Presenting our Asian-inspired Keto Orange Chicken Recipe. It's a low-carb and gluten-free twist on traditional orange chicken. Picture this: crispy, golden chicken coated in a tangy orange sauce that's keto-friendly and delicious. The best part? It's super easy to make! So, are you ready to make a batch of this easy orange chicken recipe? Chicken lovers, let's dive in!
Jump to:
- Preparation and cooking overview
- Chef's note
- ππ₯ Ingredients for this keto orange chicken recipe
- Ingredient substitutions
- Additional ingredients
- Cooking tools required
- Tools substitute options
- How to make Keto Orange Chicken: step-by-step guide
- Cooking methods
- Preparation steps
- Cooking instructions
- What to serve with Keto Orange Chicken?
- How to make it healthier?
- Time-saving tips
- What can I prepare ahead of time?
- Storage and reheating instructions
- Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
- π Recipe

Preparation and cooking overview
This easy low-carb orange chicken recipe takes only 35 minutes to prepare! Simply whisk an egg and milk mixture, dunk the bite-sized chicken pieces, and fry until golden brown. And Voila! Delicious low-carb Chinese food is ready to give you a restaurant-style experience!
Chef's note
This recipe is a real winner, guaranteed to impress everyone who tries it! They won't even realize it's a keto-friendly dish! So, if you're heading to a get-together or packing for a picnic, this dish is perfect. But if you're keeping it all to yourself, don't hesitate to spice things up and adjust the sauce to your liking. Want it tangier or sweeter? You decide.
ππ₯ Ingredients for this keto orange chicken recipe
Here are the ingredients to make this delicious Chinese dish:
For the fried chicken
For the sugar-free orange chicken sauce
Ingredient substitutions
Additional ingredients
You can use these optional ingredients to enhance the presentation and flavor of your dish:

Cooking tools required
To make this Keto Orange Chicken recipe, you will need the following kitchen tools:
Tools substitute options
How to make Keto Orange Chicken: step-by-step guide
Cooking methods
Preparation steps
- Prepare your ingredients. Make sure to measure them as well.
- Prepare your cooking area to avoid creating a mess.
- Peel the oranges and extract orange juice.
Cooking instructions
For the chicken
- Beat the eggs with the milk in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the Whey Protein Isolate and the salt.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients except for the xanthan gum in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a 10" or larger cast-iron skillet over medium heat. The oil should be 350Β° F.
- In the hot skillet, dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then into the Whey mixture.
- Immediately drop into the oil. Now cook them in the skillet until browned or cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Once they are fried, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
- After frying the chicken, remove all oil except one tablespoon from the skillet and place back over medium heat.
For Sauce
- In the same skillet with the leftover one tablespoon oil, combine freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, tamari, granulated erythritol, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic cloves, sugar-free ketchup, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in water and place the saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring it to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- When the sauce begins to thicken, sprinkle in optional xanthan gum and whisk continuously to thicken.
- When the sauce is thick and glossy, add the chicken pieces back to the skillet to heat through about 2 minutes.
- Your gluten-free orange chicken is now ready. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.

Chef's pro tip
Avoid overcrowding the skillet during frying to ensure your keto chicken is perfectly crispy. While convenient to cook all the chicken pieces together, this decreases oil temperature, resulting in soggy and greasy chicken. To achieve the best results, fry your chicken in batches, allowing each piece to attain the ideal crispiness and flavor.
What to serve with Keto Orange Chicken?
This crispy orange chicken recipe is a true delight. You can enjoy it as a standalone dish or pair it with other side dishes to make it a complete meal. Either way, it is only going to give you a mouthwatering experience!

