Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Is orange chicken healthy for you? ›

Takeout orange chicken is not very healthy because it's loaded with sugar and deep-fried as well. But this homemade version is a healthier alternative made from whole food ingredients with no added sugar and no deep frying involved.

Sauce is like gravy in that if it's not thickening as much as you want after you've added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.

Our healthy homemade orange chicken has much better volume, calories, and macros. For the Orange Chicken: 279 Calories, 2 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbs and 35.5 grams of protein.

Orange chicken's flavors focus on the tang of oranges, which is complemented by spices like dried red chili flakes or chili sauce for a little kick. Sweet and Sour Chicken can be spicier, with chili paste or extra spices added for a stronger taste.

Worst: Lo Mein

The noodles are made from white flour, which raises your blood sugar faster than fiber-rich whole grains. Plus, they're cooked with oil and soy sauce, so you get extra fat and sodium. Can't pass it up? Order the vegetable version, and only have half the order.

Well that depends on where you are eating. If you go to a fast-food style, Americanized Chinese restaurant serving “fried everything” with MSG, then no, it's not healthy. However, many ingredients in traditional Chinese dishes are abundant in nutrients, and work to keep your health in good shape.

What is the difference between orange chicken and General Tso? Orange chicken is crispy fried with a fruity, sweet, and tangy sauce that's caramelized into a glaze. General Tso is stir-fried in a sweet, sour, and spicy umami sauce.

Butter does not provide any thickening to a sauce, since it is made of just fat and water. But a chunk of butter, salted or unsalted, swirled into a sauce at the end, can temporarily emulsify a sauce, while adding richness and sheen, all of which are good things.

Cornstarch and high heat mean super-crispy chicken every time. Before cooking, toss the chicken in cornstarch until completely coated. When the cornstarch hits the hot oil, something magic happens and your chicken with gorgeously golden, crispy edges.

✗ Orange Chicken

The version of this Chinese-American classic at Panda Express comes with 490 calories, 23g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 51g carbohydrate, 25g protein, and 820mg sodium.

Is orange chicken high in carbs? ›

Orange chicken (1 cup) contains 60.8g total carbs, 59.6g net carbs, 11.2g fat, 29.2g protein, and 465 calories.

Serving Size

3 oz. (84 g) [NOTE: Nutritional Facts are for chicken only; see package for orange glaze nutrition values.]

In Chinese, this dish is known as "陳皮雞", literally "dried citrus peel chicken", referring to dried orange or tangerine peel. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ due to cultural and geographical factors.

What's the difference between General Tso and Kung Pao Chicken? General Tso's is sweeter with a milder spice, featuring deep-fried battered chicken. Kung Pao is spicier with stir-fried chicken, vegetables, and peanuts.

By the fall of 2022, Panda Express fans had something new to clamor about at all of its 2,300 locations with the national launch of Beyond the Original Orange Orange Chicken (BTOOC), a plant-based take on its most popular dish made together with vegan company Beyond Meat.

No, it is not. Traditional orange chicken is full of fats, carbohydrates, added sugars and a lot of salt, all things that are not good for your body, weight management, or overall health.

Mandarin Orange Chicken

“With 330 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving, it contains a massive amount of sodium,” says Yelena Wheeler, MPH, RD, a dietitian in Los Angeles. “It also contains 95 mg of cholesterol, which is fairly high for just one cup.”