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Keto orange chicken is one of the most popular recipes in my Easy Keto Cookbook, so I just couldn’t resist sharing it with you here, too! It’s everything you’d expect from this healthier Chinese makeover, in a good way: chunks of juicy, crunchy chicken tossed in a sweet, sticky citrus sauce – all without the carbs that usually go along with it. When you’re craving takeout, make this low carb orange chicken recipe instead!
This chicken uses pork rinds for the crunchy breading, but you could also use a blend of pork rinds and whey protein powder (like I do for keto chicken tenders) or just use plain almond flour (like I did for keto chicken nuggets), which still turns out good, but less crispy. The citrus sauce takes a few minutes longer than classic pan sauces like lemon chicken piccata, but the results are so worth it.
If you like this easy keto orange chicken recipe, you’re going to love my hardcover Easy Keto Cookbook. It’s packed with 100 simple low carb recipes, each with 10 ingredients or less – and 80 of them are brand new, not posted on the blog! I hope you’ll make this book a staple in your keto cookbook collection. (It has over 3000 positive reviews – I’m overwhelmed with gratitude!)
Get The Easy Keto Cookbook
And if you register your purchase here, you can get a free printable keto pantry shopping list!
How To Make Keto Orange Chicken
This keto crispy orange chicken comes together in a few simple steps…
1. Make crispy chicken:
- Season. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
- Coat. In one bowl, whisk eggs. Place crushed pork rinds in another bowl. Dip chicken in egg wash, shake off excess, then coat with pork rinds on all sides.
- Fry. Cooking in batches, place a single layer of chicken pieces into a skillet with avocado oil and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.
Make keto orange chicken sauce:
- Saute garlic. Heat garlic and saute while chicken rests.
- Deglaze. Add coconut aminos, wine vinegar, orange zest, ground ginger, and Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend. Scrape any browned bits from bottom of the pan to deglaze.
- Simmer. Bring sauce to boil, then lower to simmer and heat until volume is reduced and sauce is thick and glossy.
- Add chicken. Return chicken pieces to pan.
- Toss and serve. Coat the chicken in sauce, garnish (ideas below), and serve!
Low Carb Orange Chicken FAQs
Is orange chicken keto?
Most orange chicken dishes are not keto friendly, as they are made with breaded chicken that’s tossed in a sugar-laden orange sauce. A typical serving can contain almost 30 net carbs!
In this version, we’re using carb-free pork rinds for the breading and the keto orange chicken sauce recipe is made with Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend (0 net carbs!), which gives it sweet flavor without the sugar. Each serving has just 7.4 grams net carbs.
Is orange chicken gluten-free?
Most orange chicken is not gluten-free, because it’s made with a breaded chicken that’s usually coated in white flour.
This low carb orange chicken recipe is made with a pork rind breading, making it keto and gluten-free.
Can I use a different sweetener?
You can, though I don’t recommend it. I used powdered erythritol in the book, which worked fairly well, but I don’t use that anymore.
Now I use Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend, which works a lot better, because dissolves just like sugar, has no cooling effect, and won’t crystallize if you store it.
But, you could also use powdered allulose or powdered erythritol instead. Just be sure it’s powdered, or your sauce will be gritty. For other sweetener swaps, refer to my keto sweetener guide.
Storage Instructions For Sugar-Free Orange Chicken
Can you make it ahead?
This orange chicken is best made fresh and served hot. And the whole meal takes just 30 minutes, so it’s doable even on a weeknight.
How to store low carb sugar-free orange chicken:
Store leftover orange chicken in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze orange chicken?
You can freeze the chicken and sauce separately, but if you’ve already mixed them together, it’s best to not freeze.
How to reheat keto orange chicken:
For best results, reheat the chicken in a hot skillet.
What To Serve With Low Carb Orange Chicken
Serving orange chicken keto style is pretty simple. Here’s what to pair with it:
- Cauliflower Rice – The perfect replacement for non-keto rice. (Alternatively, zucchini noodles work great, too.)
- Broccoli – You can make sauteed broccoli, roasted broccoli, or steamed broccoli in parallel with the chicken.
- Garnish – A sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onions is all you need.
