Bursting with fresh flavour, and incredibly simple to prepare, this vegan orange chicken will have your taste buds doing a happy dance! It’s filled with plant-based protein and is both wholesome and delicious.

This recipe was originally published in July 2020. It has been updated for content and photos.
I know some of you will disagree with naming this dish ‘vegan orange chicken’.
No, it’s not chicken.
BUT, this dish really resembles a version of orange chicken that you may have tried before. The flavour from the orange sauce is absolutely incredible, and soy curls make the perfect plant-based protein replacement for this dish.
The texture is fantastic, and fresh orange juice makes all the difference here.
Jump to:
Why you’ll love it
- It’s mega flavourful! The marinade is incredibly delicious, using freshly squeezed orange juice, and no ‘from concentrate’ stuff. 😉
- Packed with protein from nutrient-dense soy curls.
- Suitable for a WFPB (whole food plant based) diet, with wholesome ingredients and no oil required.
- It’s not only vegan but also gluten-free and nut-free!
- My FAV part? It’s low in calories, but you’d never guess! 🥳
Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make our tasty vegan orange chicken recipe.
- Soy curls: I use HALF of an 8-ounce bag of Butler foods soy curls. You can purchase them at a local health food store, directly from Butler’s website, or on Amazon. They are a fantastic gluten-free and vegan protein made using whole soybeans with no chemical pesticides.
- Broth: The broth hydrates the curls while adding extra flavour. So choose a vegetable broth you enjoy, like our flavourful homemade bouillon.
- Veggies: I’m using mushrooms and red peppers, but you may use any vegetables you have on hand.
- Vinegar: Rice vinegar is my preferred flavour here, but apple cider also works.
- Maple syrup: I like unrefined maple syrup to sweeten, but you may use brown sugar if preferred.
- Oranges: Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the absolute best flavour.
- Tamari: For salty, umami flavour. You may use soy sauce if a gluten-free option isn’t needed.
- Spices: Garlic powder and ginger but you may also use fresh for added depth of flavour.
- Cornstarch: For thickening the sauce. You may also use tapioca starch or all-purpose flour with similar results.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Mix the marinade ingredients (except the cornstarch) in a bowl and add the soy curls to rehydrate them. (photo 1)
Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and peppers in a large, deep skillet for approx. 5 minutes. (photo 2)
NOTE: You should not need oil or water to sauté the veggies since the mushrooms will release a lot of liquid as they’re heated.
Use a slotted spoon to fish out the curls from the bowl, add them to the pan with the veggies, and reserve the marinade. (photo 3)
Add the cornstarch to the bowl of marinade, mix well, and then toss into the pan to simmer and thicken the sauce. (photo 4)
NOTE: Do not dump the soy curls with their marinade into the pan!
Serve your vegan orange chicken over a bed of rice, noodles, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or another grain of your choice.
Then garnish your bowl with green onion, sesame seeds, and/or red pepper flakes/chili flakes.
Variations
- If you don’t have soy curls or can’t purchase them near you, try it with canned or cooked chickpeas.
- Or, make it an orange tofu recipe, using these air-fried tofu cubes, or arrange the cubes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and make oven-baked tofu. (Make sure to use extra firm tofu for best results.)
- Add more veggies like steamed broccoli, zucchini, sliced carrots, or snow peas.
- If you’re not avoiding oil, you may add a drizzle of sesame oil to the orange sauce, or to sauté the veggies for added flavour.
Storage
This vegan orange chicken tastes best when freshly made, however, leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
To reheat, add a little broth and heat in a skillet to add moisture back into the dish.
I don’t recommend freezing this one as the veggies and soy curls will be very soft once thawed and reheated.
Expert Tips
- For a saucier stir fry, double the marinade recipe.
- Make sure to use low-sodium vegetable broth for the marinade, since the Tamari/soy sauce has a lot of salt. If you don’t have low-sodium broth, use half a cup of the broth with half a cup of water.
- For lower sodium, use low-sodium Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Soy curls are not the same as soy chunks. Most natural food aisles or health food stores will have soy curls. Or you can buy them on Amazon.
More soy curl recipes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces soy curls about half a pack of Butler’s soy curls
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
For the Marinade
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ cup orange juice freshly squeezed (approx. 1 large orange)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce if not avoiding gluten
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
For serving
- vermicelli noodles, brown rice, or quinoa
- sesame seeds
- green onion
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients, EXCEPT the cornstarch or flour and whisk well. Then stir the soy curls into the bowl and let them soak for 10-15 minutes. Make sure they all get covered with the marinade.
