If you love the sweet and savory flavours of classic orange chicken but want a healthier, homemade version, you’re in for a treat! This Orange Chicken with Black Rice is packed with vibrant, immune-boosting ingredients like fresh orange juice, ginger, and garlic, giving it a naturally rich and zesty flavor. Served over nutrient-dense black rice, which is loaded with antioxidants and fibre, this dish is not only delicious but also incredibly nourishing. It’s easy to make, perfect for meal prep, and guaranteed to be a new favorite in your kitchen!
This orange chicken is the definition of healthy comfort food to keep you joyously nourished.
I was inspired to make this because the hubs, Walkman gave me a slow cooker for Christmas! I think this is the first slow cooker recipe on the blog ever, but don’t worry if you don’t have one because you could easily make this in a covered casserole dish in the oven or on the stove top.
Since I’m new to the slow cooker world I did a little google search and came across Kirbie’s Cravings and this recipe. I had a quick look and immediately knew this was the recipe I could use and adapt it for my family.
This recipe is proof that you can whip up a hearty and healthy meal in no time. We spent New Year’s Eve up north at our friend's cottage and it was about 2:30 pm when we finally arrived home. I knew my parents were going to arrive around 5 pm so I had planned this easy meal. All we had to do was pop everything in the slow cooker and leave it be for 2 hours. In fact, I didn’t even make it… Walker did! He put it together while Vienna and I had a bath and cleaned up (lucky us!).
It made for great leftovers, too. That’s what we both had for lunch today! So it served 5 adults and 1 toddler last night and 2 servings for lunch today.
Mains & Sides
Orange Chicken with Black Rice
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Ingredients
- 6-7 boneless organic chicken breasts, cubed
- 3 tbsp brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup water or chicken stock
- 1-1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp organic orange zest
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 4 tsp your favourite hot sauce
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder/starch
- 4 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 2 cups black rice* (or brown rice)
Instructions
- Place cubed chicken into a large bowl and sprinkle with brown rice flour. Try to evenly coat the chicken.
- Add chicken to slow cooker and put on "browning" function. If you're slow cooker doesn't have a browning function you can quickly stir fry it in a pan on medium heat for a couple of minutes in olive oil just to cook the outside a little. This will prevent the chicken from shredding and breaking apart when you cook it over 2 hours. If you want to skip this step to save time you can do that. Once done browning, place chicken back into slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together water/chicken stock, orange juice, zest, garlic, ginger, honey, tamari sauce, and hot sauce. Pour sauce over chicken inside the slow cooker.
- Seal your crock pot and set it to cook on high for 2 hours. After 2 hours, your chicken should be tender and sauce should be thickened.
- To thicken sauce even more, dissolve 2 tbsp arrowroot starch/powder into 4 tbsp water, then stir completely into the sauce. Seal crock pot and set to the warming function for 10-20 more minutes and sauce should be much thicker.
- Serve over black rice with vegetables of your choice.
- Garnish with green onions and squeeze some fresh orange juice on top just before serving.
Notes
7 servings.
*Black rice cooks like any other rice. 1 part rice, 2 parts water. It takes about 45 minutes to cook. It's soooo worth it because black rice has a beautiful hearty texture.
If you don't have slow cooker, then preheat your oven to 350F degrees and follow the same steps. I think it will take about 35-45 minutes, but I haven't done this method so you'll just have to watch and see.
Another reason I love this recipe is because it’s supportive for your immune system. The oranges (assuming you squeeze fresh orange juice after cooking and chomp on some orange segments) are a great source of vitamin C and chicken is a complete source of all the essential amino acids which help make antibodies that fight infection.
Black rice is very high in fiber which helps your digestive system eliminate waste products.
Unlike the large majority of orange chicken recipes, this recipe is not full of white sugar or cornstarch which is almost always GMO-derived. Sugar is a yeast-feeder and dampens your immune-fighting ability. So many people are sick this time of year but your best weapon is avoiding sugar and eating nourishing food!!
Joy xo
I tried this recipe in my Le Creuset pot this week. I browned the chicken on the stove, threw in the sauce, brought it all to a boil then finished in the oven for an hour. I did use arrowroot to thicken at the end. The flavours were wonderful! Thank you!
ReplyHey Monika,
That's amazing! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Good call on browning the chicken too - makes all the difference! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
What would you recommend instead of hot sauce for a mild spice?
ReplyHey Julia! Do you have red pepper flakes? Those are gentle but can pack a punch depending on how many you choose to use :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Looks delicious! Can the brown rice flour be substituted with spelt or buckwheat flour?
ReplyHey Nathalie, Yes, definitely :) The flour is there to create a bit of a coating on the chicken so it's not a huge make or break! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hi, do you think this recipe would work using whole chicken breasts rather than cutting them in pieces and browning them?
ReplyYes 100% that would be delicious!