More Keto Stir Fry Recipes
If you like this keto orange chicken recipe, you might also like some of my other keto stir fry recipes:
- Keto Beef And Broccoli – Just like the takout favorite, in a fraction of the time!
- Chicken Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry – This 15 minute dinner is totally customizable – you can use what you already have on hand.
- Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry – Just 15 minutes to make this healthy dinner that is naturally low carb, paleo, and whole30!
- Vegetable Stir Fry – This simple vegetable stir fry with sauce takes just 10 minutes. Plus, tips for the best stir fry veggies.
- Ground Beef Zucchini Stir Fry – This full meal is ready in just 20 minutes, and full of delicious pesto flavor. Made with simple ingredients and naturally low carb.
Tools To Make Keto Orange Chicken
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Skillet – Make both the chicken and low carb orange chicken sauce in this durable, high quality skillet.
- Wooden Spatula – The flat edge of this spatula makes it easy to deglaze the pan and scrape up any bits.
Keto Orange Chicken Recipe
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Keto Orange Chicken Recipe
This easy low carb keto orange chicken recipe is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and tossed in a sweet, sticky citrus sauce. It'll satisfy every takeout craving!
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Ingredients
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Chicken:
Orange sauce:
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GET BESTIInstructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Chicken:
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Season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper.
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In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. In a medium bowl, place the crushed pork rinds.
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In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
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Dip the chicken pieces in the egg, shake off the excess, then coat with the pork rind crumbs on all sides. (Alternatively, you can place all the chicken pieces in the egg at once, and take them out one by one to dip in the crumbs.) Working in batches, place a single layer of chicken into the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.
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Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Keep the skillet for the sauce.
Orange sauce:
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While the chicken rests, in the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the coconut aminos, wine vinegar, orange zest, powdered monk fruit allulose blend, and ground ginger. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom and deglaze the pan.
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Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the volume is reduced, and the sauce thickens and looks glossy.
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Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat. The sauce will thicken as it cools from hot to warm.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup, about 6 chicken pieces (6 ounces)
Recipe from The Easy Keto Cookbook.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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31 Comments
Vanessa Blevins
Hands down the best homemade Chinese food I’ve had
Jessica
My girlfriends and I get together about once a month and we usually cook potluck-style, which is great because I can make things that are safe for me to eat. This month they all decided to order Chinese and I knew that would be a bad idea for me. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try; SO GLAD THAT I DID! I ended up using chicken thighs because that’s what I had. I also added some chicken broth to thin out the sauce a bit because I over-reduced it. I served it over cauliflower rice stir-fry and everyone asked to sample it. This meal got high marks across the board and everyone was impressed with the depth of flavor in the sauce. I didn’t have ginger powder, but I did have fresh ginger. The sauce was so fragrant; it was perfect, really. I will make this again and again; thank you!!
Dee
Hi Maya,
I can’t wait to try this but had a question about the Coconut Aminos first. I wanted to know if you know of or use a brand that might be lower in Carbs than what I have. My bottle says 1 Carb per 1 TSP. So calculating for the 1/2 cup needed for the recipe, would total 24 Carbs or 6 Carbs per serving plus carbs from the other ingredients. I like to save on any carbs as possible.
Thanks, Dee
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Dee, Here is the Coconut Aminos I suggest. I estimate about 7.1 net carbs per serving in this recipe.
Lauren Friedman
This recipe was great! Really fulfilled that Take out craving, and super easy!
I am wondering though where the 7 carbs come from? Everything I used said 0 carbs, minus the garlic and the orange zest – am I missing something?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Lauren, The carbs come from coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, and orange zest. I hope this helps!
Lissa
Could anyone suggest a replacement for the crushed pork rinds? I’m not a big fan of the flavor, and I can’t seem to get them decently crushed in my food processor anyway. I suppose I could just make this with steamed chicken, but I’d really like something crunchy.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Lissa, Almond flour can be used in place of pork rinds. The crust will not get as crunchy, but it will work well in the recipe otherwise.
Heather
Where are you getting the net carb calculations? Because from what I can understand none of the ingredients you used has that many carbs. You said there is 6.1 sugars in it but you used the blend with zero sugar so technically that shouldn’t be there? I just want to understand.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Heather, The sugars listed in the recipe are mainly from the coconut aminos. It’s made from coconut nectar and is a bit higher in carbs. I hope this helps!