- Meanwhile, add your sliced mushrooms and peppers to a large skillet. Dry sauté to soften and reduce them for 4-5 minutes. You shouldn't need any oil or water since the mushrooms will release their own liquid. If anything is sticking, add a splash of water.
- With a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the soaked soy curls to your skillet with the veggies and RESERVE the sauce. Make sure to fish out the curls from the bowl, and do not dump them in. Sauté for 5 minutes to brown the edges of the soy curls.
- Meanwhile, add the cornstarch to the bowl of sauce and stir to combine. Then pour the sauce into the pan with the curls and veggies. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce, and serve.
Notes
- For a saucier stir fry, double the marinade recipe.
- Make sure to use low-sodium vegetable broth for the marinade, since the Tamari/soy sauce has a lot of salt. If you don’t have low-sodium broth, use half a cup of the broth with half a cup of water.
- For lower sodium, use low-sodium Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Soy curls are not the same as soy chunks. Most natural food aisles or health food stores will have soy curls. Or you can buy them on Amazon.
Dave Smith
Hi Rosa, This looks a fantastic recipe but here in the UK Butler’s soya curls on Amazon cost about $90 for a pack of 3 compared to about $21 in the US. Is there an alternative that I could possibly use as soya curls are just too expensive?
Rosa
Hi Dave, yikes that is steep. I have found soy curls at local health food stores for less than I can buy them on Amazon also. (I’m in Canada.) That said, if you have no luck, you may try it with chickpeas and/or tofu. Some more info here.
Ali
This is so good! And easy, I will def make it again. I used Butler’s soy curls. I used fresh ginger and garlic and also added snow peas; otherwise I made the recipe as written. Delish – thanks!
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed it Ali, thanks for the review. 🙂
Tim M.
This is one of those recipes that proves we can eat vegan and still indulge in fantastic flavors and celebrate food. I doubled the sauce, but probably won’t bother next time since I ended up with too much. My whole family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!
Rosa
You’re most welcome Tim! Thrilled your whole family enjoyed this one. 🙂
Judy
Hi! I’m interested in making this recipe. This will be the first time I’ve used soy curls so I’m excited about having something new besides grounding tofu up to make ground meat copycat recipe or chunked tofu for bowls, salads etc! I have a question about the soaking/hydrating of the soy curls. In your recipe I didn’t see it mentioned that you need to soak them and drain them first. Is this correct or should I soak them first or just marinate them to hydrate? Thank you!!
Rosa
Hi Judy. You don’t need to soak in water first. For this recipe, the marinade will hydrate the soy curls. Enjoy! 🙂
Lori
I was looking for new recipes to use soy curls, and I really liked this recipe. It comes together so quickly for a weeknight meal. I added sliced onions, and next time I probably will add more veggies, maybe carrots, broccoli, and/or thawed peas. Topped with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds & green onions, and served it over brown rice. Just like Chinese take out, but without all the unnecessary fat. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Rosa
You’re welcome, Lori! 🙂
Sue B
Absolutely wonderful! Added broccolini to the sautéed peppers and served over cauliflower rice. We are big fans of soy curls!
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed it Sure. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback and review. 🙂
Eileen VanTassel
This recipe is excellent. I like more sauce, so triple the recipe then serve with brown rice or noodles. Thank you for sharing this!
Rosa
You’re welcome Eileen, so glad you like it. 🙂
Connie
Looking forward to trying this recipe—sounds amazing! Will report back and rate then. Clever how you marinate the soy curls first! I used soy curls in another recipe last night (Shane & Simple’s Vegan Pepper Steak) and my non-vegan husband loves them, so I’m sure we’ll love this recipe too! (We freeze the recipe and it works great so I’ll probably give freezing a try with this recipe too.). My local MOMS Organic Market has recently started to carry the soy curls in the bulk bins—yay! Thank you for all of your recipes—love that they’re WFPB and oil free!!
Rosa
You’re welcome Connie. Looking forward to your feedback. 🙂
Nancy W.
Oh my goodness, your Vegan Orange Chicken is AMAZING!!! This is the very first recipe I’ve made with soy curls, and it is a game-changer! We’ve been WFPB/vegan for over a year now, and as much as I love all the yummy, varied recipes I’ve found, I’m elated to have a new food type in my arsenal. 🙂 I made this tonight (exactly as written – served over brown Basmati rice), and was blown away. I just LOVE the marinade… I know I’ve said it before, but I am so incredibly grateful to have found your site. (I’m especially thrilled to find no SOS recipes!) Whenever I’m browsing Pinterest and find one from THK, I immediately check it out, because I know it will be fabulous! 🙂
Rosa
Aww, thank you so much for the lovely review, Nancy. I’m so thrilled you’re enjoying my recipes. 🙂