Orange Chicken with Quinoa
Fresh orange juice simmers down with honey and raisins into a glossy orange sauce that clings to every piece of chicken. Ginger and cumin bloom in olive oil for a full minute before anything else hits the pan. That first minute fills the kitchen with the warm base note the entire dish sits on.
One bowl: quinoa underneath, glazed chicken and carrots on top, bright green broccoli on the side. 822 calories, 37g of protein, 118g of carbs, and 16g of fiber from ten ingredients, start to plate in 15 minutes.
Fresh orange juice simmers down with honey and raisins into a glossy orange sauce that clings to every piece of chicken. Ginger and cumin bloom in olive oil for a full minute before anything else hits the pan. That first minute fills the kitchen with the warm base note the entire dish sits on.
One bowl: quinoa underneath, glazed chicken and carrots on top, bright green broccoli on the side. 822 calories, 37g of protein, 118g of carbs, and 16g of fiber from ten ingredients, start to plate in 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- quinoa 3 ounces
- orange 1
- ginger 1 slice
- carrot 1
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- ground cumin 0.5 teaspoon
- honey 1 teaspoon
- raisins 1.5 ounces
- broccoli florets (frozen) 4 ounces
Method
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Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the package.
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Cook the broccoli florets in a pot of plenty of salted water until crisp-tender, about 4–6 minutes. Drain.
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Juice the orange. Grate the ginger. Slice the carrot into thin slices. Cut the chicken breast into pieces.
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Heat the oil in a sauté pan and sauté the ginger and cumin for 1 minute over low heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes until golden brown. Add the carrot, honey and raisins, and pour in the orange juice. Let this simmer gently for 8 minutes. Add a splash of water if it becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve the quinoa with the orange chicken and broccoli.
Let the ginger and cumin have the full sixty seconds in hot oil before the chicken goes in. That step blooms the spices in fat. Skip it, and the glaze loses the warm base note underneath the citrus sweetness.
Behind this recipe
Why does this recipe call for frozen broccoli instead of fresh?
Frozen broccoli is picked and frozen the same day, so the nutritional profile barely moves between the field and your pot. For a 15-minute recipe, it also skips the prep time of trimming fresh heads. The 112g of broccoli in this bowl contributes to the 16g of total fiber alongside the quinoa, carrot, and raisins.
Is 822 calories a lot for one meal?
That number makes more sense in context. Across three meals in a 2,000 to 2,500 calorie day, an 822-calorie dinner with 37g of protein and 118g of carbs sits comfortably, especially after training. The 16g of fiber from four different sources is part of why this plate holds you through the evening. Research on fiber and body composition consistently points in the same direction.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I swap the quinoa for rice?
Brown rice works well. Start it 25 to 30 minutes ahead since it takes longer than quinoa. The macros shift slightly: quinoa carries every essential amino acid on its own, which most grains cannot do without a legume partner. Rice closes that gap when paired with the chicken, but if the quinoa is doing protein work alongside the meat, it is worth keeping.
Does the orange juice lose its vitamin C when cooked?
Quite a bit of it. Heat degrades vitamin C faster than most nutrients, and an 8-minute simmer at moderate temperature loses a significant portion. The orange juice in this recipe is here for flavor, not for its vitamin content. The broccoli, boiled for only 4 to 6 minutes, retains more of its original nutrients because of the shorter cook time.