How to make it healthier?
Follow these tips for a healthy orange chicken recipe:
Time-saving tips
What can I prepare ahead of time?
Storage and reheating instructions
Storage tips
Reheating best practices
Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
We created our Keto Orange Chicken recipe by slightly twisting the typical Chinese restaurant dish and saying bye to non-keto ingredients. It is perfect with its vibrant golden color and bold flavors! It truly is a feast for all your senses. All in all, it is a perfect dinner meal for a family with kids. And the best part? In just 35 minutes, you can whisk, dunk, sizzle, and enjoy this easy orange chicken recipe.
If you enjoyed this recipe as much as we did, we'd love to hear from you! Share your keto orange chicken masterpiece on social media, and tag us. You can also share this recipe with your foodie friends on the keto diet.
LOOKING FOR OTHER KETO ASIAN-INSPIRED RECIPES? CHECK THESE OUT β
Frequently asked questions
π Recipe

Keto Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For the fried chicken
- 1.5 pounds skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 2" cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ounces of whey protein isolate
- ΒΌ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups avocado oil for frying
For the sugar-free orange chicken sauce
- 8 ounces fresh-squeezed orange juice about 4 oranges
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- Β½ cup granulated erythritol
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar-free ketchup
- Β½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Β½ cup water
- Β½ teaspoon xanthan gum optional to thicken the sauce added slowly
Instructions
For the chicken
- Beat the eggs with the milk in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the Whey Protein Isolate and the salt.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients except for the xanthan gum in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a 10" or larger cast-iron skillet over medium heat. The oil should be 350Β° F.
- In the hot skillet, dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then into the Whey mixture.
- Immediately drop into the oil. Now cook them in the skillet until browned or cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Once they are fried, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
- After frying the chicken, remove all oil except one tablespoon from the skillet and place back over medium heat.
For Sauce
- In the same skillet with the leftover one tablespoon oil, combine freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, tamari, granulated erythritol, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic cloves, sugar-free ketchup, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in water and place the saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring it to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- When the sauce begins to thicken, sprinkle in optional xanthan gum and whisk continuously to thicken.
- When the sauce is thick and glossy, add the chicken pieces back to the skillet to heat through about 2 minutes.
- Your gluten-free orange chicken is now ready. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.
Ellie says
Where do you get algae oil? The brand I used is no longer being made.
Cast Iron Keto says
Oh no! We had a backstock of Thrive's algae oil and we just took a look to see that it has been discontinued so I'm guessing that's the brand you used as well. We're on our last bottle, no fun! The next best thing is using avocado oil as I don't see another algae oil on the market.
josie says
I made it for lunch and it was delicious! 3 yr old approved. it did have a wee bit taste of the protein powder which I would describe as a little chalky, however, it was NOT gross or off putting for us. 10 of of 10 would make it again. I used 5 oz whey powder as I needed more than 2. that could be why it was a bit chalky. again, I cant complain. lower carb chicken. delicious. Instead of orange zest, I used a peeler and peeled the orange skin for richer flavor. did the same with ginger. I grated the garlic. so good!! topped with green onions. if u have access to fresh red chilis, I'd say add those. I cant with my 3 yr old though, itd be too spicey.
Dianna says
I'm allergic to Whey. Is there a substitute to the whey protein powder?
Venus Childress says
Wow, another amazing recipe! Thanks so much.
RenΓ©e says
That took a while to make, but absolutely worth the effort. Absolutely delicious. Best meal Iβve had in a while. Thanks for the recipe.
ππ
josie says
I made it for lunch and it was delicious! 3 yr old approved. it did have a wee bit taste of the protein powder which I would describe as a little chalky, however, it was NOT gross or off putting for us. 10 of of 10 would make it again. I used 5 oz whey powder as I needed more than 2. that could be why it was a bit chalky. again, I cant complain. lower carb chicken. delicious. Instead of orange zest, I used a peeler and peeled the orange skin for richer flavor. did the same with ginger. I grated the garlic. so good!! topped with green onions. if u have access to fresh red chilis, I'd say add those. I cant with my 3 yr old though, itd be too spicey. also used a whole star anise and allowed it to simmer a while to let the flavors set.
Alecia says
I followed the steps even added seasonings to my whey protein isolate the chicken had no flavor. I added broccoli I tasted the orange flavor on the broccoli but not the chicken. And it didnβt have that sweet tangy taste that Iβm used to. Idk what I did wrong.