A delicious version of Asian-style orange chicken with ginger garlic green beans made with wholesome ingredients. It’s like Chinese take-out, but without the corn syrup and MSG!
Asian food is my absolute favorite. Whether it’s a Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Korean dish, chances are that I like it. It’s the type of food I grew up eating in Hawaii and the kind I make regularly for my family. I haven’t included a lot of these recipes on this site because I cook by taste and therefore don’t measure ingredients. It has been difficult to write down an exact recipe for some of my favorites, but I plan to change that. I’ve been working on recreating some of these recipes for the blog, so if you’re a fan of Asian food like me, then hopefully you’ll appreciate some of these upcoming posts!
This Orange Chicken is a family favorite! We love the sweet and tangy sauce, which is similar to a chicken dish from the local Chinese take-out place, but without the MSG, corn syrup, and all the other bad ingredients that come along with it. One of our favorite ways to eat this chicken is with ginger and garlic sautéed green beans and sticky rice—seriously, so yummy!
This chicken is lightly breaded with cornstarch and then coated in egg before being sautéed in a little oil. Coating the chicken in cornstarch first and then in the egg batter keeps the starch from falling to the bottom of the pan and burning. It also creates a light and slightly crispy coating on the chicken, which holds the sauce well.
I’ve tried this dish without breading the chicken and it was still yummy and a good “lighter” alternative, but this breaded version is much more delicious. I also prefer to use chicken thighs because they stay much more tender and juicy compared to chicken breast. But for all you who only like to eat white meat (like my picky little sister;) just be sure not to over-cook the chicken breast pieces, which can lead to dry and tough nuggets.
Don’t be afraid to make this dish your own! Feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your taste—add more or less sweetener, vinegar, garlic, ginger, or sriracha. After all, that’s one of the perks to cooking your own food, right? Enjoy, friends!
If you like this, check out these similar recipes:
This Sesame Cauliflower is a delicious vegetarian/vegan meal option!
These Asian Dumplings are made totally from scratch and a must-try! For a meat-free option, try these Simple Vegetable Dumplings!
This Teriyaki Noodle Stir-Fry makes a yummy side or add a protein of choice for an easy main dish!
Finally, this Homemade Veggie Sushi is one of the top recipes on the blog! Definitely worth a try!
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Orange Chicken With Ginger Garlic Green Beans
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
A delicious version of Asian-style orange chicken and ginger garlic green beans made with wholesome ingredients. It’s like Chinese take-out, but without the corn syrup and MSG!
Ingredients
Orange Sauce:
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed or all-natural orange juice
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
or rice vinegar
- 3–4 tablespoons Honey
or other sweetener of choice (more or less, to taste)
- 3 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
, if gluten-free use Gluten-Free Tamari
, or Soy & Gluten Free Coconut Aminos
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (1 to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder)
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest (grated from the outer orange peel of 1 medium orange)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (1/4 teaspoon if using ground ginger)
- 1/2–2 teaspoons Sriracha
, to taste (use greater amount if you like it more for spicy)
- 4 tablespoon water mixed with 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
(or all-purpose flour)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Chicken:
- 2 lbs. boneless & skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch bite-size pieces (thighs are a little more tender and juicy in this recipe)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup Corn Starch
- 2–3 beaten eggs
- Cooking oil to coat bottom of pan Avocado Oil
, Coconut Oil
, or vegetable oil
- chopped green onions and sesame seeds for sprinkling on top, optional
- steamed rice or quinoa to serve with, about 1 cup per person (optional)
Ginger Garlic Green Beans:
- 1/2 tablespoon butter (regular or dairy-free) or cooking oil
- 1 12 oz. bag of frozen whole green beans
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons peeled ginger root, minced
Instructions
Orange Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice, vinegar, honey (if you don’t like a lot of sweetness, start with less and add more to taste) soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, grated ginger, and sriracha (it’s very spicy. I suggest starting with less and adding more to taste.) Place saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat, stirring often. Taste and adjust sweetness and spices, to taste. Mix water and cornstarch together and add to the saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside for later.
Chicken:
- Cut your chicken breasts or thighs into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch thick) and season the cut pieces with salt and pepper. Crack 2 eggs in a medium sized bowl and lightly beat with a fork. Set aside. You may need to add a third egg later, if you run out.
