Everyone loves this crispy chicken with a sweet and tangy orange sauce recipe. If you love gluten free orange chicken, this is a delicious dinner recipe to try! I share my tips and tricks to make this simple recipe in under 20 minutes. Even your pickiest eaters will love it!
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I am excited to share this crispy gluten free orange chicken recipe with you. Lately, it has been a favorite recipe in our house. If you love Asian foods, you will love this easy gluten free orange chicken recipe. Serve it up with my easy gluten free fried rice recipe.
If you love this simple recipe, check out all of my easy gluten free dinner recipes.
Why I love this gluten free orange chicken:
There are many reasons why you will love this delicious gluten free orange chicken recipe, but here are the most important ones:
- You can make this recipe in just minutes! Using pre-cooked gluten free chicken nuggets means you need a lot less time to cook this meal.
- Clean-up is a breeze because you don’t have to fry the chicken.
- Use your air fryer to make the frozen gluten free chicken nuggets so they stay nice and crispy!
- It is one of our favorite recipes and is ready in under 20 minutes.
- Kids love this recipe! It is sweet and savory.
- You can control the level of spice. If I am making this recipe for Mr. Fearless Dining and me, I add some red peppers and cayenne to add a nice kick!
I made this for dinner tonight. Yum! Didn’t use all of the sauce & the sauce thickened as it sat. I froze the remainder & think it will be even better next time.”
terri c., blog comment
Allergen Information:
This easy orange chicken recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets – I love using premade gluten free chicken nuggets because it not only saves time, but you can make this dinner in less time. I used Trader Joe’s gluten free chicken nuggets to make this recipe. Several other great brands of gluten-free chicken nuggets include Applegate, Purdue Simply Smart, Sprout GF Chicken Nuggets, and Tyson Naturals.
- Orange Marmalade or Apricot Jam – Use either flavor.
- Orange Juice – Use store-bought or fresh squeezed.
- Honey – Use any inexpensive honey. There is no need to use a fancy, expensive one.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This helps to balance the sweetness of the marmalade
- Salt – I used sea salt, but kosher salt and pink Himalayan salt are also okay.
- Crushed Red Peppers – This is optional, but I recommend using even a few to add a little spice to the sweetness.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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Step 1: Place the frozen chicken nuggets into your air fryer. I have a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, so it has dual compartments.
If you prefer to make chicken nuggets from scratch, use my Gluten Free Chicken Tenders recipe. If you want to make chicken nuggets, I have an awesome Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets recipe, but the ranch dressing in the batter for those doesn’t work with the orange sauce, so I recommend my chicken tenders recipe for the breading.
Step 2: Combine the orange marmalade, apricot jam, and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet. Cook this on the stove at medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer the sauce.
Simmering will make a thicker sauce, which will better cling to the chicken nuggets. The flavors will blend well as they simmer!
Step 3: Take the cooked chicken nuggets and toss them in the orange sauce. The sauce will coat the chicken, and you can serve it over rice or eat it separately.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, the chicken nuggets will stay crispy on the outside the day you make this recipe. If you are making this recipe ahead, you should coat the chicken in the sauce before eating it.
The orange sauce is made with orange marmalade, vinegar, orange juice, and crushed red peppers.
Store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
You can freeze the orange chicken in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
More Gluten Free Dinner Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Easy Gluten Free Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gluten free chicken nuggets * see notes for brand ideas.
- 13 ounces orange marmalade
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper – optional
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red peppers – optional * add more if you like spicy.
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Instructions
- Place your frozen 16 ounces gluten free chicken nuggets into an air fryer. You can also bake them in the oven or toaster oven per package directions if you do not have an air fryer. If you prefer to make your own chicken nuggets, see the Notes section for the recipe.
- Cook the nuggets in the air fryer at 375º F for 12-15 minutes.
- In a large skillet, add the 13 ounces orange marmalade, ⅓ cup orange juice, 3 tablespoons honey, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper – optional, and ⅛ teaspoon crushed red peppers – optional. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat, then boil the cooking temperature to low to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour the hot orange sauce onto the cooked chicken nuggets and toss to coat the chicken nuggets.
Notes
- Gluten free brands of chicken nuggets: Trader Joe’s, Tyson, Applegate, Perdue, Ian’s, and Sprout.
- Make the nuggets homemade with this recipe https://www.fearlessdining.com/gluten-free-chicken-nuggets/ (NOTE use egg instead of ranch dressing!)
- You can use either orange marmalade or apricot jam to make this recipe.
- Serve over rice.
- This recipe will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This recipe is so easy and so good! Using packaged chicken nuggets is genius. We haven’t had Orange Chicken in years, but we will again soon! My entire family loved it, so no leftovers. I did substitute orange extract mixed with water for the orange juice. Next time I make it I will be sure to have orange juice on hand. It was still wonderful. I served it with steamed broccoli as a side, which somehow we all mixed in.
I am so glad the orange extract and water combo worked. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know everyone loved the recipe!
Yummy
Hi Sandi,
On the instructions you wrote,
“If you prefer to make your own chicken nuggets, see the Notes section for the recipe”. Were you going to share how to make our own nuggets? If not, do you have a recipe to make nuggets from scratch?
Thank you for always sharing your delicious recipes.
Thank you Dee, I had this in the post above. I added it to the recipe card.
We did not have the marmalade, but my daughter made it work with what we had. It came out fantastic and she was really proud to have made it herself. We had never heard of GF chicken tenders and they are now a staple in our household. Next time we are going to try to add some vegetables!
I am so glad your daughter was able to make this recipe her own way! What a great confidence boost for her. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
Trying to understand why you need to add honey to this recipe when you already have orange marmelade and orange juice.
Hi Barb, the honey adds a little thickening and sweetness. If you do not want to use it, feel free to omit it.