one orange
½ cup orange juice fresh squeezed
⅓ cup soy sauce or a substitute (I like to use Liquid Aminos)
½ cup honey
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 teaspoon sriracha or garlic chili sauce
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water

For the Chicken:

2 lb. Chicken cubed
2 tablespoon Olive oil
½ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon salt

Optional Garnish:

green onions
sesame seeds

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
Add and mix the Chicken ingredients in a large bowl.
Spread the chicken on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or foil. (Try to spread them apart so they aren’t too crowded, so they can brown better.)
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients in a jar or bowl, except for the cornstarch and water.
In a small bowl, add the water and cornstarch and whisk until well combined.
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce jar. Shake, or stir well.
Pour the sauce into a sauce pan and turn to Medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken, toss, and serve!
Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Video

Notes

Vegan Option:

For a vegan-friendly option, use this sauce to pour over baked tofu bites or on baked tempeh (we have tried both and they are just as delicious)! For the sauce, just use brown sugar instead of honey.

Orange Sauce:

The orange sauce will thicken more as it cools, but you can always add ½ tablespoon or more of cornstarch if you want a thicker consistency.

Baking Time:

The baking time for the chicken may vary between 15-20 minutes depending on how big you cut your chicken cubes.

Make it Skinnier:

Nutritional info can be found below. To reduce the fat/calories even further: Bake the chicken without the 2 tablespoons of oil. (Use a bit of non-stick cooking oil instead.) This will bring the calories per serving down to 264, and the fat content to 3 grams!

*Nutritional info is for one serving (if divided into 6 equal portions).

Nutrition