Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe (Paleo, Whole30) - Quick and Easy! (2024)

Last Updated on February 6, 2022 by Jean Choi 7 Comments

Delicious & easy crispy orange chicken recipe made without refined sugars! The thick sauce is so wonderful and the dish is seriously better than takeout.

Orange chicken was one of my favorite dishes growing up when we got Chinese takeout. The crispy breaded chicken with the thick sticky sauce was just pure heaven in a bite. These days, my tolerance for sweet takeout food has gone down and I haven’t been able to enjoy most of the dishes after going gluten free. However, I recently started making crispy orange chicken at home and I fell in love with my version.

Watch a Short Video of This Recipe

What is Orange Chicken?

The origin of Chinese orange chicken recipe actually started in the US by the chain restaurant, Panda Express, as a variation of General Tso’s chicken. It’s actually rarely found in mainland China. Most commonly, chicken pieces are battered then fried, then coated in a sticky sweet orange-chili glaze.

What does orange chicken taste like? It’s crunchy from the batter, with a sweet and sour flavor from the thick sauce. You’ll commonly see orange chicken and rice served together.

Whole30 & Paleo Orange Chicken Recipe

While restaurant-style version can extremely sweet, this homemade orange chicken recipe doesn’t use any refined sugars. The orange juice in this healthy orange chicken sauce is the only sweetener you need and it still delivers plenty of flavor. My entire family loved this recipe so much that it’s going on our regular rotation. While it’s breaded, I was able to make a gluten free orange chicken recipe by using arrowroot starch, instead of all-purpose flour.

Whole30 Orange Chicken Ingredients

There are two components to easy crispy orange chicken recipe: the sauce and the chicken. Here are the ingredients for each component:

Easy Orange Chicken Sauce:

• avocado oil: I love avocado oil, because it’s a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoking point, but you can use your oil of choice.
• garlic
• ginger
• chili flakes: Sichuan chili flakes like this one will work best, but you can also use red pepper flakes as a substitute. If you aren’t a fan of spicy flavors, then you can omit it completely.
• oranges: You’ll need both the juice and the zest.
• coconut aminos: This is a soy-free soy sauce substitute for making this Whole30 and paleo orange chicken. It also gives a slight natural sweetness to the sauce so no other sweetener is needed.
• rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar will also work in a pinch.
• arrowroot starch: You can also use tapioca starch if you don’t have this on hand.

Crispy Chicken:

• chicken thighs: I prefer thighs, but you can also use chicken breasts for this homemade orange chicken recipe.
• eggs
• arrowroot starch
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• avocado oil: This is used to fry the breaded chicken pieces. You can also use tallow, lard, coconut oil, or palm oil.

How To Make Homemade Orange Chicken

For the orange sauce:

1. Whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and arrowroot starch in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, and stir cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Pour in the orange juice mixture and stir occasionally while it comes to simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, and remove from heat and cover. Set aside.

For the chicken:

1. The breading is important for how to make orange chicken crispy. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs. Add the chicken pieces and stir together to coat.
2. In another large shallow bowl, add arrowroot starch, salt, and pepper. stir.
3. Take each chicken from the egg wash, remove excess dripping, and coat in the starch mixture.
4. In a wide skillet, heat 1/2 inch of avocado oil over medium high heat.
5. Once sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Place the cooked chicken in a large bowl.
6. Pour the orange juice over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
7. Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and serve immediately over rice or cauliflower rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like…

• Sticky Asian Chicken Meatball Recipe (Paleo, Whole30)
• Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings (AIP, Paleo)
• Paleo Mongolian Chicken with Shish*to Peppers (Whole30)