There are some recipes that instantly become family favorites. You take one bite and you’re already looking forward to the next time you make the dish. It’s also a recipe guaranteed never to have leftovers.

For me, this is one of those recipes.

This Skinny Take-Out Orange Chicken is sticky, sweet, and spicy (although, the spiciness can easily be adjusted). Since the chicken is not breaded and deep-fried, it’s also easier on your waistline.

And that’s probably a good thing for us during the season that’s packed with comfort food.

Instead of breading and deep-frying the chicken, the chicken is coated in a sweet and saucy cornstarch mixture that will help ensure that it stays extra-juicy and tender during cooking. The chicken is then seared in a hot skillet with Arbol chiles for a little heat. Dried Arbol chiles can be quite spicy, so you can use just one if you want a milder dish. If you want a medium-spicy orange chicken, then use 2 to 3 of the Arbol chiles.

4 or more chiles will definitely set some tastebuds on fire!

After you’ve committed to a spiciness level and added a few more seasonings, a cornstarch slurry is added to the chicken. This slurry adds body to the sauce as well as helps the sauce coat the chicken.

This means that you won’t get a puddle of thin sauce at the bottom of your bowl.

Best of all, this recipe is the PERFECT weeknight dish since it only takes half an hour to prepare.

30 minutes to prepare and even quicker to eat!