If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I love cooking with chicken. It's a great protein for gluten-free main dishes because it's so meaty and has a nice, mellow flavor. You can use it for all kinds of dinner ideas.
Dishes like chicken piccata or spinach artichoke pasta are incredibly delicious and full of flavor, and they always become favorites when I make them. Now I have a new one that's going to be an instant classic - my gluten free orange chicken recipe.
I love takeout almost as much as I love home-cooked meals, so I combined the two to recreate this popular Chinese dish right in my own kitchen. It doesn't get fresher than this easy gluten free orange chicken recipe, and the flavor is off the charts!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need to make this recipe can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Easy: This recipe requires only a little frying and mixing, so it's straightforward.
- Classic Flavor: Every bite is loaded with the classic sweet, savory, and tangy flavor of your favorite takeout recipe.
- Versatile: Serve this dish as a main course, with shrimp and chicken fried rice and air fryer birria chicken spring rolls, or enjoy it on its own as a delicious appetizer.
- Perfect for Any Diet: This recipe is gluten and dairy-free, making it suitable for everyone.
- Great for Meal Prep: This is a very freezer-friendly dish, making it a great addition to your meal prep rotation, if you're a fan of meal prep like I am.
Jump to:
Ingredients
I prefer Springer Mountain Farms boneless skinless chicken thighs for their high quality and commitment to raising their chickens without added antibiotics or hormones and feeding them with no animal by-products.
Refer to the recipe card at the end of the post for a complete list of ingredients and their precise quantities.
Variations
- Flour: Traditional flour can be used if you don't have gluten issues.
- Tamari Sauce: Soy sauce can be used in the same amounts. Both soy and tamari sauce have similar flavors. You just have to be careful when choosing soy sauce, as some can have gluten.
- Mild: You can use minced garlic in place of minced chili garlic.
- Protein: Chicken breasts, lean pork, or shrimp all work well with the recipes in this dish.
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes to the orange sauce for a kick of heat.
How to Make Gluten Free Orange Chicken
Mix the chicken batter ingredients well in a large bowl. Then, add the diced chicken and mix until fully coated.
Deep fry the chicken at 340°F in batches until cooked through and golden, transferring them to a wire rack as you go.
Fry the chicken in batches once more, transferring them to a wire rack as you go, until they're deep golden brown and crispy.
Whisk the sauce ingredients and combine them with the fried chicken in a large wok on medium heat. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- It takes very little time to double-fry the chicken pieces. Keep a close eye on them to ensure they don't burn.
- Be sure to preheat your oil thoroughly and work in small batches to ensure the oil stays hot while you fry the chicken.
- Dip one piece of chicken into the oil when you think it's ready. If the oil sizzles, you're ready to fry!
- It's essential to place the chicken on a rack, not on a plate. The rack allows all sides of the chicken's coating to crisp as it cools.
- Remove the wok from the heat before adding the chicken. This keeps the chicken from overcooking.
Gluten Free Orange Chicken FAQ
No, it isn't. Orange chicken is a Chinese American dish invented in 1987 by Andy Kao, the executive chef for Panda Express. However, it's inspired by a sour tangerine chicken dish from the Hunan province of China.
This gluten free orange chicken uses gluten free flour and tamari sauce. Tamari sauce has a flavor profile very similar to soy sauce, but it has zero gluten.
Orange chicken pairs well with all your favorite Chinese sides, like fried rice, egg rolls, wontons, and the like.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Orange Chicken
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon 1:1 gluten free flour
- 2 tbsp tamari sauce
- ½ tablespoon 14 spice seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅓ cup water
- canola oil for frying 2 to 3 cups
Sauce
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoon tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tbsp minced chili garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
Chicken
- Rinse the chicken and dice it into small cubes. Then, pat dry. Preheat the oil to 340 degrees in a large skillet or deep fryer.
- Whisk the cornstarch, flour, tamari sauce, seasonings, egg, sesame oil, and water in a medium bowl.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat well.
- Fry the chicken in small batches in the hot oil for 4 to 7 minutes until cooked through and golden, transferring the chicken to a wire rack with paper towels underneath it as you go.
- Place the chicken back into the oil and fry for another minute until you achieve a golden color and extra crispy coating.
Sauce
- While the chicken is cooking, whisk the orange juice and zest, tamari sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced chili garlic, sesame oil, and ground ginger in a large measuring cup.
- Add the mixture to a large wok or pan over medium heat. Then, mix the cornstarch and water and add it to the pan. Cook for a minute until thickened.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and mix in the chicken pieces until evenly coated.
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- For longer storage, freeze the chicken for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- To reheat, defrost the chicken overnight if frozen. Then, microwave at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- The key to achieving crispy fried food is controlling the oil temperature. Preheat your oil and dip a piece of coated chicken in it when you think it's ready. If the coating sizzles, it's ready to go.
- Work in small batches to keep the oil hot and maintain its temperature.
- When washing chicken, hold it as close to the bottom of the sink as possible and use a gentle stream of water to minimize splashing.
- It takes very little time to double-fry the chicken pieces. Keep a close eye on them to ensure they don't burn.
- It's essential to place the chicken on a rack, not on a plate. The rack allows all sides of the chicken's coating to crisp as it cools.
- Remove the wok from the heat before adding the chicken. This keeps the chicken from overcooking.
Lathiya says
Orange chicken is one of our family favorites. This gluten free orange chicken was spot on. WE loved the recipe.
Swathi says
Gluten free orange chicken is so yummy. I loved this recipe,so perfect and tasty.
Criss says
This gluten-free orange chicken is crispy, sticky, and packed with a sweet and tangy sauce. So good, you won’t miss the takeout version!
Tisha says
Love that this is gluten free, absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Genevieve says
I LOVE orange chicken. It's one of my favorites to make. It's so expensive to order from takeout, this recipe is a much better option!
Juyali says
So much flavor packed into this Chicken! Savory, tang and lightly sweet. Just perfect.
Sonja says
Mmmmmh Orange Chicken! So addictive! I love anything savory sweet and was looking for a recipe I could make when a celiac impacted friend comes over. This was perfect and she absolutely loved it too.
Amy says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Liz says
My family LOVED this chicken!!! A tasty change from lemon chicken...the flavor was terrific.