Last Updated on May 4, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
Orange chicken is a favorite in our house. Crispy, fried chicken with a sweet orange glaze is pretty hard to pass up! It’s great served over cauliflower fried rice or if you can tolerate grains, you can serve it over properly prepared brown rice.
My kids love the addition of broccoli in stir-fry, but can also add bell peppers, snap peas or green beans to this dish for added nutrients.
I prefer to use Fermented Tamari Sauce as a gluten-free substitute for processed soy sauce. When properly fermented and raw, tamari contains probiotics that are beneficial for the gut. A few companies, such as Ohsawa, make tamari the old-fashioned way, brewed in wooden kegs and allowed to age and ferment.
PrintOrange Chicken (Gluten-Free)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American, Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4 tablespoons arrowroot
- 3 tablespoons fermented Tamari sauce (coconut aminos for Paleo)
- 1 Tablespoon sherry (it's worth buying a $7 bottle and keeping it in the cabinet for stir-fry marinades. It will transform the flavor of the dish!)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless pastured chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons fermented tamari (or coconut aminos for Paleo)
- 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar
- Zest of 2 oranges
For the Vegetables:
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil or pastured tallow
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Whisk egg, arrowroot, tamari and sherry in a medium bowl. Add chicken and stir until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes at room temperature to marinate.
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a measuring cup. Set aside.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons oil or tallow in the hot skillet and swirl the pan to coat. Add half of the chicken and fry, without stirring until bottom of chicken turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, turn chicken and fry until second side is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil or tallow to pan and swirl to coat. Place the broccoli in the pan and cook, stirring frequently until hot, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons water to the pan and quickly cover the pan with a lid. Let the broccoli simmer in the water for 2 minutes, then remove the lid and let the remaining water evaporate, about 1 minute. Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic and ginger. Let the mixture cook in the center of the pan until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and sauce to the pan and stir frequently, making sure all of the chicken and broccoli is coated with the sauce. As the sauce heats it will thicken, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Serve immediately.
I don’t usually cook with sherry. What kind/brand sherry do you use?
The bottle I have in the pantry is “Taylor” and it was $8. It makes such a difference in the flavor of the meat! I use it for every stir-fry dish!
Yeehaw! This looks so good and I know the guys in my life are going to be happy, happy, happy! Thanks for another amazing recipe :o) I’m sure it is worth the wait, too.
I was waiting for your comment. 😉 Enjoy!
Haha, you didn’t have to wait long :o) This is dinner tonight, yea!
Been waiting for this one!!! 🙂
What can I use instead of egg? My nursing baby has an egg intolerance (or so the doc tells us).
There isn’t a substitution for the egg. You can leave it out, but the coating on the chicken won’t be quite as thick. It will still taste great!
Thank you for the shout out, sweet friend! This recipe looks amazing! That sauce, oh! that sauce!! I cannot wait to try this! 🙂
You’re welcome!
What is coconut vinegar and where do I find it? I’ve never heard of it!
It can be found at most health food stores or you can order from places like Tropical Traditions. I use it in place of rice vinegar to keep any grain out of the recipe (you can substitute with rice vinegar if you can tolerate grains). I’ve even used white wine vinegar when I was out of coconut vinegar and it turned out great. Here’s a link to the vinegar I buy: http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Raw-Vinegar-12-7/dp/B007QR6360/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399041462&sr=8-2&keywords=coconut+vinegar
Savory & James Amontillado Jerez (sherry) has transformed many dishes for me. A little more $ than Taylor, but worth it.
Good to know! Thanks for the tip!
This looks delicious!! I just made The Domestic Man’s sweet and sour chicken earlier this week and it was a huge hit. I’m definitely going to give this a try. I don’t have sherry at the moment – do you think mirin will work? I happen to have that on hand….
Mirin is a great idea!
Yum, this looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe x
This is delightful! I used organic, boneless, skinless thighs since organic chicken breasts are so expensive and those are cheaper and work well with Asian food. We ended up doubling the sauce so we could freeze it for the next time. It turned out great both times. Yay!
Hi, just wondering – the picture looks like you have sesame seeds in the dish but can’t find them in the recipe – am I seeing things?
This was super delicious. I used apple cider vinegar rather than coconut vinegar because I’ve never heard of coconut vinegar. I need to look into this!
Any idea what the calories are?
Thank you
I used a cast iron skillet and the chicken stuck, so I couldn’t get the browning to stick. What kind of pan do you use?
I use a enameled cast iron pan from Le Creuset. If a cast iron pan is seasoned and the heat is high enough, the food shouldn’t stick.
What can you use besides arrowroot?