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These orange chicken skewers and citrus slaw noodle salad are not only devious, they are also a beautiful and easy meal perfect for a summer cookout!
Summer is just around the corner and that means warmer weather and grill outs! And kebabs are always a must for grilling in the summer. So we’re a fun orange chicken kebab recipe, perfect for the summer festivities! These orange chicken kebabs are lightly breaded and cooked in a sweet and spicy orange chicken sauce. And when served over a fresh citrus slaw noodle salad, you will have a bright and flavorful meal perfect for your summer barbecues.
If you don’t have a grill or the weather isn’t suitable for grilling, you can cook this recipe over the stove in a skillet! Either way you cook this recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
Orange Chicken Kebabs with Citrus Slaw Noodle Salad
What’s in this recipe?
What You Need for the Orange Chicken
Chicken tenders: Chicken tenders are cut into small pieces, breaded in a light breading and cooked in a delicious orange chicken sauce. You can use fresh or frozen chicken tenders for this recipe. If they are frozen, make sure you thaw them in the fridge or in a water bath.
Coconut Flour: We opted of coconut flour to bread the chicken tenders because we preferred the flavor of the flour for this recipe. Coconut flour has a bit of a sweeter taste which complements well with this recipe.
Corn Starch: A small amount of corn starch is used for breading the chicken cubes.
Onion Powder: Onion powder adds an onion flavor to the chicken breading.
Ground and Fresh Ginger: You will need both powdered and fresh ginger for this recipe. We added a dash of ginger powder to the chicken seasoning and used fresh ginger to add a powerful spice to the orange chicken sauce.
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is used for seasoning the orange chicken sauce.
Pepper: Fresh ground pepper adds an additional punch of spice to the chicken breading.
Eggs: The chicken cubes are dunked in a beaten egg bath before being rolled in the breading mixture. The egg helps to serve as an adhesive for the breading.
For the Orange Chicken Sauce
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds a rich salty and umami flavor to the orange chicken sauce. It’s a staple ingredient in Asian cuisine and in our kitchen as well! It just great to have on hand for cooking or using as a condiment.
Sesame oil: Another staple in asian cuisine is sesame oil. Sesame oil has a strong nutty flavor and really just elevates any recipe. We added sesame oil to the orange chicken sauce and noodle salad dressing.
Rice Vinegar: We opted for rice vinegar because we prefer the milder taste of the rice vinegar. If you don’t have this on hand, you can opt for champagne vinegar.
Oranges: It wouldn’t be orange chicken with out it! You’ll need the zest and the juice!
Honey: Honey adds sweetness and thickness to the orange chicken sauce.
What You Need for The Citrus Slaw Salad
Rice Noodles: You can likely find rice noodles at any grocery store. Rice noodles are a lighter noodle but still add fullness to the slaw salad.
Carrots: You will want shredded carrots for this salad. So you can save yourself some time with a grater and buy the prepackaged shredded carrots.
English cucumbers or mini cucumbers: English or mini cucumbers are typically crisper and less bitter than regular cucumbers and we prefer that for this salad.
Fresh mint leaves: There is nothing like fresh herbs!! And I know mint may wound a bit strange but trust us, it elevates the salad.
Cabbage: Purple cabbage gives the salad a pop of color that is so beautiful.
Romaine: We wanted to add a leafy green to this salad. Romaine was the winner and perfectly complements everything in this salad. It is light and refreshing for summer!
Homemade Orange Vinaigrette: Make a homemade orange vinaigrette with olive oil, shallots, rice vinegar, orange marmalade, sesame oil and dash of salt and pepper. See recipe for more details.
How to Make this Recipe
Bread the Orange Chicken
Before you start breading the chicken, make your orange chicken sauce. Start by, mincing the garlic and ginger. In a medium bowl, measure and whisk together all the ingredients for the orange chicken and set aside and start prepping your chicken.
Now it’s time to bread the chicken. First, cut your chicken tenders into cubes. Next, prep the breading bowls. Get out two medium shallow bowls. In one, add coconut flour, corn starch, ginger and onion powder, pepper. In the second bowl, lightly beat one egg.
Place a couple in chicken cubes into the beaten egg, rolling around with a fork to coat. Scoop egg with fork making sure any excess egg is removed and place in the flour mixture. Coat completely with the flour mixture. Once coated, remove and place onto a clean plate and repeat steps until all chicken cubes are coated.
