I’ve been on a kick lately with oranges – or at least the flavor of them. Some of the orange recipes have been for the e-cookbook which is why you haven’t seen any yet, but I’ve got more on the way that will be posted here.
Now you might think it’s crazy to use oranges in low carb recipes because they have sugar in them. But I was surprised to find that 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) of orange juice has only 3g of net carbs – lime juice has 2.5 grams per ounce.
So you can pack a lot of orange flavor into a low carb recipe with a couple of tablespoons of fresh OJ, plus some of the zest, and if you really want to punch it up, some orange extract.
That’s what I did in my low carb version of the classic orange chicken. Sticky and sweet, Orange Chicken was always one of my faves when we’d order Chinese takeout – before I embraced a low carb diet anyway. So this is my gluten free, low carb Orange Chicken recipe.
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It’s not as sticky or viscous as the takeout version, but it’s packed with sweet orange flavor that soaks into the crispy breading, which is made with coconut flour and just a little cornstarch. The cornstarch adds some carbs, but it helps thicken the sauce and crisp up the chicken so it’s worth it to me.
You can use chicken breast but I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they don’t dry out like breast meat, and they give you that slightly chewy texture that you usually get in the “real” thing when you order out.
Low Carb Orange Chicken (Gluten Free)
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp ginger, chopped
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp GF soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 2 tsp sweetener*
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Chop the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the cornstarch and coconut flour in a medium sized bowl and season with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the flour mixture and toss well until fully coated.
- Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan. Cook the chicken in small batches until golden brown and no longer pink. Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl.
- Meanwhile, combine the ginger, orange juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, orange extract, sweetener, water, and coriander in a blender or magic bullet – blend until smooth.
- Pour into a saute pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the chicken back to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook for about two minutes and then add the orange zest, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and scallions. Cook for another minute, then remove from the heat and serve garnished with more orange zest if preferred.
Notes
*use whatever low carb sweetener you prefer for this recipe – I used xylitol, which measures like sugar. If you aren’t sure how much to use, try using half and tasting it before you add more. Remember that the sauce will reduce and the sweetness will intensify so it shouldn’t be too sweet before you start cooking it down. You can always add more sweetener after you reduce it if it’s not sweet enough for your preference.
Nutrition
- Calories: 424
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 6g net
- Protein: 46g
I served this low carb orange chicken with a spicy Sriracha roasted broccoli. If you’ve been craving some Chinese takeout, this low carb recipe for Orange Chicken will hopefully take the edge off! It did for me anyway! Let me know what your favorite Chinese takeout dish is and I’ll put it on my list of recipes to try and make over soon! :)
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Hi, Melissa! I was told this recipe was a good one. :) Followed it pretty closely with slightly different sweeteners (use a little honey along with Truvia) and it was fabulous! Would probably cut back on the fish sauce ’cause it’s a little fishy, but the flavor was otherwise very good. Might add a bit of lemon juice for tartness next time to mimic that Chinese take out flavor. The texture of the sauce was beautiful and glossy and the orange flavor definitely came through. Adding the extract was genius! I’m sharing the recipe with my followers over on instagram with credit to you. Thanks for sharing!
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The fish sauce taste was overpowering. I double checked the recipe for the amount because it seemed high! Would cut it back to 2 teaspoons for next time. Thank you!
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I’m posting just in case someone that finds this nice recipe is unaware. Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. Personally, I prefer it, especially for baking, but we are very careful.
This was amazing! I did add a teaspoon of arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce up a bit. My family loved it! This is saying a lot because I hail from the land of “Springfield, Missouri style cashew chicken.” It’s a local delicacy so when you go out for Chinese you get cashew chicken. Anything else and you are just being fussy, well maybe a pass for general chicken ;) We probably have more cashew chicken joints then churches around here!
This one is going into my minthly rotation for sure! Along with those heavenly jalapeño popper smothered pork chops ::drools::
My husband is allergic to fish, will omitting the fish sauce change the flavor too substantially? Is there a substitute you can suggest? It looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you :)
Oh WOW!! Made this for dinner last night for hubby and I and it made our night!! I LOVE IT!!! The taste was amazing and very reminiscent of take-out orange Chicken!!❤️❤️❤️ I used Smucker’s sugar free orange marmalade and added chopped broccoli and juliend baby carrots-devine!! Thanks for a delicious easy to follow recipe! Looking forward to trying out your others!!
So glad it was a hit, thanks for letting me know!
Does this recipe freeze well?
I made this last night and it hit the spot with my Chinese craving. I served it over faux rice made with cauliflower. Delicious! Thank You for all the great recipes.
