This low carb orange chicken recipe is a copycat of the classic dish from Panda Express – with a tiny fraction of the carbs! Sugar free and keto friendly.
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The orange chicken from Panda Express is their signature dish – but it is absolutely loaded in carbs. Here are some stats:
- A standard order of orange chicken with rice contains a mind-blowing 138g of carbs
- The orange chicken on its own contains 51g carbs (Source)
- And even two tablespoons of the sauce contains 18g carbohydrates!
The main reasons for the high carb count are the sugar (which accounts for 17g of the 18g carbs in the sauce) and the batter used to make the chicken crispy. In my version I'm skipping both – which results in a carb count of only 2.2g!!!!
How to Make Low Carb Orange Chicken
Make the marinade by combining soy sauce, lemon juice, orange extract, garlic paste and ginger paste in a bowl. Add some bite-sized pieces of chicken breast and stir well.
Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, make the sauce by combining water, lemon juice, brown sugar style sweetener, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange extract, hot sauce, red chili flakes. Taste for seasoning, sweetness, and spice and adjust as necessary. I highly recommend brown Lakanto for the sweetener – it is SO good!
Next, whisk in a little xanthan gum – this zero carb thickener will give the sauce body and texture, but you can skip it if you prefer.
Heat some oil in a large skillet. Drain the marinade from the chicken and discard it. Place the chicken in the skillet in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken pieces over and add the sauce. Continue to cook until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened.
Serve, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion tops.
The flavor is tangy, sweet, and spicy – perfect! Oh and cauliflower rice is the perfect accompaniment to this dish!
Low Carb Orange Chicken
This orange chicken recipe is a copycat of the classic dish from Panda Express - with a tiny fraction of the carbs! Sugar free and keto friendly.
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tbs soy sauce (or tamari)
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
For the sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tbs brown Lakanto
- 2 tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tbs soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 tbs orange extract
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
To garnish
- toasted sesame seeds
- chopped green onion tops
Instructions
- Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken and stir well. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, make the sauce by combining the water, lemon juice, sweetener, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange extract, hot sauce, red chili flakes. Taste for seasoning, sweetness, and spice and adjust as necessary.
- Next, whisk in a little xanthan gum and set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and place over a medium-high. Drain the marinade from the chicken and discard it. Place the chicken in the skillet in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn the chicken pieces over and add the sauce. Continue to cook until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve, garnished with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion tops.
Notes
2.2g net carbs per serving (half the recipe, not including cauliflower rice)
Nutritional data does not include the marinade ingredients as only a fractional amount is consumed.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size Half the recipeAmount Per Serving Calories 451Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2.8gCholesterol 193mgSodium 611mgCarbohydrates 2.6gNet Carbohydrates 2.2gFiber 0.4gSugar 0.8gProtein 71g