Is Orange Chicken Bad For You? (5 Tips for Weight Loss)

If you’ve been to Panda Express or any typical traditional Chinese restaurant, you have heard of Orange Chicken before. 

With its iconic golden-orange covering and crispy texture, this popular Chinese dish has a unique take on delicious chicken.

There is no doubt that Orange Chicken is delicious, but you may be wondering, is it healthy? 

Orange Chicken is not the ideal food to eat when you are trying to lose weight because it is very high in fats and carbs. Due to the batter, frying oil, and sauce, Orange Chicken carries a very poor balance of macronutrients as there are excess sugars and saturated fats.

However, just because Orange Chicken isn’t healthy does not mean you can not enjoy this while trying to reach your goals! 

In this article, we will be discussing three great tips that will help you understand more about the nutrition behind Orange Chicken and how to enjoy this dish while still losing weight:

Tip 1: Understand the Ingredients in Orange Chicken

Tip 2: Understand the Nutrition Behind Orange Chicken

Tip 3: How to Make a Healthier Orange Chicken

Tip 4: Understand How to Fit Orange Chicken Into Your Diet

Tip 5: Learn how to Enjoy Orange Chicken while Still Losing Weight

Let’s get started!

Tip 1: Understand the Ingredients in Orange Chicken

This first section will cover the different orange chicken ingredients and what each of these specific ingredients means.

When trying to lose weight, learning what goes into the food you eat can make a massive difference in understanding why eating certain foods can hinder weight loss. 

Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are an excellent protein source that is slightly higher in fat than chicken breast but is much more tender and very delicious.

If you can’t stand the taste of chicken breast or hate dry chicken, chicken thighs are a great alternative that you can swap chicken breast with, but be sure to eat these in moderation because they are higher in calories. 

Another recommendation for eating chicken thighs is to remove the skin.

The chicken thigh skin adds many additional calories and fat into your meal, and only not eating this thin layer of fat can save you a lot of room for other, more fulfilling food. 

Oranges

Oranges is one of the main ingredients of this recipe, where the zest and juice are used to give it a citrusy fresh taste. 

Oranges are a great source of Vitamin C, which helps the body in many ways.  Of the many benefits, Vitamin C helps with high blood pressure, absorb iron, and boost your immune system. 

Olive Oil

Olive oil is one of the most harmful ingredients that can add many additional and unnecessary calories to your dish.

For just one tablespoon of olive oil, there is a total of 120 calories.

This can quickly put you in a calorie surplus, making it difficult to lose weight when consuming an abundance of calories. 

We understand that olive oil is a necessary ingredient when cooking several dishes, however, I highly recommend investing in either a non-stick pan or a cooking spray.

These lower-calorie options will eliminate these hidden calories in your diet and make a big difference in whether you see results. 

Eggs 

Eggs are a staple food that we usually consume regularly.

Used to make the stick the flour on the outside of the chicken thighs, eggs are used to give your food a crisp and delicious flavor.

Eggs are an excellent way for you to get in your daily fats and a bit of protein, but it is essential to consume eggs in moderation. 

Each egg is around 70 calories with 5 grams of fat, which can quickly add up if you eat 2-3 eggs.

One way to reduce the amount of fat and hit my daily protein is to consume egg whites.

Although you don’t get the same delicious yolk, eating egg whites is a great low-calorie and high protein food to eat when trying to lose weight. 

Flour 

Finally, we have the flour covering the orange chicken, which gives this dish a delicious crispy outside texture.

Deep-fried in a vat of oil, this ultimately makes orange chicken not the best food to eat when trying to lose weight.

Fried, doughy foods are often too dense in calories, making it difficult to lose weight when eating these in abundance. 

It is essential to understand the nutritional information behind the individual ingredients because it will help you better understand how they may affect the nutrients in other dishes. 

Tip 2: Understand the Nutrition Behind the Orange Chicken

Now that you understand the nutritional information behind the main ingredients in orange chicken, let’s put it all together and talk about orange chicken as a dish itself.

This is the most important thing to understand when trying to fit orange chicken into your weight loss goals. 

One serving of Orange Chicken, which is around 6 ounces, has 490 calories with 23 grams of fat, 51 grams of carbohydrates, and 25 grams of protein.

High in fat and around 19 grams of sugar, Orange Chicken is a calorically dense dish that is not ideal to consume when trying to lose weight.

When eating a protein source, it is important to try aiming for the ideal 1:3 fat to protein ratio.

We want to consume foods lower in fat because they are much higher in calories than carbohydrates and protein.

There are 9 calories for every gram of fat, whereas carbohydrates and protein only have 4 calories per gram.

When analyzing nutrition labels, it is essential not to be deceived by the fat section’s number of grams. 

When looking at Orange Chicken, you may think there is more protein than fat because there are two more protein grams than fat.

In reality, there is way more fat in this dish and goes way beyond the ideal ratio. Another detriment about orange chicken is that quite often, we do not eat it by itself.

This sweet and sour dish needs to be paired with plain base and the most common pairing it with rice.

Adding rice makes your dish even more calorically dense and makes it hard to fit into your diet.

Tip 3: How to Make a Healthier Orange Chicken

My biggest recommendation for your weight loss journey is to learn how to cook.

There are so many benefits that come out of cooking, and you’ll see that losing weight is just one out of several significant outcomes.

You will not only be more likely to reach your goals, but you can also understand more about nutrition, develop a convenient skill, save tons of money, and it is a great tool to keep you active.

