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Healthy orange chicken and rice is made in under 30 minutes! Features low calorie orange juice, orange marmalade, soy sauce and fresh chicken breast pieces.
Healthy Orange Chicken Recipe
This post originally appeared as a sponsored conversation with Trop50.
Am I the only one who wonders what is for dinner after the kiddos walk through the door after school? It seems like it always sneaks up on me! This easy orange chicken recipe is one of my favorites. It’s quick to prepare, requires minimal ingredients and it’s gluten free. I can make this in under 30 minutes. Toss some rice in the instant pot, mix up the marinade and throw some chicken in the skillet.
My family loves the orange flavor that comes with this dish, and I love that it’s on the healthy side. For those of us with health goals for this year, it’s a total win. I’m sure this orange chicken recipe will become one of your weeknight favorites too! This recipe is great as a meal paired with my healthy banana muffins with oats for dessert!
I like to pair my meal with steamed veggies to round out the meal.
This meal heats up like a dream the next day, in the rare case you have leftovers!
I was so excited to use these Jade chopsticks my in-laws gave to me after a trip to China.
By using Tamari sauce, the marinade is gluten free. Of course, always double check your bottles to verify. If you don’t need to worry about gluten, you could always use soy sauce. Just whatever you have on hand.
Also, by not frying the chicken in oil, the meal is healthier. My waistline thanks me for this small step.
The main ingredient in this dish is Trop50 juice beverage, but you can use regular orange juice or another low calorie OJ. If you’ve seen the funny commercials, you might already know that Trop50 gives you the familiar flavor of orange juice with half the sugar and calories. Made from fresh oranges, Trop50 has no artificial sweeteners and an 8 oz glass provides you with 100% of your daily vitamin C needs.
I love that this dish is on the healthful side, but still jam packed with flavor. I love that Trop50 cuts the calories. Why not take this little shortcut and still reap the health benefits from oranges?
Did you make any health goals this year? I'm continuing with my goal of maintaining a walking program, but this crazy weather hasn't made it the easiest! Leave me a comment and tell me your goals and some of the obstacles your facing!
QUICK WEEKNIGHT ORANGE CHICKEN
Ingredients
For the Orange Sauce:
- ¾ cup orange juice Trop50 Juice Beverage, regular, or any low calorie OJ
- 2 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon Tamari sauce be sure to check if Gluten free, if making GF version
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce be sure to check if Gluten free, if making GF version
For the meal:
- 1 pound chicken tenders chopped into about ¾ inch cubes.
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Rice optional
- Stir Fry Veggies optional
Instructions
- Stir together the Trop50, marmalade, garlic, tamari and bbq sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Warm a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Once it has warmed, place the chicken in the pan.
- Allow chicken to brown on one side for about 4 minutes. When that side has a nice golden color, flip the chicken pieces and brown that side for another 4 minutes.
- Next, pour the orange sauce over the chicken and allow it to come to a boil. Let it cook for about 4 more minutes, to finish cooking the chicken thoroughly.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon corn starch with 1 tablespoon water. Mix thoroughly. Add to the chicken, stirring constantly. The mixture will instantly begin to gel up. Continue cooking, stirring the entire time for 1 minute.
- Place cooked chicken over rice and pair with steamed stir fry veggies.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Anonymous says
I love your pictures, I'm going to try the recipe this weekend. Thanks!
Lani says
This recipe looks delicious! Can't wait to try it 🙂