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Easy Orange Basil Chicken

overhead view of orange basil chicken on top of brown rice on a white plate.
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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

Refresh your dinner routine with this easy, healthy, Thai-inspired orange basil chicken that's made simple with 100% Orange Juice and ready in less than 30 minutes! (dairy-free, gluten-free option)

Ingredients

Scale

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup 100% orange juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger or ginger paste
  • 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

For the chicken:

  • 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 Thai chile or serrano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (see notes for substitutions and spice levels)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice shallot and chile, discarding chile seeds. Mince garlic and grate ginger. Cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Whisk together all sauce ingredients. Set aside.
  3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear 2-3 minutes per side, until all sides are browned.
  4. Add shallot and chiles, reduce heat, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add sauce and continue cooking and stirring until sauce is thickened.
  6. Roughly tear basil (big pieces are fine) and stir into the chicken, cooking until just wilted. Serve.

Notes

  • Since this dish comes together quickly, make sure you do the prep work first. It all cooks very fast!
  • If you need to make it gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Tapioca starch or arrowroot starch can be used in place of cornstarch.
  • Thai chiles are usually more difficult to find, so you can use a serrano (which is what I used here). Thai chiles are also very spicy, so you probably only need one!
  • For a mild dish, use 1/2 to one jalapeño pepper or one fresno chile in place of the Thai chile. For medium spice, use 1/2 a serrano or Thai chile, and for a very spicy use a whole Thai chile or serrano.
  • If you don't have fresh peppers, you can use 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste) mixed in with the sauce ingredients.
  • If your sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a bit of water or broth as needed.
  • Add the basil just before serving. It only needs to heat a bit to wilt. You want it to still be green!

Keywords: easy orange basil chicken, thai orange basil chicken, healthy orange chicken with basil

Find it online: https://livelytable.com/easy-orange-basil-chicken/