Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (2024)

Published by Sheena Strain, last updated

Recipe

My simple weeknight Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe that can rival Panda Express in terms of flavor, and you can make it at home easily!

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (1)

How to Make Gluten Free Orange Chicken

This is a very easy recipe to make at home and I’m going to give you a couple of quick tips, it’s not cooked in batter so it’s low in calories too.

  1. Whist together the Orange Juice, Garlic, Soy Sauce, Ginger, and Dry Sherry and set aside.
  2. Next, simply chop the chicken breast into two inch pieces, they don’t need to be precise in terms of size and you can use skinless boneless chicken thighs if you prefer.
  3. Now add the chicken pieces to the marinade, mix them together, cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  4. While the chicken is marinating, mix together the sauce ingredients together and then put it all in a pan and heat gently over a low/medium heat until the sauce thickens.
  5. I like to serve it over rice for my family, I usually have it with Cauliflower rice.

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Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (2)

How to Make Paleo Chinese Chicken

It’s very easy to adjust this recipe to make it Paleo, I have the substitutions listed in the recipe card but here’s how I would change it up to make it Paleo Compliant.

  • Soy Sauce – use coconut aminos for Paleo instead.
  • Sugar – you can use coconut sugar or honey instead, you will probably need a little less honey as it’s sweeter than sugar.
  • Cornstarch – you can use either arrowroot or tapioca starch to thicken your sauce and both are Paleo compliant. They do tend to be a little more sticky/gloopy than cornstarch is, but as long as you don’t use too much it will be ok.

Gluten Free Orange Chicken

Easy Gluten Free Orange Chicken recipe with Paleo Option

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Carbs: 41 g

Protein: 6 g

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2lbSkinless Chicken Breasts, about 2-3 chicken breasts
  • 2tbspcoconut oil

MARINADE

  • 1/3cuporange juice, 80mls - do not use frozen OJ
  • 2clovesgarlic, crushed
  • 1inchginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/3cupsoy sauce, coconut aminos for paleo
  • 1tbspdry sherry, optional

SAUCE

  • 1cuporange juice, Do not use frozen OJ
  • 1tbporange zest, from one orange
  • 4slicesfresh ginger, peeled
  • 3tbspwater
  • 3tbspbrown sugar, honey for paleo
  • 4tbspsoy sauce, coconut aminos for paleo
  • 2tbspcornstarch, arrowroot for paleo

GARNISH

Instructions

  1. Cut your chicken in to bite size pieces and place in a dish with all the marinade ingredients, put in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  2. In a pan add the sauce ingredients and starch together. Put it on the stove over a low medium heat and stir until the sauce is thickened.

    If you want it thicker you can add a little more starch, mix it a small amount of cold water first if you are adding it to the hot sauce.

  3. Add the oil into a non stick skillet and cook the marinaded chicken over a medium high heat for 10 - 15 minutes, or until cooked.

  4. When the chicken is cooked use a slotted spoon to remove it from the cooked marinade and add it to the thickened sauce and mix well

  5. You can serve it over rice, or cauliflower rice for Paleo

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Orange Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 252Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Sodium 2102mg91%

Potassium 654mg19%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 18g20%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 180IU4%

Vitamin C 51.2mg62%

Calcium 43mg4%

Iron 1.7mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information on Noshtastic is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Author: Sheena Strain

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Chinese

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (4)

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About Sheena Strain

Sheena Strain is the proud owner of Noshtastic, a gluten free website that specializes in easy family meals including Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Whole30, and many pressure cooker recipes.

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  1. Liv says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (5)
    I just made this and it’s SO delicious. I’m picky too. It is definitely worth all the effort

    Reply

  2. Meg @ With Salt and Wit says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (6)
    This is one gorgeous dinner! And orange chicken is always our favorite so I need to make this at home and skip the take out!

    Reply

  3. Cailee says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (7)
    WOW!! This looks amazing!! …and it’s easy to prepare?! Such a win!!! …no excuses for takeout!! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  4. Andi @ The Weary Chef says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (8)
    I love easy to prepare dinners! This one might be my new favorite. Looks so good!

    Reply

  5. Beth says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (9)
    One time I made orange chicken with OJ concentrate… that was a horrendous idea! Regular orange juice is a much better ingredient! This is definitely something we’d make time and time again 🙂

    Reply

  6. Annie @Maebells says

    Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (10)
    Yum!! Way better than take out!