- Meanwhile, drizzle oil into a large frying pan, enough to lightly coat the bottom and set on the stove over medium-high heat. Place 1 cup of cornstarch into a gallon sized baggie or medium bowl. Place cut and seasoned chicken pieces into cornstarch and shake or toss to coat. Place cornstarch-coated chicken pieces into the egg mixture, lightly coat, and then spread chicken pieces out into a single layer in the hot frying pan. Be careful not to overcrowd; You will have to cook a few batches.
- Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked thoroughly. Remove chicken pieces to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with remaining batches, adding a little more oil in between if needed. When all of the chicken is cooked, drain the pan and wipe clean, if needed.
- Place cooked chicken back into the pan and cover with the orange sauce. Put the skillet back onto the stove over medium-high heat and bring sauce to a simmer. Toss chicken in the sauce to coat. Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Serve with ginger garlic green beans and rice or quinoa.
Ginger Garlic Green Beans:
- Into a large skillet, heat butter or oil over medium-high heat. Place the frozen green beans into the hot pan, along with minced garlic and ginger. Turn the heat up to high and use tongs to continuously flip green beans in the pan to evenly cook. You want to cook these over high heat so that the water from the frozen green beans evaporates quickly and they don’t get soggy. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until green beans are heated through.
- Category: Meal, Chicken, Gluten Free
- Cuisine: Asian
Late to the party… I’ve had this recipe pinned for several years and just made it for the first time tonight. My boyfriend, two adult kids and I all thought this was fantastic! I’ll definitely be making green beans like this more often. Fast, simple and delicious. I used chicken breast for the nuggets and not one piece overcooked The orange sauce coated the nuggets nicely without being too saucy or overpowering in flavor. I forgot to salt and pepper the chicken before cooking but none of us missed the salt. A really great meal ! Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Hi Janine! That makes me so happy to hear! Glad you finally got to try it and that everyone enjoyed it. Yes, that cooking method is my go-to when preparing green beans—quick and delicious! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! Really appreciate the feedback!
I made the chicken tonight! The sauce and chicken were amazing! I forgot the green beans and obviously can not cook quinoa and brown rice Turned out super sticky but your recipe was on point! I have a family of picky boys and they all asked if we could have it again! Thank you!!
Aw, hearing this makes me so happy, Jennifer! I know kids can be tough critics, so I’m beyond thrilled that your boys asked for it again! Really appreciate you taking the time to share, it totally make my day!!
This chicken dish is beautiful Joscelyn!! My mouth is seriously watering over the sound of the sauce. Yuummmmm!!!! It sounds incredible! Pinned!
Thank you for pinning this recipe, Harriet! You are always so encouraging!
Looks beautiful and amazingly delicious. Can’t wait to try this out 🙂
Thank you, Kushi! I hope you have a great week!
I am definitely going to be making this soon! Can’t wait! Also, how do you always get your pictures so perfect? I’d love to know what camera and lens you’re using; thanks! 😀
Aww, thank you, Kennedy! I have a older Canon Rebel that I use along with a standard 18-55mm lens. Nothing fancy 😉 I’m actually saving up to get a newer camera, which I hope to get soon. Also, I edit the color, brightness, etc., with photoshop. Editing is a must for me, especially if you ever see the before and after. Such a huge difference! Hope that helps!
This looks fab, Joscelyn! I love asian food so much!!
I’m the same way– a lot of times I just cook without measuring anything and then I try to go back an remember how many pinches of garlic powder I added to the soup so I can write it down in my recipe box. Ugh…not a good idea, I really need to work on that.
I love anything with orange flavors, I just know Travis and I will love this!
Oh my goodness! This looks divine. Thanm you so much for sharing this i will make it asap!
I love anything citrusy. And this chicken is just so good. I love all the things that you added into this, Joscelyn. My husband would just love this. A perfect comfy meal for a cold weather.
My hubby is going to love this recipe, he definitely would want to try since he loves chicken. 🙂
this looks perfect! it definitely is hard writing out asian recipes– i want to learn more korean recipes from my mom and aunt but i have to just shadow them in the kitchen because they have no idea about measuring. It’s all about taste, for sure! I feel like that’s what good cooking is about anyway 🙂
Im always looking for new and different recipes. I love this one Joscelyn!
Wow, this looks delicious! Can I use another type of meat instead of chicken?
I absolutely LOVE chicken in sauce over rice! Definitely a comfort meal for me. This looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Marsha! You are always so encouraging! I hope you get to try it!
Love this! I enjoy orange chicken and now it’s even better gluten free! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Raj! I hope you enjoy. It turned out so delicious!