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This Keto Chinese Orange Peel Shrimp is my remake to the classic sweet and spicy orange peel shrimp or chicken recipe that you can pick up at P.F. Chang’s. Using keto-friendly sweeteners and orange extract instead of orange juice, this is easily one of my favorite keto Chinese takeout recipes to make at home. Perfect for those who want shrimp or chicken with orange sauce minus the carbs and sugar!

What is Orange Peel Shrimp?

P.F. Chang’s orange peel chicken and shrimp entrees inspired me to create my own version. It is basically shrimp or chicken covered in a sweet and spicy orange sauce that is served up with rice.

Since traditional orange chicken and shrimp recipes rely on sugars, it’s not typically a keto-friendly option. In this recipe, I’m using keto substitutes to achieve the flavors without adding sugar.

Are oranges keto-friendly?

Many people following a strict keto lifestyle choose to skip oranges. They do this because oranges have a lot of sugar, something that might knock them out of ketosis. In fact, one medium-size orange has over 12 grams of sugar. And, a cup of orange juice has over 17 grams of sugar. So, you might be wondering how can you make orange shrimp with the big orange flavor without using oranges?

Keto Orange Peel Sauce without Oranges

My keto orange sauce uses orange extract instead of orange juice. The orange extract contains a lot of orange flavor in two teaspoons of liquid.

In addition to the orange extract, you’ll notice in the recipe card below that I’m using Keto Brown Sugar Replacement to get sweetness without added carbs or sugar.

To get the savory or spicy component, I use a thinly sliced habanero pepper or red pepper flakes. But if you want all the sweetness and none of the spice, you can leave the pepper out of the recipe and it will still taste great.

The remaining ingredients help round out the flavor a bit and include chicken broth, ground ginger, garlic cloves, soy sauce or Coconut Aminos, Xanthan gum, butter, optional sesame seed oil, and unseasoned rice vinegar.

Orange Extract vs. Orange Juice

Orange extract provides a concentrated orange flavor. You really only need one or two teaspoons in most recipes to give the dish an orange flavoring. It also contains no extra carbs or sugars, so it is very keto-friendly.

Orange juice is full of extra sugar. Using orange juice in the orange peel shrimp would increase the carbs in this dish. So, if your goal is to stay in ketosis, I’d recommend avoiding orange juice and using the orange extract.

How to Make Orange Shrimp or Orange Chicken

Shrimp is super easy to make. Use a raw, thawed shrimp in this recipe. It doesn’t matter if you use fresh or previously frozen shrimp.

To cook the shrimp:

You can just add them to the pot with the sauce and heat them for 1-2 minutes until they are cooked.

To make keto orange chicken instead:

If you swap the shrimp with chicken, then you should absolutely cook them before adding them to the sauce since they take much longer than shrimp to cook. All you need to do is:

Cut your chicken into cubes
Heat a pan over medium-high heat
Melt 1-2 tbsp of butter or another fat if you prefer in the pan
Add the chicken and cook on each side for ~2 minutes.

When the chicken is white and no longer pink, you can add it to the sauce.

What to Eat this With:

Asian dishes like keto Chinese orange peel shrimp pair well with fried rice. But just like with using orange extract instead of orange juice, I have a keto-friendly alternative. You can make keto-friendly cauliflower fried rice instead of using white or brown rice, both of which would add carbs to the meal.

Another alternative side for orange shrimp is steamed broccoli. Steamed broccoli mixes well with the orange sauce and provides some low carb veggies to your meal.

Other Keto Asian Inspired Recipes

I’ve got lots of Asian inspired keto dishes to choose from if you are looking for others. Here are some of my favorites that you could cook up for a keto-friendly Asian feast: