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Zesty Healthy Orange Chicken

Julia Pacheco

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Orange chicken is one of my very favorite takeout meals. I love the combo of sweet and spicy and savory. I don’t necessarily love how fried and full of sodium it is, though. Now I am not a health nut by any means, but I do like to eat food that doesn’t make me feel like I need to take a three-hour nap after.

I created this healthy orange chicken recipe with all the flavors of your favorite takeout orange chicken recipe, but a lot healthier. I make this healthy orange chicken with chicken tenderloins and a homemade fresh orange sauce and bake it all on a sheet pan with broccoli and bell peppers. It’s delicious and easy and can be made in just half an hour. You’ve got to try my Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe!

Zesty Healthy Orange Chicken Ingredients

Now, I’ve made orange chicken with the pre-bottled orange chicken sauce that you can get from the grocery store, but I prefer making my own orange chicken sauce. This orange chicken sauce recipe is so easy and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your fridge.

How to Make Healthy Orange Chicken

This is super simple to make. First, you’re going to make your marinade by combining the minced garlic, minced ginger, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, orange juice, honey, and soy sauce in a small bowl.

If you want to take the weird part of the chicken tenderloin out, follow the instructions in this video!

Mix that all up well and pour into a gallon size, plastic bag, or a large bowl, along with your chicken and stir. Let the chicken marinate in the sauce for an hour in the fridge. 

Once your chicken has been marinating for an hour, preheat your oven to 400°F.

Take out a large sheet pan (these are my favorite), line it with foil, and spray with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and the olive oil to the pan. Place the marinated chicken around the vegetables and pour the remaining orange sauce over the top of everything.

Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Check the temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should reach 165°F.

Serve the chicken with white rice, cauliflower, rice, rice noodles, or with whatever else you want. Top with green onions and sesame seeds, if you’d like, and enjoy!

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Zesty Healthy Orange Chicken
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Zesty Healthy Orange Chicken

Recipe by Julia Pacheco
Recipe rating: 4.5 from 31 votes
Course: DinnerCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4-5

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes
Cook Mode

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins (I have a video you can link above the recipe on how to remove the tendon from tenderloins- https://youtu.be/_mfrlCC8ujc )

  • 1 tbsp minced garlic

  • 1 tbsp minced ginger

  • Dash salt and pepper

  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

  • 1/4 cup orange juice (I used the juice from a fresh orange but a bottle would work too)

  • 1/3 cup honey

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

  • 3 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces

  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into small chunks

  • 2 tbs olive oil

Directions

  • To a small bowl, add in the minced garlic, minced ginger, a dash of salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, orange juice, honey, soy sauce and whisk well. Pour mixture into a gallon-sized plastic bag or a large bowl, add the chicken, and stir to coat. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and marinate for at least an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Coat the broccoli and bell pepper with the olive oil and place onto a greased sheet pan.
  • Place the marinated chicken around the vegetables on the sheet pan and pour the remaining sauce over the top of the chicken and vegetables. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.

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