This Healthier One Pan Orange Chicken and Broccoli is a quick and healthy dinner made in about 20 minutes!
Happy Monday! As part of my ongoing effort to make your Mondays better, I bring to you today Healthier One Pan Orange Chicken and Broccoli. This easy, healthy, one pan dinner is just what you need to make Monday night dinner a little less stressful. I have been trying to create more easy dinners, because the stress of “what’s for dinner” is really the worst, right? So just like my Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowls, my Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos and my Peanut Sauce Chicken and Broccoli, this is a quick and easy dinner that can be made in about 25 minutes or less. To show you how simple it is, I even made a video!
I love the flavor of orange in a sweet and spicy sauce, I even have a similar sauce in my Orange Sesame Shrimp. I think I perfected the sauce here in this Healthier One Pan Orange Chicken and Broccoli because the sauce is just whisked together and poured in the pan at the end to thicken up. I used brown sugar to sweeten it up, but you can also use honey if you prefer. Honey will make the sauce slightly less sweet, so depending on your preferences, you may want to add a little more honey if you are using it.
Even though the sauce may seem to have quite a few ingredients, don’t let that intimidate you! They are all great pantry staples that are good to have on hand for making flavorful sauces, and they can be found at most regular grocery stores. I did use fresh squeezed orange juice because not only do I think it tastes better, but I wanted to use the zest of an orange anyway, so it made more sense. It is only the juice of two oranges so squeezing them takes almost the same amount of time as opening a bottle of OJ.
Other quick and easy dinners…
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Healthier One Pan Orange Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 4-6 cups broccoli florets from about two crowns
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- salt
- pepper
For The Orange Sauce:
- 1 cup fresh orange juice about 2 oranges
- zest of one orange
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce to taste
- 3-4 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger root
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Optional Garnish
- sesame seeds
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for orange sauce, set aside
- Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Allow chicken to sit undisturbed for a few minutes, until it starts to brown. Turn and allow to brown on the other side. Stir and continue to cook until cooked through (8-10 minutes).
- Add broccoli to pan and cover with a lid. Allow to steam until broccoli is bright green and tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Pour in orange sauce, stir everything to completely coat in sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve right away over rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if desired.
Nutrition
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Megan says
I bet the orange zest really makes it pop!
Meghan says
Thank you Megan! It does give it a very strong orange flavor!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Great flavors and that broccoli looks great!
Meghan says
Thank you so much Megan!
Kristen Chidsey says
One pan, simple ingredients = winning dinner! Love it~
Meghan says
Thank you so much Kristen!
Lauren Gaskill says
Orange zest + chicken + broccoli is always a good idea! Looks good, friend!
Meghan says
Thanks so much Lauren!
E.A. says
I literally can not wait to make this!! I almost always have brocelli on hand, but not today!!
Anyway, I’m looking forward to making AND eating this!!
I’m sorry you had so many interferences along the way!
YAY for preserving!!
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Meghan says
Yay, I hope you love it!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Considering, I can’t find decent orange chicken in Seattle to save my life, this recipe is high on my list to make.
Meghan says
Haha, I hope this helps Nicole! Thanks lady!
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
This looks delicious Meghan! And wicked video, girl! High five! Love your sauce!! I have leftover turkey in my fridge so I’m going to substitute the chicken for the turkey (only because I have a bunch, know what I’m saying?). I have all the ingredients for the sauce on hand so it’s what’s or dinner tonight! Can’t wait 🙂 Pinned, of course!
P.S. love that you used fresh orange juice and the zest. Love that orange flavour, especially with the sesame oil.
Meghan says
Yay! Thanks lady! I think subbing turkey is a great idea, I hope you love it!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I could survive on broccoli and chicken or any stir-fry’s for that matter, for the rest of my life. Looks so delicious, Meghan 🙂
Meghan says
Thank you so much Kiran!