Gluten-Free Orange Chicken {Dairy-Free}

An easy recipe for gluten-free orange chicken. The perfect combination of a sweet and tangy orange sauce with crispy gluten-free chicken bites. This gluten-free dinner recipe is also dairy-free. 

Gluten-Free Orange Chicken

Making gluten-free orange chicken at home is a lot easier than you think! This recipe is a copycat to the favorite Panda Express Orange Chicken.

You can see how easy it is to make this orange chicken at home in the recipe video.

Is Orange Chicken Spicy?

Traditional orange chicken has red pepper or chili flakes in the sauce, so it has a little spiciness to it. Orange chicken is not as spicey as General Tso chicken.

My recipe leaves out the red pepper because my family does not enjoy spicy food. But if you enjoy it spicy, add a ¼ teaspoon of chili flake to the sauce.

What Is The Difference Between General Tso And Orange Chicken?

General Tso and orange chicken are very similar. The chicken is prepared the same way and is fried until light golden brown.

The major difference between the two is the sauce. General Tso’s chicken is sweet, savory, and spicy. It is not made with orange juice and uses more red pepper or chili flakes.

What is Orange Chicken Sauce Made Of?

This copycat Panda Express orange chicken recipe has a tangy and sweet orange sauce. The homemade orange sauce is made with orange juice, gluten-free soy sauce, gluten-free rice vinegar, granulated and brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.

If you want your orange chicken to be a little spicy, you can add chili or red pepper flakes to the sauce.

How To Make Gluten-Free Orange Chicken

• Combine the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, and ground ginger in a large plastic storage bag, (Think Shake and Bake). This is the easiest method, but you could also dredge the chicken pieces in a bowl. (photo 2)
• Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch size pieces. I find the best way to get the best size pieces is to cut the chicken in half and then cut them once more in half.
• Whisk the egg in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the egg and stir to fully coat the pieces. (photo 1)
• Place all of the chicken pieces in the plastic storage bag of the flour mixture and seal the top of the bag. Keep turning over the bag until the chicken pieces are fully coated. Place in the refrigerator while the oil is heating up. (photo 3 & 4)
• Heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok, until 350°F.
• Carefully add the chicken pieces to hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until light golden brown. Do not overcook the chicken. The chicken will continue to cook a little while they cool off. You may need to cook the chicken in several batches depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the skillet. (photo 5)
• Remove the chicken pieces from hot oil to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet or plate. (photo 6)
• Carefully pour the hot oil from the pan into a heatproof bowl to cool off so you can dispose of it later (or save it for another frying recipe). Wipe the skillet out with a paper towel and return it to the stovetop.
• Either spray your skillet with a nonstick gluten-free cooking spray or put a little oil back into your pan and set to medium heat.
• Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger to the pan and stir to combine. Add in the orange juice, stirring occasionally, until the sugars dissolved.
• Add in the gluten-free rice vinegar and gluten-free soy sauce and stir to combine.
• Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pan and stir.
• Cook the sauce until it looks like a maple syrup consistency, stirring occasionally. (photo 7)
• Return the fried chicken pieces to the pan and stir to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce. Serve and enjoy! (photo 8 & 9)
• Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.

What Is The Best Type Of Oil To Fry Chicken In?

I like peanut oil for frying food. Any high-heat vegetable oil will work well in this recipe.

What Can I Substitute For The Gluten-Free Soy Sauce?

You can use gluten-free coconut amino’s in place of the gluten-free soy sauce.

Is Rice Vinegar Gluten-Free?

Distilled white vinegar is gluten-free. Please check the label of your rice vinegar or white vinegar. I used Marukan gluten-free rice vinegar.

Tips For Making The Best Gluten-Free Orange Chicken

• Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
• Cooking with a wok really makes this recipe easy to make.
• Use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.
• Use a splatter guard on top of the wok while the chicken is frying.
• Fry the chicken in batches and do not overcrowd the pan.
• Use a skimmer spoon to remove the chicken from the hot oil.
• Do not overcook the chicken. The chicken pieces will be light golden brown. The chicken will continue to cook a little while it cools off.

