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    Home » Recipes » Chicken and Poultry » Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

    April 27, 2022 By Chandice | 12 Comments | Updated September 1, 2022

    this post may contain affiliate links

    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice pin

    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.

    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice on a plate

    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. This homemade orange chicken is a great option for those who eat gluten-free! Feel free to serve egg rolls in the air fryer.

    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.

    Also, this chicken is super easy to pair with vegetables like these instant pot carrots or air fryer sweet potato fries. The perfect combination makes for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner.

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    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice on a plate

    Is orange sauce gluten-free?

    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 just like with this sweet and sour chicken stir fry.

    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.

    Ginger soda

    I love Dry Sparkling ginger soda but any ginger soda will work.

    Orange Juice

    Fresh orange juice from 1/2 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 as instructed

    Step 2: In a large sauce pan, heat butter or olive oil until melted

    Step 3: Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink

    Step 4: Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat 15 minutes making sure to whisk often

    Step 5: Sprinkle 2 T corn starch over cooked chicken and toss to coat

    Step 6: Pour the orange ginger sauce over chicken and continue cooking for 5 minutes on low heat until evenly coated

    Step 7: Serve with rice

    Pro tip: You can thicken the sauce with a small amount of xanthan gum if desired.

    Expert tips and FAQs

    Does general tso’s chicken have gluten?

    Sometime general tso’s chicken will contain gluten it just depends on the restaurant or the recipe. If you have food allergies, it’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with Chinese food.

    What is Mongolian sauce made of?

    Mongolian sauce is very similar to orange chicken sauce. It’s a blend of brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Feel free to swap the chicken out in this recipe for Mongolian beef!

    How do you reheat orange chicken?

    You can store orange chicken in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat in the microwave or air fryer. I recommend making fresh rice as rice does not reheat well.

    Gluten free orange chicken recipe

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    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

    Gluten-Free Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice on a plate with orange slice
    5 from 2 votes
    Make this gluten-free orange chicken recipe in under 35 minutes and serve with coconut rice or your favorite vegetables. 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, or even cauliflower rice. 
    PRINT RECIPE SAVE RECIPESaved!
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 25 mins
    Total Time: 35 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, asian
    Keyword: chicken, gluten-free, orange
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 300kcal
    Author: Chandice

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound chicken breast cut into chunks
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup ginger soda I like Dry Sparkling
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • Juice of 1 medium size orange
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/4 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

    How do you reheat orange chicken? 
    You can store orange chicken in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat in the microwave or air fryer. I recommend making fresh rice as rice does not reheat well.
    Pro tip: You can thicken the sauce with a small amount of xanthan gum if desired.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

    *This post was originally published in April 2017 and was updated April 2022.

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    Filed Under: Chicken and Poultry, Ethnic Tagged With: chicken, chinese, coconut, ginger, orange

    Chandice of This Vivacious Life

    Hi, I'm Chandice!

    Parties, gatherings, gorgeous food and ESPECIALLY holidays with my people are what make my heart pitter patter. Having a place to share our favorite traditions, recipes and celebrations is very important to me. I live each day with unapologetic, authentic happiness and hope to help others do the same. More About Chandice

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    Comments

    1. Deb says

      May 02, 2022 at 1:53 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        May 02, 2022 at 5:47 pm

        So sorry, sprinkle it on the chicken…

        Reply
        • Deb says

          May 02, 2022 at 10:30 pm

          5 stars
          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

          May 05, 2022 at 3:38 pm

          Thanks Deb, I am so glad to hear that! 🙂

    2. Belle says

      April 25, 2022 at 6:46 pm

      I don’t tolerate coconut milk. What can I sub?

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        April 26, 2022 at 1:17 am

        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.

        Reply
        • Belle says

          May 02, 2022 at 10:52 pm

          Thank you.

    3. Janice says

      April 18, 2022 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      My new favorite recipe!! Like takeout but better and gluten-free so that’s a win!

      Reply
    4. Shannon says

      June 08, 2021 at 3:28 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        June 10, 2021 at 4:50 pm

        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! 😉

        Reply
    5. Baxter says

      April 22, 2018 at 1:20 pm

      Your chicken looks fantastic. Nothing is better than home-cooked orange chicken… Pinned!

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        April 24, 2018 at 4:24 am

        Aw, thank you so much…I appreciate you taking the time to say that! 🙂

        Reply

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    I love sharing ways to live more vivaciously! Celebrate life with us through unforgettable gluten-free recipes, easy mocktails and everyday entertaining ideas…

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