One of my favorite Chinese recipes (American Chinese, I’m sure) is this Orange Chicken recipe I posted last year. It is unbelievably good, but it’s fried so I only make it every now and then. Since it at the top of my list I decided to make a lighter version of it so I could make it a regular in my home and not have to feel guilty about all the frying (don’t get me wrong, definitely try the fried version too, I just believe in keeping a balanced diet. So, maybe I’d just recommend every other time making the fried, more traditional recipe then rotate with this lighter version). I adapted this recipe from that fried Orange Chicken so you won’t really even noticed a whole lot of difference. They have very similar flavors, this one just doesn’t have the fried coating.
I was so happy to see that my entire family loved this, myself included of course. As I was taking pictures my kids and I kept eating pieces of this chicken, we just couldn’t wait because it’s so irresistibly delicious. It is covered with plenty of sauce which is loaded with a vibrant, fresh orange flavor. It uses about half the sweetener as the traditional, and I also substitute some honey for the sugar for a healthier alternative. And the 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in this recipe vs of few cups for frying is definitely a calorie reduction. It is definitely a recipe you’ll want to make time and time again. And why not? It’s ready in 25 minutes!
