If you’re looking for your new favorite dinner recipe that doesn’t sacrifice flavor for time, then look no further than my 20 Minute Saucy Orange Chicken Bowls. These bowls are filled with tender chunks of juicy chicken that are coated in a zesty orange sauce and cooked to perfection. Serve it alongside some broccoli and fluffy white rice, and you have the perfect better-than-takout dinner on the table in under 20 minutes!
Friends, when it comes to cooking, I’m honeslty just like you. Sure, I may develop recipes for a living, but at the end of the day, I’m tired from running around like crazy all day, and sometimes… I’m even lazy. There, I said it! Some days, after a long day in the kitchen, the last thing that I feel like doing is cooking yet another complicated meal. While most of my recipes are very simple and easy, what you don’t see behind the scenes is all of the work that it takes to develop, prepare, and test even a simple recipe. Not only is there the grocery shopping and planning, but in addition to that, there’s the cooking or baking of the actual recipe… which can sometimes take 2-3 attempts just to get right. Factor in the time that it takes to also film, edit, and post a new recipe video every single day, and it really is a full-time job!
So, you can imagine that at the end of that, the last thing that I want to do is cook yet another recipe. But, because I am a mom to two growing boys, and I want to ensure that they get to enjoy healthy, homecooked meals, it’s important to me that I get to cook them dinner every day. Which is why I rely on easy meals like this one, that come together in less than 20 minutes, to keep them healthy while also keeping me out of the kitchen.
These 20 Minute Saucy Orange Chicken Bowls truly live up to their name and come together in just 20 minutes. All that you need to do is season the chicken, prepare the sauce, make the rice, cook the broccoli, and plate. That’s it! It’s the perfect “recipe” for a dish that has all of the elements that you know and love about takeout, but made in less time than it takes to even order Doordash. Plus, while most orange chicken recipes can be loaded with sugar, this recipe happens to be refined sugar-free, making it a healthy alternative that the entire family will love – trust me!
What You Need to Make This Better-Than-Takeout Chicken
- Chicken Breast or Thighs: While I like using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, in this recipe, chicken breast also works just as well. To keep this recipe simple and easy, I recommend just using what you already have on-hand!
- Seasonings: To season this dish, you’ll need a combination of garlic powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Starch of Choice: A little starch helps to coat the chicken so that it gets nice and crispy! You can use arrowroot starch, cornstarch, or tapioca starch – all of them work just as well.
- Avocado Oil: I like using a better-for-you oil with a neutral flavor, like avocado oil, to cook the chicken.
- Orange Juice & Zest: You’ll need both the juice and zest of one orange, in order to make this recipe. After all, it wouldn’t be an orange chicken recipe without it!
- Sesame Oil: A little sesame oil adds a deep, nutty flavor that helps this dish shine.
- Coconut Aminos or Low Sodium Soy Sauce: If you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, be sure to substitute the soy sauce out for coconut aminos or tamari. If not, low sodium soy sauce works well!
- Honey: Honey adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce, without the refined sugars.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds the perfect flavor to the sauce – don’t knock it until you try it!
- Garlic: I will always recommend using fresh garlic in my recipes. The flavor is unbeatable!
- Broccoli: This chicken pairs perfectly with a side of broccoli. You can use fresh or frozen broccoli – just use whatever you have on-hand!
- Rice: I recommend using jasmine or basmati rice, but any variation of rice works well.
How to Make The Perfect Dinner in Under 20 minutes
To make this recipe, start by preparing the chicken. Cut the chicken breast or thighs (depending on what you’re using) into cubes and add them to a bowl alongside the arrowroot starch / tapioca starch / cornstarch, garlic powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Toss the chicken until it’s fully coated in the seasonings and starch.
Next, heat a nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet, on the stove, over high heat, and add in the avocado oil. Once the pan is very hot, add in the chicken and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for 5-6 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients (the orange juice, orange zest, toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce, honey, tomato, paste, garlic, ground ginger, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a large bowl and whisk until fully combined. Then, toss the chicken to the other side and allow it to cook for another 5-6 minutes.
Once the chicken is almost fully cooked, add in the broccoli. Toss the broccoli to cook, then add approximately 3/4 of the sauce to the pan. Set the rest of the sauce aside for later. Allow it to cook for another five minutes, until the broccoli is cooked through.
Once it’s done, remove it from the heat and plate the dish: add a big scoop of cooked rice to a bowl, followed by a scoop of the chicken and broccoli. Drizzle the reamining sauce on top, then garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions, if desired. Serve the bowls immediately and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 ½ Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs, cubed into small pieces
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Arrowroot Starch or Cornstarch or Tapioca Starch
- 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
For the Sauce:
- ⅓ Cup Orange Juice
- 1 Orange, zested
- 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- ¼ Cup Coconut Aminos or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- ⅓ Cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2 Cloves Garlic, mashed
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
For Serving:
- 2 Cups Broccoli Florets
- 2 Cups Rice, cooked – I recommend using jasmine or basmati rice
For Garnishing:
- 2 Green Onions, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- To make this recipe, start by preparing the chicken. Cut the chicken breast or thighs (depending on what you're using) into cubes and add them to a bowl alongside the arrowroot starch / tapioca starch / cornstarch, garlic powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Toss the chicken until it's fully coated in the seasonings and starch.
- Next, heat a nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet, on the stove, over high heat, and add in the avocado oil.
- Once the pan is very hot, add in the chicken and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for 5-6 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients (the orange juice, orange zest, toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce, honey, tomato, paste, garlic, ground ginger, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a large bowl and whisk until fully combined.
- Then, toss the chicken to the other side and allow it to cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Once the chicken is almost fully cooked, add in the broccoli.
- Toss the broccoli to cook, then add approximately 3/4 of the sauce to the pan. Set the rest of the sauce aside for later.
- Toss the chicken and broccoli until it's coated well in the sauce, then reduce the heat to low.
- Allow it to cook for another five minutes, until the broccoli is cooked through.
- Once it's done, remove it from the heat and plate the dish: add a big scoop of cooked rice to a bowl, followed by a scoop of the chicken and broccoli.
- Drizzle the reamining sauce on top, then garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.
- Serve the bowls immediately and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
I usually make the paleo orange chicken from your cookbook (so good!!) but I decided to give this one a try tonight to see how it compares. It was a little too sweet for my taste, though still delicious, and I love the addition of the broccoli (which I usually add to the paleo recipe too). I think the cookbook one will still be my go-to, but still a recipe worth making and we enjoyed it!
This worked exactly as written, thanks! My family loved it and it was so easy and quick.
This is great to hear Kylie! So happy to hear everyone loved it!