Orange Chicken

(Source / Rick Audet)

By Rick Audet from San Francisco, California, United States (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Our Chinese food craving often ends up in ordering for take-outs. But this could be an unwise decision for dieters as Asian food are often laced with certain ingredients shunned by the cavemen diet. But why spend money on something unhealthy when you can whip up a healthier version in your own kitchen. So brush up your Asian culinary skills with orange chicken.

While the takeout version contains the uhealthy ingredients, soy sauce owing to the presence of whole wheat in them, Drilldoggy’s recipe substitutes it with coconut aminos to make it healthy. Don’t worry about the flavors because this  version tastes just like the Chinese-take-outs, maybe better!

With the very first bite of orange chicken, a fruity sweetness of the oranges will hit you which will give in to a slighter sweeter taste. And when while making a Hunan dish, how can you leave out the crushed red pepper flakes? The peppery heat brings the flavors together to create an awesome Oriental dish waiting to tease your senses. So enjoy our orange chicken with fried cauliflower rice or zoodles and enjoy!

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized chunks
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 oranges, juiced and one of it zested
  • 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
  • 3 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil

Method:

  • Pour the orange juice into a medium pot along with chili garlic sauce and coconut aminos.
  • Sprinkle the chopped ginger as well as grated orange zest into the mixture and stir to mix well.
  • Heat the mixture until it starts simmering and reduce the flame slightly.
  • Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce turns thicker.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in another skillet and fry the chicken for 6 minutes, turning them over once, until they brown evenly.
  • Drop the chicken thighs into the simmering sauce and stir to coat nicely.
  • Simmer for a minute and adjust the seasonings.
  • Transfer the orange chicken into a large serving bowl and sprinkle the chopped green onions on top.
  • Serve hot.