Gluten-Free Flour

For this gluten-free orange chicken recipe, I used Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Pillsbury gluten-free flour is a white rice flour with starches and xanthan gum in it.

I use a combination of the Pillsbury gluten-free flour and cornstarch for the batter. You can substitute arrowroot flour in place of the cornstarch.

This recipe will not work with almond, coconut, or oat flour.

Gluten-Free And Dairy-Free Orange Chicken

This orange chicken recipe is both gluten-free and dairy-free. Some restaurants soak their meat in a milk mixture (like PF Changs), but I have found that the eggs work perfectly for binding the batter.

Some of my favorite dairy-free products that I like to cook with are unsweetened almond milk, Smart Balance butter, and olive oil.

Easy Gluten-Free Orange Chicken

This gluten-free orange chicken recipe only needs a few simple ingredients and has a few easy steps to make this popular recipe. If you have been craving orange chicken since going gluten-free, you are going to love my copycat recipe for Panda Express’s orange chicken!

More Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes To Try!

• Gluten-Free Southern Fried Chicken {Dairy-Free Option}
• Gluten-Free Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
• Gluten-Free Meatloaf {Dairy-Free Option}

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5 from 21 votes

Gluten-Free Orange Chicken {Dairy-Free}

An easy recipe for gluten-free orange chicken. The perfect combination of a sweet and tangy orange sauce with crispy gluten-free chicken bites. This gluten-free dinner recipe is also dairy-free. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword gluten-free dairy-free orange chicken, gluten-free orange chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 356kcal

Author Audrey from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Ingredients

Chicken:

• ▢ 3 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch sized pieces
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying I like peanut oil for frying.

Dry Coating:

Chicken

• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour I used Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour.
• ▢ ½ cup cornstarch I used Argo.
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 2 large eggs, whisked

Orange Sauce

• ▢ 4 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce I used La Choy.
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ½ cup orange juice
• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free rice vinegar (or white vinegar) I used gluten-free Marukan rice vinegar.
• ▢ 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 4 tablespoons water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Combine the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, and ground ginger in a large plastic storage bag, (Think Shake and Bake). This is the easiest method, but you could also dredge the chicken pieces in a bowl.
• Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch size pieces. I find the best way to get the best size pieces is to cut the chicken in half and then cut them once more in half.
• Whisk the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add chicken pieces to the egg and stir to fully coat the pieces.
• Place all of the chicken pieces in the plastic storage bag of the gluten-free flour mixture and seal the top of the bag. Keep turning over the bag until the chicken pieces are fully coated. Place in the refrigerator while the oil is heating up.
• Heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok, until 350°F.
• Carefully add the chicken pieces to hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until light golden brown. You may need to cook the chicken in several batches depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the skillet.
• Remove the chicken pieces from hot oil to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet or plate.
• Carefully pour the hot oil from the skillet into a heatproof bowl to cool off so you can dispose of it later (or save it for another frying recipe). Wipe the skillet out with a paper towel and return it to the stovetop.
• Either spray your skillet with a nonstick gluten-free cooking spray or put a little oil back into the skillet and set to it medium heat.
• Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and, ground ginger to the skillet and stir to combine. Add in the orange juice, stirring occasionally, until the sugars dissolved.
• Add in the gluten-free rice vinegar and gluten-free soy sauce, and stir to combine.
• Whisk together the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry to the skillet and stir. Cook the sauce until it looks like maple syrup consistency, stirring occasionally.
• Return the fried chicken pieces to the skillet and stir to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce. Serve and enjoy!
• Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.

Video

Notes

• You can substitute 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thigs in place of the chicken breasts. 
• Do not overcook the chicken. The chicken pieces will be light golden brown. The chicken will continue to cook a little while it cools off.
• Arrowroot powder can be substituted for cornstarch. 
• Gluten-free white vinegar can be substituted for gluten-free rice vinegar. 
• If you enjoy orange chicken spicy add a ¼ teaspoon of chili flake to the sauce.
• Mama says, "Check all of your labels!"

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 703mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

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