Grill or Cook on a Skillet
Before you put your breaded chicken cubes on skewers, heat your stovetop skillet or grill to medium- high heat. Grab your skewer stick and put 6 cubes of chicken on each skewer.
Cooking in a Skillet: If you are cooking on a skillet, you may need to cut the wooden skewers to fit in your pan. Some skewers are small enough to fit. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil on the skillet and place skewers on skillet, cooking on each side for 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and reduce to medium- low heat. Lastly, add your orange chicken sauce to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens, rotating the skewers to coat in the sauce. Place the skewers back in the pan and turn them in the sauce to coat.
Cooking on the Grill: Place your kebabs on a the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, rotating every 2-3 minutes. When they are cooked, remove from the fire and lower the heat on the grill. Lay down a piece of foil on the grill and place your kebabs on the foil. Generously brush the kebabs with the sauce. And cook for several more minutes.
Making the Citrus Slaw Salad
After making the orange chicken, start making your rice noodles according to package instructions.
While the noodles are cooking, chop the veggies for your salad. When your noodles are done cooking, remove from heat, drain water and let them cool for a bit while you make the vinaigrette.
In the small sauce pan, add your shallots, olive oil, marmalade, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Place over low heat and stir as it heats. When it starts to simmer, remove from heat. Add the rice noodles and veggies to a large bowl, pour the vinegareets overtop and toss together.
Recipe Serving Suggestions: Serve a couple skewers on a bed of noodle salad. Top with sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, green onions.
This post is all about how to make orange chicken kebabs with citrus slaw noodle salad.
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Orange Chicken Kebabs with Citrus Slaw Noodle Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Description
Lightly breaded sweet and spicy orange chicken kebabs served with a fresh citrus slaw rice noodle salad.
Ingredients
Orange Chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenders (cubed)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (option to swap with AP flour)
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
Orange Chicken Sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 orange (zested and juiced)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Citrus Slaw Noodle Salad
- 1 package rice noodles (cooked)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup mini cucumbers (chopped)
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (chopped)
- 8 leaves Romain lettuce (chopped)
Citrus Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp orange marmalade
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to season)
Instructions
Orange Chicken Kebabs
- Start by making the orange chicken sauce. Mince garlic and ginger and add to a medium bowl. Add rest of the orange chicken sauce ingredients and whisk together. Set aside and start prepping the chicken.
- Cut your chicken tenders into cubes and prep two bowls for breading the chicken. Get out two medium shallow bowls . In one, add coconut flour, corn starch, ginger and onion powder, pepper. In the second bowl, lightly beat one egg.
- Place a couple in chicken cubes into the beaten egg, rolling around with a fork to coat. Scoop egg with fork making sure any excess egg is removed and place in the flour mixture. Coat completely with the flour mixture. Once coated, remove and place onto a clean plate and repeat steps until all chicken cubes are coated.
- Before you put your breaded chicken cubes on skewers, heat your stovetop skillet or grill to medium- high heat. Grab your skewer stick and put 6 cubes of chicken on each skewer. (If you are cooking on a skillet, you may need to cut the wooden skewers to fit in your pan. Some skewers are small enough to fit.)
Cooking Kebabs in a Skillet
- Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil on the skillet and place skewers on skillet, cooking on each side for 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and reduce to medium- low heat.
- Add your orange chicken sauce to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens, rotating the skewers to coat in the sauce. Place the skewers back in the pan and turn them in the sauce to coat.
Cooking Kebabs on a Grill
- Place your kebabs on a the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, rotating every 2-3 minutes. When they are cooked, remove from the fire and lower the heat on the grill. Lay down a piece of foil on the grill and place your kebabs on the foil. Generously brush the kebabs with the sauce. And cook for several more minutes.
After making the orange chicken, start making your rice noodles according to package instructions.
- While the noodles are cooking, chop the veggies for your salad. When your noodles are done cooking, remove from heat, drain water and let them cool for a bit while you make the vinaigrette.
- In the small sauce pan, add your shallots, olive oil, marmalade, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Place over low heat and stir as it heats. When it starts to simmer, remove from heat. Add the rice noodles and veggies to a large bowl, pour the vinaigrette overtop and toss together.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner, Lunch, Main Course
- Cuisine: Asian
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