Easy Orange Chicken

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This Easy Orange Chicken is quick and easy to make for any night of the week. Tender pieces of chicken coated in a sweet and tangy orange sauce. It’s flavorful, healthier than take-out, and can be on your table in less than 30 minutes!

Overhead view of easy orange chicken on a bed of rice and garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, and orange slices.

Orange chicken is a very popular American style Chinese dish and for good reason…..it tastes SO GOOD! But if you are like my husband and like Lemon Chicken better I’ve got you covered. We love both dishes because they are easy to make right at home and use easy to find real ingredients!

Top Reasons Why You Will Want to Make This Easy Orange Chicken:

  • It can be on your table in under 30 minutes!!
  • No weird ingredients or hard to find ingredients
  • It’s healthier because we aren’t frying the chicken
  • Coated in a thick sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce, YUM!
  • A great recipe for any night of the week
Overhead view of all the ingredients needed to make this quick and easy dinner!

Ingredient list:

CHICKEN: You can use either breast or thighs for this recipe. Just cut into bite sized pieces.
ORANGES: With both the juice and zest of oranges you know this is going to be good!
SOY SAUCE, RICE VINEGAR, CHILI SAUCE, GINGER, HONEY, GARLIC, WATER, AND CORNSTARCH: These all make up the rest of the delicious sauce and are pretty much a staple in most Chinese dishes. They are all easy to find in any grocery store. You can use reduced sodium soy sauce too! Also, if you don’t want to grate the fresh ginger you can find ginger in a squeeze tube in the produce section next to the fresh herbs.

Two pictures showing how to make this easy dinner.

How To Make This Delicious Chicken Dinner:

When I said this is a really easy dinner to make, I wasn’t kidding. If you can cut chicken and mix some ingredients together to make a sauce that’s really all you need to know! It’s faster than driving to pick up take-out GUARANTEED!

CHICKEN: Start by cutting the chicken into small bite sized pieces. Cook this in a skillet with a little oil until chicken is no longer pink.

SAUCE: While the chicken is cooking combine all the ingredients for the sauce. When the chicken is done give the sauce another quick stir and pour over the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Overhead view of easy orange chicken in a cast iron skillet garnished with green onion and fresh orange wedges.

FAQs

CAN ORANGE CHICKEN BE MADE IN ADVANCE?

It really is a fast dish to make from start to finish but you could cut your chicken ahead of time and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

HOW TO STORE ORANGE CHICKEN?

Store completely cooled leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.

HOW TO REHEAT ORANGE CHICKEN?

Reheat in the microwave or gently on the stove top, stirring constantly until heated through.

Close up of this easy to make chicken dinner.

What to Serve With Easy Orange Chicken

  • Any cooked rice: white, brown, Jasmine, Basmati are all delicious choices. You can even try califlower rice if you prefer.
  • A steamed or roasted veggie of your choice: broccoli, carrots, green beans, zucchini

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Overhead view of easy orange chicken on a bed of rice and garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, and orange slices.

Easy Orange Chicken

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: 30 minute chicken dinner, 30 minutes or less, orange chicken
This Easy Orange Chicken is a great weeknight meal! It uses easy to find everyday ingredients making a healthier version of a popular Chinese take out dish!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Malinda Linnebur
Print Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ pounds (1.1kg) boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
  • zest of 1 orange
  • cup (160ml) fresh orange juice
  • cup (160ml) water
  • cup (80ml) honey
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger

Instructions

  • Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. May need a little oil.
  • While the chicken is cooking combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. When the chicken is done cooking give the sauce mixture a stir and pour over the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened.

Notes

  1. STORAGE: Store completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  2. FREEZER FRIENDLY: Freeze cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stove top, stirring constantly until heated through. Or reheat in the microwave.
  3. MAKE AHEAD: This really is an easy dish to make start to finish but you can cut up the chicken in advance. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. 
  4. GINGER: Use fresh ginger for this recipe. You can also find grated ginger in a squeeze tube in the produce section next to the fresh herbs. 

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 777mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

4 thoughts on “Easy Orange Chicken”

  1. 5 stars
    Made this dish a few nights ago, it is a keeper! Loved the ginger and orange in it and it had just the right amount of heat to it. I will be making this often. Thanks!

    Reply

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