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    Home » Whole30 Orange Chicken

    Published: Jul 13, 2020 · Updated: Sep 6, 2020 · This website contains affiliate links. See privacy policy and full disclosure linked in my menu.

    Whole30 Orange Chicken

    This Whole30 Orange Chicken recipe is exactly how orange chicken should be. The breading is crispy and the chicken is juicy. The sauce is tangy, slightly sweet and flavorful. The best part is this recipe can be made in 30 minutes!

    Whole30 Orange Chicken 5

    Jump to:
    • What Makes This Orange Chicken Healthier?
    • How To Make Cauliflower Rice
    • Substitutions
    • Not Doing Whole30?
    • Equipment
    • Recipe Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy.

    For my paleo and Whole30 friends, serve this meal on top of some sauteed cauliflower rice or stir fried veggies. I love it with a combo of bell peppers and cauliflower rice! For everyone else who is just looking for a healthier version of orange chicken, this recipe tastes great with regular rice or a mix of half rice and half cauliflower rice!

    If you have tried this recipe, leave me a comment and rating below! I'd love to hear how this recipe worked for you.

    What Makes This Orange Chicken Healthier?

    This recipe utilizes high quality cooking oils, no processed sugar and is completely gluten and grain free. I use orange juice and a few dates to sweeten this sauce. No weird additives, only whole foods.

    Cassava flour is used to make a very light breading which means you are getting more protein in each bite instead of a vegetable oil soaked gluten gut bomb. Can we cheers to that?

    How To Make Cauliflower Rice

    Making cauliflower rice is fairly simple. Most stores carry pre-riced cauliflower, which is going to be the easiest solution. I make cauliflower rice at home from scratch because it doesn't require much work and is a little cheaper.

    You will need a food processor or a blender for this job. I use this blender.

    Begin by taking the head of cauliflower and begin cutting it into chunks. Remove all the green leaves and stems. Throw the chunks into the food processor and pulse for several seconds. Scrape the side of the food processor with a spatula and pulse again.

    The goal is to chop the cauliflower into small pieces, about the size of a grain of rice. Be careful not to pulse for too long or you might end up with a cauliflower mash.

    Once the cauliflower is in the desired size, heat 2 tbsp. of avocado oil in a pan over medium heat and add the cauliflower rice. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes. You don't want to overcook it or it will become mushy. Serve in place of rice in your favorite dish for a low carb, grain-free option.

    Whole30 Orange Chicken 3

    Substitutions

    • Dates - If you are not doing Whole30 you can substitute 1 tbsp of honey for the soaked dates. Coconut sugar and maple syrup would also work fine.
    • Chicken Breast Tenders - If you have made my recipes before you know I favor chicken breast tenders. I like them because they are already trimmed and easy to use. You could trim and cut regular chicken breasts for a similar result.
    • Cassava Flour - Tapioca starch can be substituted for the cassava flour in the same quantities. Corn starch would likely be okay (but not paleo compliant) but I have not tested this.
    • Avocado Oil - Any high temp cooking oil can be used here. I would prefer avocado oil or coconut oil.

    Not Doing Whole30?

    As mentioned above, if you are not doing Whole30, just using honey in the recipe give you more room to sweeten to taste and is a little easier than using soaked dates. I would suggest this for anyone follow a standard paleo diet.

    Equipment

    You don't need fancy equipment to make this Whole30 Orange Chicken recipe. You will need a frying pan, tongs, knife, hand juicer (to squeeze orange juice), sauce pan, whisk, cutting board and a couple bowls.

    Additionally, if you are using soaked dates you will need a blender and a mesh strainer. The dates are used to make the recipe Whole30 compliant. Using honey or an alternative sweetener would not require this step.

    I use a Ninja bullet blender for this. You can find my blender here.

    Whole30 Paleo Orange Chicken 4

    Recipe Tips

    • If using soaked dates, soak the dates in 2 tbsp of hot water. I usually do this the day before and just store them in the fridge in the liquid.
    • To create a smooth, pulp-free sauce, take the orange juice, soaked dates and soaking liquid and blend for 30 seconds in a bullet blender. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into the pan. You may need to rinse the strainer out at least once during this process to get rid of any excess pulp so you can strain all the liquid.
    • If you are making cauliflower rice, I would make the chicken first and then make the cauliflower rice in the same pan after the chicken is done to save dishes.
    • I wait until serving to add the sauce. This allows the chicken to stay crispy. This is just my preference. It also allows me to reheat the chicken in the air fryer because they don't have the orange sauce on it. The air fryer gets the leftovers nice and crispy and it tastes just as good as day one.
    • Taste your sauce while cooking. Some people like a sweeter sauce, some people prefer it more tangy. If you want it sweeter ad a little more honey (if not doing Whole30). To make the sauce more tangy add a little more rice vinegar.