Linda Reichenbach
What does the coconut aminos do for the recipe and is there a substitute for it, or can it be left out ?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Linda, Coconut Aminos is a gluten-free, soy-free substitute for soy sauce. If you are not strictly clean keto, then soy sauce or tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) will work.
becky siller
Love this recipe. Didn’t have any monk fruit alluose but sauce was great without it. So nice to have crunch!
Tammy
can I substitute the white wine with something else?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Tammy, Yes you can use chicken broth if you prefer, but the flavor of the sauce will be different.
Robert R
This recipe tasted great!! My wife’s favorite dish so I was very happy to make it for her. We got it out of your cookbook and it is a definite winner. Delicious!!
Beverly K
This was yummy, and so appreciated – I had cooked up a batch of the Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken for my husband and daughter, and made this for my son and myself. My son is allergic to eggs, so instead of the eggs I used cashew yogurt as the “wash” on the chicken and the pork panko stuck perfectly. Fried in a combination of avocado oil and duck fat. Delish! My daughter ended up eating some of ours too (which is great because I’d love for her to go keto as well).
Mimi
If these are all truly keto friendly, why do you include “course, cuisine, and calories” but no mention at all of how many carbs are in the serving? Help!! I need to have an idea of how many carbs, not calories!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mimi, The carb counts are located in the nutrition facts just under the recipe instructions. The net carb count is 7.4 grams per 6 pieces (approx 6 ounces) of chicken. I hope this helps!
Shannon Spencer
Delicious recipe! I saved some time and a little extra clean up by cooking the chicken in the air fryer. I highly recommend this dish to hit the Chinese food cravings.
Kim
This was the closest rendition to authentic Chinese Orange Chicken that I have found.
A few pointers:
1. Use a food processor to finely chop the pork rinds. I tried a rolling pin but had large chunks, even though it “looked” finely ground in the ziploc bag.
2. Taste the sauce prior to putting it in with the chicken. It will reduce and caramelize, but when I initially tasted it, it was very salty for my taste, and I used a combination of coconut aminos and tamari (what I had on hand). I ended up adding a bit more sweetener, more ginger, and orange zest. Of course, this alters the macros — but for our palate, it worked.
3. I had double the chicken, so the batches took awhile to fry. I would do this with 1 lb of chicken in the future (was using up extra chicken breast from this week’s menu).
Overall, it was really great. My prep time was longer simply because I had doubled the recipe. But any time that my family gobbles it up, takes seconds (or thirds) is a WIN for me. A keeper.
Mackenzie
I made this and it did taste great! But I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken. Any tips?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mackenzie, Did you let the sauce simmer before adding the chicken? As it simmers, it will lose water and thicken down to a syrup-like consistency. If you don’t want to wait for the sauce to reduce on its own, you can add a pinch of xanthan gum to the pan and it will thicken a little quicker. Enjoy!
Joan
I haven’t tried your recipe – yet – but, I was wondering: what do you do with the rest of the orange? Toss it? That’s rather pricey just to get the zest. Could orange extract or orange oil be used instead? It’s too bad that the dried peels contain the pith.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Joan, If there isn’t anyone else in your house who would eat the orange, then you may want to find an alternative. Dried orange peel can be purchased and used in place of fresh orange zest and it will have a much longer shelf life than a fresh orange (it’s more concentrated though, so you’d use less than fresh). I have not tried using orange extract, but I think it would depend a lot on the quality of the extract.
Diane Sheats
I haven’t tried this yet but reading this comment, it occurred to me that orange essential oil might work very nicely in this recipe. I think I’ll try that. The other day we made soup that called for lemongrass and didn’t have any, but a few drops of lemongrass oil gave it more flavor than lemongrass usually gives it! Of course, be sure to use food-grade essential oils.
Natalie
This looks amazing! But I don’t eat pork, what can I replace the pork rinds with??
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Natalie, Almond flour is the best substitution for pork rinds. Enjoy!
Elena
Anxious to try this recipe! Looks really good!
Sam
This orange chicken was easy to make and so delicious!
Katie
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this one with my family.