Baked Orange Chicken

These orange chicken nuggets are what every panda express fan
 could ever hope for and on top of that, they’re BAKED instead of fried! 

 

CHICKEN:

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs  

1/4 cup all purpose flour  

1/4 cup grated parmesan  

1/4 cup italian breadcrumbs

1 egg  

salt  

pepper    

 

SAUCE:

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (start with less, add more to your preference)

2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp swerve granular

2 tsp brown sugar swerve

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp sriracha

1/4 tsp minced garlic

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of orange zest  

 

Cut your chicken into pieces; I ended up with 20 pieces from the 4 chicken thighs. Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Set up three bowls; one with 1/4 cup all purpose flour, one with 1 egg that has been whisked, and one with 1/4 cup parmesan mixed with 1/4 cup italian breadcrumbs. Toss your chicken pieces into the flour, then into the egg, and then into the breadcrumb cheese mixture. Spray a wire rack with non-stick spray and place it on top of a large baking sheet. Space out your chicken across the wire rack, giving space for each one to cook. Spray the chicken down with your non-stick spray and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until reaching an internal temp of 165 degrees. I flipped them at the 12 minute mark, and sprayed them with additional non-stick spray. While they’re baking, you can prepare your sauce. Simply heat and whisk your sauce ingredients together in a saucepan until it thickens and toss your chicken in the sauce. I served mine over sticky rice and garnished with additional orange zest.