    Related Recipes

    • Paleo Sweet and Sour Chicken
    • Whole30 Salsa
    • Paleo Pad Thai
    • Whole30 Potato Salad
    Whole30 Paleo Orange Chicken 2

    📖 Recipe

    Orange Chicken Featured Image

    Whole30 Orange Chicken

    Amanda McGillicuddy
    This healthy recipe yields the perfect crispy, juicy orange chicken with a sweet and tangy sauce.
    3.59 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 3 people
    Calories 505 kcal

    Equipment

    • Blender
    • Frying pan
    • Bowls (2)
    • Whisk
    • Tongs
    • Sauce Pan
    • Hand press juicer
    • Mesh Strainer

    Ingredients
      

    Orange Sauce

    • ¾ cup Orange juice About 3 oranges
    • 3 Medjool dates, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water Use 2-3 tbsp of honey instead if not doing Whole30
    • 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar Or rice vinegar
    • 1 tbsp Coconut aminos
    • ½ tbsp Avocado oil
    • 1 ½ tsp Cassava flour Mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
    • Dash of salt and pepper
    • Red pepper flakes Optional

    Crispy Chicken

    • 1 lb Chicken breast tenders
    • 1 Egg
    • ½ cup Cassava flour
    • 1 tsp Garlic powder
    • 1 tsp Paprika
    • ½ tsp Black pepper
    • Salt
    • 4 tbsp Avocado oil

    Instructions
     

    Orange Sauce

    • If using dates: Soak three medjool dates in about 2 tbsp of hot water at least 15 minutes before you start this recipe. I usually soak them the day before and keep them in the fridge so they are extra soft.
      Use 2-3 tbsp of honey instead if you are not doing Whole30. If using honey, you can skip steps 1 and 3.
    • Juice the oranges to get ¾ cup of juice (about 3 navel oranges).
    • Combine the juice, soaked dates and soaking liquid in a small blender. Blend until it is mostly smooth.
    • Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer. If it gets clogged, just rinse the pulp from the strainer and continue to strain until all you have is the liquid.
    • Pour the liquid into a sauce pan over medium heat.
    • Take 1 ½ tsp of cassava flour and mix in 2 tbsp of cold water to dissolve. After the cassava has dissolved into the liquid, add this to the sauce pan.
    • Add the remaining ingredients to the sauce pan. Whisk together. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
    • Allow the sauce to heat for about 5-10 minutes or until you notice the mixture thickening. Remove from heat and set aside.

    Crispy Chicken

    • Whisk the egg in a bowl.
    • Salt the chicken breast tenders and cut into about 1 inch pieces. Add to bowl with egg.
    • Mix together the paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and cassava flour in another bowl.
    • Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
    • Dredge the chicken with the cassava mixture, piece by piece. Add dredged chicken to pan once the oil is hot.
    • Allow chicken to brown, about 2-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and allow to brown on the other side. Do this until all the chicken has been cooked. Add more oil if needed.
    • Remove cooked chicken from the pan. Top chicken with sauce before serving. Pair with rice, cauliflower rice or stir fried veggies.

    Notes

    To soaking and straining the dates, you could use 1 tbsp of honey in place of the dates.
    You can use store bought orange juice if this is something you would prefer.
    The calories account for all the sauce and all the cooking oil divided amount three servings. Some cooking oil will likely be left in the pan and actual calories consumed may be less.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 505kcal
    Keyword gluten free, paleo, whole30
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Whole30 Orange Chicken Pinterest Pin
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maria says

      August 16, 2020 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Paula says

      August 15, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      I couldn’t find mejool dates so I used the other type of dates. They were kind of dry and I think I would have liked the sauce better with the correct dates but the chicken was so good!

      Reply
      • foodbornewellness.com says

        August 16, 2020 at 8:40 am

        Hi paula,
        Yes medjool dates are more gooey and easier to use as a sweetener when soaked. If you're not doing Whole30 honey would have been a good substitute.

        Reply
    3. Sierra says

      August 15, 2020 at 11:23 am

      5 stars
      The chicken is so good. I am not doin whole 30 so I made it with honey.

      Reply
      • foodbornewellness.com says

        August 16, 2020 at 8:41 am

        Thanks, Sierra! Glad you liked it!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

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