    Reply

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe with Paleo Option (2024)

FAQs

Is the orange chicken at Panda Express gluten free? ›

Q: Is the popular Panda Express orange chicken dish gluten-free? A: Unfortunately, Panda Express's iconic orange chicken is not gluten-free. However, Panda Express offers a range of other gluten-free dishes that are equally flavorful.

Is Trader Joe's orange chicken sauce gluten free? ›

No, Trader Joe's orange chicken contains gluten. What can you use instead of cornstarch in orange chicken? Instead of cornstarch, use tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.

Is the teriyaki sauce at Panda Express gluten free? ›

The teriyaki sauce is made of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar. Moreover, the ingredients are prepared fresh using shared utensils which can cause cross-contamination with different allergens. Therefore teriyaki chicken from Panda Express is not gluten-free.

Is Trader Joe's orange chicken low fodmap? ›

No. This product is not low FODMAP as it lists 2 ingredients that are likely high FODMAP at 1 serving and 7 ingredients that could be moderate or high FODMAP depending on source or serving size.

Why isn't Panda Express gluten-free? ›

“Panda uses ingredients that contain all the major FDA allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, milk, soy and wheat). Panda prepares its products fresh with shared cooking equipment and therefore allergens could be present in any entree. We do not have any vegetarian, vegan or gluten free products.”

Why does soy sauce have gluten? ›

Soy sauce is traditionally made with wheat and soy, making the name “soy sauce” slightly misleading. The sauce is typically made by combining soy and crushed wheat and allowing the two to ferment for several days in a salty brine containing mold cultures (2). Therefore, most soy sauces contain gluten from the wheat.

Is Panda sauce gluten free? ›

It's probably best to avoid Panda Express if you have celiac disease or are super sensitive to gluten and cross-contamination. They use many products that contain gluten in their cooking, such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce.

Does Trader Joe's carry gluten free items? ›

You'll find many Trader Joe's gluten free foods in the freezer section. This gluten free macaroni and cheese works great in a pinch. They also stock a gluten free cheese pizza, and a gluten free Chicken Tikka Masala.

Does mandarin orange chicken have gluten? ›

This product has 5 ingredients with gluten and 3 ingredients that may have gluten. Which diet do you follow?

Why is teriyaki not gluten-free? ›

Is Teriyaki Sauce Gluten-Free? Traditionally, teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, which is not gluten-free because it contains wheat. To replace soy sauce in this recipe, we used its cousin: tamari. Tamari and soy sauce are both made from fermented soybeans, but tamari doesn't usually contain wheat.

Is Taco Bell gluten-free? ›

*Taco Bell® does not claim “gluten-free” for any of its food. Some Taco Bell® items are made without gluten-containing ingredients but are prepared in common kitchen areas, including common fryer oil, risking gluten exposure. Taco Bell® does not recommend products for customers with celiac disease.

Can you eat hummus on a low fodmap diet? ›

To create a FODMAP safe, homemade hummus we need to use well-rinsed, canned chickpeas which have a low FODMAP serving size of ¼ cup or 42g. The easiest way to keep your portion low FODMAP is to use no more than 42g of chickpeas per serving and multiply this by how many portions you would like to make.

Is peanut butter low in FODMAP? ›

Is peanut butter low FODMAP? Peanuts are low in FODMAPs, and natural peanut butter is also. Some peanut butter brands add sweeteners with FODMAPs, but typically add small amounts that most people tolerate.

Is popcorn low in FODMAP? ›

Popcorn is naturally low in FODMAPs, which makes it a suitable food for people on a low-FODMAP diet to manage symptoms caused by IBS. One serving of low FODMAP popcorn can be up to 7 cups (56 grams) of popcorn. It is usually 4-5 cups more than the standard size.

What is Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken made of? ›

Co-developed with Beyond Meat, the new Orange Chicken features plant protein wok-tossed in Panda's signature sweet, spicy and tangy orange sauce. According to Panda, the product offers fans all the classic crunchy texture and flavor of the chain's beloved Original Orange Chicken.

Is Panda Express mushroom chicken gluten-free? ›

The restaurant version has 120 calories, 9 g of fat, 750 mg of sodium, 40 mg of cholesterol, 11 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of sugar, and 12 g of protein (source). Is mushroom chicken from panda express gluten-free? No, Panda Express has no gluten-free or vegetarian dishes except for white rice.

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