Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (2024)

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This quick and easy Weight Watchers Orange Chicken recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving Chinese food but don’t want to blow your points.

Using either an Instant Pot, a wok, or skillet on the stove top, you can make this super easy orange chicken recipe in no time. Add this on top of precooked brown rice, orcook brown rice in your Instant Potfor a healthy, balanced meal that your whole family will enjoy!

Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (1)

Where’s the recipe?

I like to provide a lot of information in these posts so that anyone can make my recipes–whether you’re brand new to the kitchen or have been cooking for a long time.

If you’d like to skip past the detailed instructions, recipe tips, and nutritional information, just scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the easy to printWeight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe

Table of Contents

Ingredients in Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe

  • Chicken Breast:Chicken is a high protein, low fat staple in Asian cooking. Chicken soaks up all the flavors it is cooked in.
  • Chicken broth:Be sure and grab low sodium chicken broth. If you don’t have any on hand just use water.
  • Low sodium soy sauce:Use asoy sauce alternative, like low- sodium tamari or coconut aminos if you want a gluten free version.
  • Rice vinegar:Rice vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented rice. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. It’s a staple ingredient in many Asian dishes, including pickled vegetables, sushi rice, salad dressings and slaws. You can substitute with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even lemon juice.
  • Honey:Make sure to grab raw unfiltered honey, not the clover honey. Check your area bee farm, as there are tons of health benefits of using local honey. This recipe uses honey as a natural sweetener, rather than brown sugar.
  • Ginger:Did you know ginger can help your body fight off germs? It’s a powerful antioxidant, and it tastes amazing.
  • Crushed red pepper:NoAsian recipein my house is complete without some spice. Want more heat? Try adding half a tsp of chili paste in addition to your crushed red pepper.
  • Garlic:Eating garlic can combat the common cold, improve cholesterol, and is low in calories.
  • Orange Zest:Orange zest is made from grating the top layer of an orange peel. It contains the fruits oils and gives your food a distinct citrus taste.
  • Orange Juice:Loaded with vitamin C, you can hand squeeze or use a juicer to control the amount of pulp. Fresh oranges give an amazing orange flavor.
  • Arrowroot Flour:Arrowroot flour is used as a thickener in gluten free cooking. You can substitute with cornstarch, if you’d rather!
Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (2)

Instant Pot Directions

  1. Cube your chicken
    Cube your chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch.
  2. Sauté
    Lightly spray your Instant Pot insert with oil and set to sauté.
  3. Make your sauce
    Mix together the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice in the pot.
  4. Add chicken
    Once the sauce is boiling add your cubed chicken, stir until all of the chicken is coated with the sauce.
  5. Pressure cook
    Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 7 minutes.
  6. Naturally release pressure
    When the cook time is complete let the pressure naturally release and remove the lid.
  7. Thicken your sauce
    Scoop out ½ cup of sauce from the pot into a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot flour. Add your sauce back to the pot and stir well. Let rest until the sauce thickens.
  8. Serve
    Top with additional ginger and red pepper, if desired, and serve over brown rice or brown rice noodles.
Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (3)

Stove Top Directions

  1. Cube your chicken into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch.
  2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice to your skillet.
  4. Once the sauce is simmering, add your chicken. Stir to make sure all of the chicken is coated with the sauce.
  5. Cover and simmer over medium/high heat for 7-10 minutes until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
  6. Remove ½ cup of sauce, set in a small bowl and whisk in arrowroot powder. Return sauce to the pan and stir well. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to thicken.
  7. Top with additional ginger and red pepper, if desired, and serve over brown rice or brown rice noodles.
Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (4)

Recipe Tips

  • I like to use partially frozen chicken as it is much easier to cut and handle.
  • I use a small handheld grater for my garlic and ginger. This also works great for zesting your orange.
  • Having precookedfrozen brown riceon hand is a huge help for busy weeknights.

Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe Points

1 Serving (recipe serves 4): 4 Points on the 2023 Plan | 3 Blue Plan Points | 6 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points.

If you want to reduce the points from the honey, use Stevia or Sugar free maple syrup as the sweetener. The points in this recipe come from the honey and coconut aminos.

I use the Weight Watchers online recipe creator to make my recipes. It takes all the ingredients and values and gives me the points info–if you change any ingredients in this recipe, make sure to check your points online.

More Weight Watchers Chicken recipes

  • Weight Watchers Tuscan Chicken Pasta
  • Weight Watchers Crack Chicken Recipe
  • WW Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe
  • Healthy Kung Pao Chicken
  • Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

4.57 from 16 ratings

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Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Approximate Serving Size: 3/4 cup

Servings 4 servings

This Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe is delicious, easy to make and will help keep you feeling full and satisfied after dinner. Instant Pot Orange Chicken is a great family friendly meal.

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth low sodium
  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos or low sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup vinegar rice vinegar
  • 6 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp ginger I prefer fresh :)
  • 1 tsp crushed red peppers
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • orange zest from 1 whole orange
  • orange juice from 1 whole orange
  • 2 tsp arrowroot powder or corn starch

Instructions

  • Cube your chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch. 1.5 lbs chicken breast

  • Lightly spray your Instant Pot insert with oil and set to sauté.

  • Mix together the chicken broth, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice in the pot. 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup coconut aminos, 1/4 cup vinegar, 6 tsp honey, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tsp crushed red peppers, 2 cloves minced garlic, orange zest , orange juice

  • Once the sauce is boiling add your cubed chicken, stir until all of the chicken is coated with the sauce.

  • Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 7 minutes.

  • When the cook time is complete let the pressure naturally release and remove the lid.

  • Remove ½ cup of sauce from the pot to a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot flour. Add the sauce back to the pot and stir well. Let rest until the sauce thickens. 2 tsp arrowroot powder

  • Top with additional ginger and red pepper, if desired, and serve over brown rice or brown rice noodles.

Stovetop Directions:

  • Cube your chicken into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch. 1.5 lbs chicken breast

  • Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

  • Add chicken broth, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice to your skillet. 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup coconut aminos, 1/4 cup vinegar, 6 tsp honey, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tsp crushed red peppers, 2 cloves minced garlic, orange zest , orange juice

  • Once the sauce is simmering add your chicken. Stir to make sure all of the chicken is coated with the sauce.

  • Cover and simmer over medium/high heat for 7-10 minutes until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.

  • Remove ½ cup of sauce from the skillet to a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot flour. Add the sauce back to your pan and stir well. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to thicken. 2 tsp arrowroot powder

  • Top with additional ginger and red pepper, if desired, and serve over brown rice or brown rice noodles.

Video

Notes

4 Points on the 2023 Plan | 3 Blue Plan Points | 6 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points

Recipe Tips:

  • I like to use partially frozen chicken as it is much easier to cut and handle.
  • I use a small handheld grater for my garlic and ginger. This also works great for zesting your orange.
  • Having precooked frozen brown rice on hand is a huge help for busy weeknights.

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 470mg | Potassium: 642mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Make This Recipe?

Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum

Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (6)

Becca Ludlum

Healthy recipe creator, self-confessed food snob, and certified Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. I create healthy recipes with minimally processed ingredients, but have never turned down a homemade brownie. ;)

Weight Watchers Orange Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What meat is 0 points on Weight Watchers? ›

Chicken tenderloins are a ZeroPoint food since they are actually the leanest part of the chicken breast. Chicken thighs will have a Points value because this dark meat contains a higher amount of fat than the tenderloin or breast. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat them!

What is orange chicken sauce made of? ›

How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Why is chicken breast 0 points on Weight Watchers? ›

Poultry is included as a ZeroPoint food group because it's an excellent source of lean protein and is nutrient-dense, providing key vitamins and minerals. Protein can help you feel fuller longer and plays an important role in bone and muscle health.

Why is orange chicken so high in calories? ›

Orange Chicken is traditionally coated in batter and deep fried. This increases fat content and increases the caloric density of the dish.

Can you eat too many 0 point foods on Weight Watchers? ›

Full of fiber and protein, these foods also support overall health, keep you full, and bulk up and add flavor to your meals. And, of course, you can eat as much as you like.

How many eggs is zero points on Weight Watchers? ›

Eggs are a ZeroPoint food so they do not have any Points values—even in a cake recipe. However other ingredients you're adding to your eggs may have Points, so make sure to track them.

What is Panda Express orange chicken made of? ›

Ingredients: dark meat chicken, water, sugar, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, corn starch, potato starch, contains less than 2% of: wheat, orange extract, caramel color, salt, garlic, phosphoric acid, rice wine, sesame oil.

What's the difference between orange chicken and beyond orange chicken? ›

Panda Express worked with Beyond Meat to recreate the flavors and textures of their Original Orange Chicken without any animal products, so the sauce and texture are true to traditional taste. Beyond The Original Orange Chicken is spicer than I anticipated, but not an intolerable amount.

How to thicken up orange chicken sauce? ›

To thicken the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce starts to bubble in the pan on the stovetop, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine.

What is the best lunch meat on Weight Watchers? ›

Your safest meat choices are sliced turkey, chicken, lean ham or roast beef. A lot of guys are surprised to find that deli-style roast beef is a decent lowfat meat option. (Three ounces of roast beef have fewer PointsPlus values than 3 ounces of tuna salad.)

Can you eat rotisserie chicken on WW? ›

If I remove the skin from rotisserie chicken breast, is it a ZeroPoint food? Yes, as long as you're eating just the breast meat.

Is rotisserie chicken 0 points? ›

One of my favorite shortcuts is using a rotisserie chicken to help speed up dinner. It's perfect for those busy weeknights! I use the chicken breast for most of my recipes since it's 0 points with my WW Personal Points.

How unhealthy is orange chicken? ›

✗ Orange Chicken

In fact, it's one of the highest-calorie, highest-sugar options. (No wonder its sauce is so finger-licking sweet!) The version of this Chinese-American classic at Panda Express comes with 490 calories, 23g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 51g carbohydrate, 25g protein, and 820mg sodium.

Why does orange chicken taste like orange? ›

The original “Orange Chicken” had no breading around each piece of chicken and the sauce was made of leftover orange or lemon peels cooked with soy sauce, chilis and garlic.

What protein is zero points on WeightWatchers? ›

Every WeightWatchers member* gets the same list of over 200 ZeroPoint foods including: non-starchy veggies, fruit, eggs, yogurt & cottage cheese, fish & shellfish, chicken & turkey breast, tofu, tempeh & textured soy protein, corn & popcorn, and beans, peas, & lentils.

Is tuna zero points on WeightWatchers? ›

Yep, canned salmon, canned tuna, canned sardines—any canned fish packed in water (not oil) is a ZeroPoint food.

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