Make this gluten-free orange chicken recipe in under 35 minutes and serve it with coconut rice or your favorite vegetables. It's a healthier and quicker version of orange chicken.
This delicious gluten-free chicken tastes like your takeout favorite chicken but it's made at home! The sticky sauce on this chicken tastes amazing served with our instant pot jasmine rice, white rice, coconut rice, brown rice, our gluten-free ramen or even cauliflower rice.
It can be so hard to find gluten free Chinese food and even harder to find a good gluten free orange chicken option. Whether you are looking at traditional Chinese restaurants or even chains like Panda Express or PF changs it's rare to find.
Another one of my favorite recipes is my Chick-Fil-A gluten-free chicken sandwich as well as this Mississippi chicken instant pot style. I love recipes that get dinner on the table fast because they come in especially handy during busy weeknights.
And if you want to try something a bit different but equally as delicious, this gluten free fried chicken is a winner winner!
Sometimes store bought orange chicken sauce contains regular soy sauce which is not gluten-free. I like to make my own sauce with coconut aminos or ginger soda! This way you can add more orange flavor with fresh oranges or orange zest.
Ingredients for gluten-free orange chicken
This easy recipe calls for simple ingredients and can be made in under 35 minutes!
Chicken - Chicken breasts cut into small chicken pieces taste best in this recipe. You want to make sure your cooked chicken is fully done to golden brown before serving.
Cornstarch - Cornstarch helps coat the chicken but feel free to use gluten-free flour, all purpose flour, or arrowroot starch to thicken the sauce as well.
Brown sugar - Brown sugar helps sweeten the sauce and you can sub for coconut sugar.
Orange Juice - Fresh orange juice from ½ an orange is the best way to get the most flavor. You can use store bought orange juice if you're in a pinch. If you like lots of orange flavor you'll love this chocolate orange cake.
Spices - I like to use onion salt and ground ginger but you can add other spices if you'd like. Green onions, sesame seeds, garlic powder, or fresh garlic are all great additional spices/toppings.
How to make gluten-free orange chicken
Step 1: Cook rice and coconut milk until soft and creamy then make sure the butter or olive oil is fully melted before you add the chicken and cook until no longer pink
Step 2: Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat 15 minutes making sure to whisk often then sprinkle 2 T corn starch over cooked chicken and toss to coat
Step 3: Pour the orange ginger sauce over chicken and continue cooking for 5 minutes on low heat until evenly coated
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35-Minute Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup ginger soda I like Dry Sparkling
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Juice of 1 medium size orange
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon onion salt
- 1 cup rice any variety is fine
- 13.66 can full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- In a rice cooker, add the rice and coconut milk and start cooking
- In a large sauce pan, heat 1 T butter until melted
- Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients except cornstarch and simmer over low heat 15 minutes making sure to whisk often
- Once the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle 2 T corn starch over chicken and toss to coat
- Pour the orange ginger sauce over chicken and continue cooking for 5 minutes on low heat until evenly coated
- Once the rice is done, place on plates and top with sticky orange ginger chicken
- Garnish with more fresh orange zest and lots of pickled ginger
Notes
Nutrition
*This post was originally published in April 2017 and was updated April 2022.
Deb says
Does the cornstarch go in the sauce or on the chicken? The instructions to add all remaining ingredients sound like it goes in the sauce but then it says to put it on the chicken. Hubby is making this tonight and is confused. Thanks.
Chandice says
So sorry, sprinkle it on the chicken...
Deb says
Thanks. We put it in the sauce and it tasted so good. I love the way the orange juice flavor came through. We will be having this again.
Chandice says
Thanks Deb, I am so glad to hear that! 🙂
Belle says
I don't tolerate coconut milk. What can I sub?
Chandice says
Hi Belle, you can easily use regular milk or just water it just won't have the coconut flavor. Also, our instant pot jasmine rice is a great recipe for you.
Belle says
Thank you.
Janice says
My new favorite recipe!! Like takeout but better and gluten-free so that's a win!
Shannon says
I'd love to try this but do you have instructions for coconut rice made either on the stove top or in the oven? I haven't tried doing rice in the oven yet, but I'm going to be teaching a group of 7th-12th graders and I'll need to adapt recipes for a large group. Challenging to say the least!
Chandice says
Hi Shannon, that is great thank you! I don't, I just use my rice cooker but I bet it would just be the same as cooking rice normally on the stovetop via bag directions just with coconut milk instead of water. Sorry, I rely too much on my rice cooker! 😉
Chandice says
Aw, thank you so much...I appreciate you taking the time to say that! 🙂