Gluten Free Chinese Orange Chicken recipe that tastes as good as takeout! The chicken is extra crispy and is tossed in a super yummy orange juice and soy sauce glaze.
Tired of having to deny yourself Chinese takeout? I’m with ya’. Since going gluten free almost 4 years ago Chinese food is an automatic no-no on my list of restaurant choices. Everything is either fried or covered in a soy sauce glaze.
While yes, this chicken IS both fried AND covered in a soy sauce containing glaze… but also happens to be gluten free! How exactly is that?! This recipe calls for cornstarch instead of all-purpose flour and gluten free soy sauce instead of the gluten-containing kind. And guess what?! I bet your family won’t be able to tell the difference!!
When preparing this Gluten Free Chinese Orange Chicken you have a few options:
- For the starch: If you have tapioca starch on hand to bread the chicken I would use that instead of cornstarch. It will give it a slightly crunchier texture. However, cornstarch will still give you great results,too!
- For the orange juice and soy sauce glaze: You can choose to use fresh orange juice or already prepared, not from concentrate, orange juice. When making it in my own kitchen I used what we had on hand… Simply Orange orange juice, pulp free.
- For the spice level: The choice is totally up to you!! Add anywhere from zero to an entire teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce to achieve your desired level of spice.
This gluten free chinese orange chicken actually tastes great for leftovers, too! If you are planning to pack up lunches or save some for tomorrow night’s dinner I would store the chicken and the glaze separately. Toss the chicken in a skillet with a little oil to reheat it and then add the orange juice glaze. This will help keep the chicken nice and crispy!
-FOR LEFTOVERS-
STORE THE CHICKEN & GLAZE SEPARATELY
What’s your favorite classic Chinese restaurant dish? Are there any you haven’t had since going gluten-free? I would love to hear in the comments section below.
Hope you enjoy this Crispy Chinese Orange Chicken!
PIN THIS GLUTEN FREE CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs. chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- ¼ cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
- ¼ cup flour or a gluten-free 1-to-1 blend*
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 3-4 Tbsp. oil avocado or peanut
- Green Onions thinly sliced, optional
- Toasted sesame seeds optional
Orange Sauce
- ¾ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ tsp. ginger paste or finely minced fresh ginger
- 2 tsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp. salt to taste
- 1 tsp. chili sauce or Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut into bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch. Whisk together cornstarch, flour, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss until all are completely coated.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large stainless-steel skillet or wok over medium to medium-high heat. Wait for the oil to sizzle and add in half of the coated chicken pieces. Make sure to shake off any excess starch/flour coating before adding to the skillet. Cook for 7-9 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Remove the cooked chicken and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining 1-2 tablespoons oil and chicken.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. After chicken is removed from the skillet, pour in sauce, turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. The sauce should reduce by almost half during this time.
- Once reduced, add in the cooked chicken and continue cooking over low heat for a couple of minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.
- Serve Orange Chicken over a bed of white rice with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so yummy! I have definitely been missing Chinese food, and orange chicken has always been one of my favorites. I can’t wait to try this one!
Thanks so much Heidi!! Chinese food is impossible to find gluten-free in a restaurant so why not just make your own at home 🙂 Hope you like it!