It’s been a long time since I’ve made this Sharon but your comment reminded me of how much we loved it! Glad you liked it too! I’ll be adding these to my menu again soon, thanks for the reminder! :)
From a life-long lover of orange chicken (and newly-minted keto-er): BLESS YOU FOR THIS. I just made it and it is so satisfying, particularly because I thought I’d never have pan-fried, orange sauce-covered protein again!! On a whim, I added a teaspoon of smooth almond butter to the sauce ingredients. Helped thicken it up and added a lovely, hearty, subtly nutty flavor to the dish. As always, your ingenious recipes are strengthening my resolve and making this household’s bellies very, very happy!
Hey Mellissa!
I love this recipe! I noticed that I’m using a ton of coconut oil to properly fry these (as I need to fry small batches and they soak up the oil quickly). I’m trying to reduce the calories and fat of this recipe (for a high protein, low fat post-exercise meal) and was wondering if baking the chicken might work. Maybe at 425 for about 20 minutes as with this recipe? http://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2012/08/oven-fried-orange-chicken.html
What are your thoughts?
(by the way, I’m using chicken breasts for lower fat as well)
So, I gave it a shot tonight. The chicken turned out pretty good, but, as expected, not as crispy. Still tastes yummy, though! :)
Hi there, I was wondering if a sprinkle of xanathan gum would serve the same purpose of the cornstarch?
Yes, absolutely! When I did this recipe I had not yet been introduced to the wonders of xanthan gum, but it would be perfect!
Would the amount of xantham gum be the same? Also, is there a replacement for coriander you could suggest?
This looks great Stacey!
Chicken thighs have so much fat they gross me out. Do you trim all the fat before cooking? I find that after I’ve trimmed the fat there is very little meat left.
I don’t have a problem with the thighs because the fat melts out and you should be left with just meat after cooking, but you can just as easily use chicken breast meat with great results!
The orange chicken looks and sounds scrumptious I bet prawns, pork tenderloin medallions, and or chicken tenderloins would be excellent as well!
I’m on day 1 of my 3Day Kickstart but AM SO THRILLED to have stumbled upon your amazing website/blog and to have found so much valuable information and all these great comments that I CANT STOP READING!! Why would anyone diet any other way?
Great work! Thank you. )
Rebie in TX
These chicken nuggets look so good that I would probably polish the whole plate! How lucky that they are low carb :-)
I loved the chicken rolled in the coconut and cornstarch, it was fantastic! The sauce wasn’t quite the flavor I was going for but now I know how to get the breading JUST RIGHT so thank you thank you!
Sorry you didn’t love the sauce but glad the breading worked for you!
OH! OH! For a Chinese food re-make, how about P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps?!?
-3 Yrs GF =D
I’ve never had them but I’ll check it out!
Oh, boy! I love Orange Chicken! I know what I am making this weekend. And the broccoli, too. ;-) I may get some of that Smucker’s SF Orange and try that way, per the previous poster’s idea.
If you’re into re-working our favorite Chinese food, I also love General Tso’s Chicken… Hint, hint. :-D
I am SO glad I found this blog. I love your recipes! And will have to get the book when it comes out, for sure.
Thanks so much Suze, I’m glad you found us too! :) I’m going to try the SF orange jelly too and General Tso’s chicken is definitely on my list!
Orange + Chicken = winner! Plus the fact that it’s low carb makes me love this recipe even more…
Thanks Mike, hope you like it!
Mellissa seriously stop making healthy food look so good. It’s driving me to want to eat healthy. Geez girl.
Totally making this. I love oranges. Satsumas are my fave. Like little orbs from heaven.
Sorry Kim, can’t have you jumping on the healthy bandwagon! Otherwise I’d have to find another blog to follow where I can stare longingly at photos of turtle, rolo, cocoa pebbles and other chocolatey goodness!
Does coconut flour have any carbs in it? Also, about the cookbook your are writing, is it for low carb diets? I found your Low Carb Pancake recipe on pinterest a while back, and I’ve been following ever since. My fiancee and I are on a strict low carb diet until our wedding later this month, and I am getting tired of the food we are eating already. I love how you come up with much better tasting recipes and still stay true to low carb! Thank you!!!
Hey Emily! Yes, coconut flour has some carbs but because it’s so high in fiber it is much lower than other flours. Only 8g net carbs per 1/4 cup and because it is so dense and absorbs so much moisture, you don’t need much of it I’ve found. The recipes in the e-cookbook will all be low carb as well as gluten free and I’m still optimistic that I’ll have it out by the 15th of this month. Welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment, I’ve seen you around the blog and I appreciate it! Welcome and I hope to see more of you! :)
I talked to Brian about the cookbook and we are excited about it! I might try cooking with coconut flour. Can you do fried chicken with it?! I would love to make some chicken fingers for us! Does coconut flour have a different flavor?