This section will go over the ingredient swaps you can make to make a healthier Orange Chicken dish.

Making these small, but smart decisions can make a huge difference in your weight loss journey.

Swap out the Chicken Thighs

Orange Chicken is typically made with chicken thighs, which gives orange chicken that super juicy and tender texture. Instead of using chicken thighs, try using chicken breast for extra protein and a lot less fat.

Although chicken breast is a lot less tender, you can still get that same flavor and similar juiciness if you cook it properly. 

If you cook your chicken breast on lower heat on a pan and let it simmer for a bit before air frying the orange chicken, you will almost be able to replicate that juicy texture you get from chicken thighs.

Use an Airfryer

Orange Chicken is often deep-fried in a vat of oil, which adds many extra calories to the meal. 

Oil is one of the most calorically dense liquid sources that can add many additional calories to your meal.

By just adding a tablespoon of olive oil into any of your meals, you can add a ton of unnecessary fats to your food and quickly put you in a calorie surplus. 

If you use an air fryer, you eliminate the need for oil, which can take away a lot of the dish’s fat.

Air Fryers still give your food the same crispy and light exterior in your foods and perfectly imitate deep-fried foods’ texture.

Air-frying your foods is a great option that helps you replicate your favorite foods for a much lower calorie count. 

If you’re looking for the most reliable air fryer, then make sure to click here to check out the price on Amazon.

I highly recommend that you learn how to cook when you are trying to lose weight because this is a beneficial skill that teaches you about the specific ingredients and their unique nutrients.

This is a great thing to learn, and I promise you that you won’t regret spending time learning how to cook. 

Tip 4: How to Fit Orange Chicken into Your Diet

You’re probably now thinking that since Orange Chicken is “unhealthy,” that means you can not eat it when you are trying to lose weight.

However, just like eating “healthy” food does not mean you will always lose weight, but eating “unhealthy” food like Orange Chicken does not mean you will gain weight.

Remember that the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit or burn more calories than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE.

That means that eating “healthy” or “clean” food while remaining in a calorie surplus will ultimately lead to weight gain.

We should avoid unhealthy junk food because they tend to be higher in calories and often don’t make you extraordinarily full or energized.

You may now be wondering, how do you figure out your TDEE?

This is very simple! All you have to do is go onto any credible fitness website, like Bodybuilding.com or NASM, and find their calorie calculator.

By putting in your sex, height, weight, and activity level, this calculator can help you generate an approximate number that is your TDEE. 

Once you know your TDEE, to be in a calorie deficit, aim to eat around 300-500 calories less than your TDEE every single day.

Although you may not see results in the first couple of days, or maybe even the first week, it’s essential to trust the process and stay consistent.

Weigh yourself every single day, at the same time to get the most accurate results. 

My favorite way to track how many calories I am eating every day is by using MyFitnessPal, which allows you to easily input your food into a journal and help you calculate how many calories you are eating throughout the day. 

Remember that everyone’s body is unique, and the TDEE calculator is simply an estimate.

If you still do not see any results within around two weeks, try lowering your calorie intake by around 100-200 calories and observe the results. Drink plenty of water throughout the process, and fill your diet with low-calorie options and high protein foods!

Tip 5: Learn how to Enjoy Orange Chicken while Still Losing Weight

If you are craving Orange Chicken, the best way to incorporate this unhealthy food is to adjust your other meals accordingly.

Instead of just giving up on the rest of your day because you ate Orange Chicken for lunch, you can still change your calorie intake by tracking the rest of your food throughout the day. 

In this section, we will teach you how to fix the other meals according to the Orange Chicken that you ate for one of the meals. 

Eat Less Fatty Foods Throughout the Day

Orange Chicken is very high in fat, so if you want to fit it into your diet, it would be better to avoid fatty foods throughout the day. 

To achieve your daily macronutrient target.  Foods high in fat are avocado, egg, pork, and butter.  Be sure to keep track of the amount of fat you consume in a day because it can quickly stack up. 

Fat is also the highest caloric macronutrient with 9 calories per gram.  

Exchange Rice for Vegetables

Since rice will add many extra calories to your Orange Chicken meal, I highly recommend switching out your rice with vegetables.

Vegetables are a great low-calorie alternative that is filled with fiber and a bit of protein.

On top of that, vegetables are incredibly voluminous so it tricks you into believing that you’re eating a lot more than what you are.

For every meal that you eat, try to pair your food with at least one type of vegetable to maintain a balanced diet filled with fibers and essential vitamins. 

Eat Higher Protein Foods

It is essential to eat higher protein foods when trying to lose weight because protein is the essential macronutrient that helps you build and retain muscle.

We want to build muscle because the more muscle you have, the better overall body composition you will have.

By replacing your body fat with lean muscle, you will appear slimmer and achieve that toned physique you’re looking for. 

We want to eat higher protein foods because high-protein foods are the most satiating macronutrient.

By eating less food that makes you more full, you’re more likely to feel not as hungry when you are on a diet. After you workout, try eating a higher protein meal to fill you up after heavy exercise. 

Now that you know the ingredients and nutrients behind orange chicken and how to incorporate it into your diet, you can still enjoy eating Orange Chicken while still reaching your weight loss goals.

Dieting isn’t about restricting your foods and not listening to your cravings, but more about portion sizing and making smart choices! 

Conclusion 

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training. Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved. 

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment. Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself.

It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts. These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring.

Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too. As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy!

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