Hi, 3 years Gluten-Free, here.
I have been cooking with coconut flour and organic virgin coconut oil for the past 3 years and love the flavor that coconut oil adds to everything: from popcorn to broccoli to brownies – even tilapia. The cheaper coconut oils are created by an extraction process that reduces the coconut flavor and some prefer that. Either way, as a medium chain fat, it is a very diet friendly ‘good’ fat. As for the coconut flour, like Mellissa said, it is super absorptive, so not very much is required.
Although it in NO WAY compares to IBIH, the site Freecoconutrecipes.com is a great resource for coconut flour, milk and oil cooking.
I really didn’t answer your basic question! Coconut flour is a slight flavor enhancer, but it is quite different in texture. It is very grainy, so has a result that looks much like cornmeal. As with most GF-ers a combination of flours usually works best for coating, like coconut flour in combination with corn, potato or tapioca starch / flour. Just as Mellissa used dark (thigh) meat instead of white (breast) meat, I’d suggest (my preference) the thigh meat would be more tender, flavorful and juicier as fingers than white meat. Experiment and enjoy the adventure!
– 3 Yrs G-F :D
Thank you!!
Hey Emily, just to add to what 3ygf said, if you are trying to keep it low carb I like using a half and half mix of coconut flour and grated parmesan cheese seasoned with garlic powder salt and pepper as a coating. I’ve made chicken fingers and fish sticks for my family that way and they come out great! Glad you’re anticipating the cookbook, it’s going well and I’m in the final stages now – very exciting! :)
I found a sugar-free orange jelly by Smuckers. Is this something that could also be incorporated? Where do you get your Coconut flower and Xylitol? I’ve been a follower for a while now and have to say I love your blog, your humor and stories. I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out. I’ll be the first on the list to purchase it. Your cauliflower recipes have been a Godsend in my Diabetic way of living. xoxo
Absolutely! In fact I wish I’d thought of it! I would skip the sweetener and orange juice in the recipe and just add a few tablespoons of the jelly until it tastes the way you want it to – will try that myself next time, thanks! I order my coconut flour from Drugstore.com (I got a case of 4 bags for about $20 a couple of months ago and I’ve only used one and a half bags so far) and I use Mr. Rebates so I usually get 6-10% off of my entire order plus free shipping. The xylitol I can find at my regular grocery store, but you could also find that online. Thanks for your kind words, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog! I’m still hard at work on the cookbook now and currently working on the cover design which is fun but also frustrating. Can’t wait to get it right and unveil it though! Also: Hooray for cauliflower! :)
BTW: what soy sauce do you use? I am only aware of 1 that is actually gluten-free (Bragg Liquid Aminos). I enjoy your candor, delicacies and your classy site. Hope that thumbnail is curing well. (I still feel the OUCH!)
– 3 yrs GF :)
It’s funny because one of my first waking thoughts this morning was that I forgot to specify using a gluten free soy sauce and that anybody who was GF would pick up on it right away! It was the first thing I was planning to fix this morning – you beat me to it! ha ha! I use San-J brand but Kikkoman does make a gluten free version as well though it’s not easy to find. Usually Whole Foods or other natural markets will carry them, or you can order them online.
Oh yeah and my thumb is good as new thanks for asking! :)
Walmart have a gluten free Soy Sauce KIKKOMAN BRAND .
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Yes! This looks absolutely scrumptious! I can almost smell the aroma wafting west to me…
Please note I disdain writing a comment before I have actually tried a dish. But I’m a newbie IBIH follower and this is the first time I’ve seen you mention xylitol as your sweetener. I’d really like to know your opinion of it as compared to the other sweeteners you use. I understand it, like coconut flour, absorbs every drop of moisture it can find inside or outside a gluten-free pot. I say its best feature is no strange/bitter aftertaste! What say you?
– 3 Years G-F :)
Welcome to IBIH! This is the first time I’ve tried Xylitol because I recently realized I have a Stevia sensitivity so I can’t use it anymore. I liked the flavor of the xylitol a lot – much more than Stevia, and I didn’t have any bad gastrointestinal side effects like some sugar alcohols give me. I didn’t know about the absorbing liquid thing but it makes sense because when I cooked the sauce down it was pretty thick and sticky and there was plenty of it. But when I tossed the cooked chicken in it the sauce it just seemed to disappear! It didn’t have the gooey consistency of true orange chicken because of that and I just assumed it was the coconut flour that absorbed it more than usual. It was delicious and it stayed crispy which I actually liked, but I wondered why and if what you are saying about Xylitol is correct, then it probably played a role in it. Interesting, thanks for sharing that tip! I hope you report back on how they come out if you try them!