Fabulous Orange Chicken
This orange chicken recipe made healthier, (baked not fried), is a tasty, family-friendly meal. The sauce is especially fabulous!
My husband loves Orange Chicken.
I found a knock-off Panda Express recipe that I thought I would try but as I started making it I realized it was going to be a disaster (I hate it when that happens) so I pulled out another version from Blog Chef, combined the two and the result was incredibly delicious.
Plus, I found a few work around areas that will make this dish very speedy in the future.
You can certainly deep fry the chicken for an authentic crispy coating but I actually prefer the lighter, easier version I’ve typed up below because the chicken really holds onto the delicious orange sauce.
And I don’t know about you, but I believe orange sauce is meant to be held on to.
Simple and delicious, this is one of our favorite meals!
What To Serve With This:
Baked Brown Rice
Summer Corn Salad or Grilled Corn Salad
Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad or fresh, seasonal fruit
Fabulous Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons green onion
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.
- Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.
- After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.
- Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Blog Chef
89 Comments on “Fabulous Orange Chicken”
Perfect. I used whole chicken Maryland’s and browned the chicken first on top of the stove. Then I poured half a cup of orange sauce over the chicken, put the lid on, and baked for 30 minutes in the oven. Absolutely delicious.
This recipe was good. It is lower in fat for sure than the orange chicken you would order at a chinese restaurant. I made this twice, I followed the recipe the fist time. The second time I changed the way I cooked the chicken. After I flowered the chicken, I browned it quickly in a skillet using sesame oil.
I then finished cooking the chicken in the sauce for about 15 minutes in the oven at 350*This gave the chicken a little bit of that crisp texture without the deep fryer, than the sauce was perfect, over jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. YUM!
Thanks for the recipe.
Sooo good and a flavorful sauce! Decreased the sugar a bit and added cayenne for some spice!
Hi Mel! Tonight I made your Sweet & Sour Chicken (baked) and it was AMAZING so I came back to find more recipes. Our whole neighborhood is basically turning into a MKC fan club, we just love you! I found myself here at Orange Chicken and I was somewhat expecting it to be a very similar recipe to the Sweet & Sour but just a different sauce. In my journey to be a better and more knowledgable cook I would love to understand the differences (in particular, why corn starch on the Sweet and Sour Chicken but flour on the Orange Chicken and why the 2-step browning and then baking for Sweet and Sour but not here? Are these parts of the recipes swappable do you think or is there a pretty noticeable texture difference that you are going for between the two recipes?). I’d love to hear from you if you have the chance! Thanks for everything!
Hey Lindsay! Happy you are loving the recipes. Makes my day! About these two recipes, it really is just a matter of them being posted around the same time using two completely different recipes so that is why the method and ingredients (flour vs cornstarch) are different. Having said that, I think if you loved the sweet and sour chicken, you could use that method for coating and baking and use the sauce from the orange chicken for a different flavor. Does that make sense?
I’m a first time poster to you website Mel though I have visted many times. Always longing to try some of the fabulous recipes on here. My oldest son, who is 12 has been begging me to make Orange Chicken for awhile. I’ve always dimissed it b/c I’m on a diet or just because I am afraid that I’d eat the whole thing! Today that all changed. I finally made something of Mel’s!!! After years of sitting on the sidelines I did it and there are no regrets! This dish holds up to the name and more!!! I love the sauce. It was not difficult and I also liked that you baked the chicken instead of frying it. Eventually I will try your Sweet and Sour chicken and I plan to follow directions just as you have them. Thanks Mell for a truly great site. I’ve been a long time admirer. This dish did not disappoint.
I’m so happy to hear this, Monika. Thank you!
My family loves this!!! It’s amazing and mels instructions are super easy to follow!
I made this today for my family (3 girls 10, 12, 14, and my beautiful wife).
I am truly glad I found this recipe, without frying the chicken first. Trying to be health conscious and serving a delicious meal are sometimes difficult.
I also poured all the sauce on the chicken, not reserving the had it says to serve on the side. They absolutely loved it.
Thanks.
Can this dish be frozen??
I’ve never tried, sorry I’m not more help!
Made this tonight as i thought it might entice my 2 year old to eating some veggies and definately will be adding to my receipe stash. I think i will try halfing the sugar in attempt 2. Husband says “that was delicious” thinking id have left overs for tomorrow!!I did modify the receipe slightly by adding lots of veggies after id turned the meat over and added the sauce. Yum! Will be checking out some of your other receipes now.
I was looking for an orange sauce to use for my 2nd half of my Costco orange chicken. (We usually use all the sauce that comes with it for the first half and terriyaki sauce for the 2nd half. But my husband was really wanting orange chicken tonight.) Anyway, this was the perfect sauce to go with their chicken and the stir fried veggies I also cooked. A+, will totally make this again!
This is hands-down THE BEST ORANGE CHICKEN EVER!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been looking for years for the right balance of sweet, tangy, orange sauce. My husband, 6 children and I thank you for this recipe – what a huge hit in my house!!!
This was so yummy. I don’t think it is at all like Panda’s orange chicken (since theirs has zero orange flavor), but that orange tastes good. I accidentally added all the sauce, and since it turned out okay, I might keep doing it that way.
We love this recipe, Mel! So delicious. I usually cook the chicken on the stovetop to speed things up, and I like adding a little extra ginger plus some red pepper flakes to the orange sauce. Thanks for the yummy dinner!
Melanie,
I could be at your web site all day! I love reading new recipes and love making them from scratch. I like to know what’s in the food I eat. Thanks again, as this recipe for Orange Chicken sounds good. I have a recipe section on my computer for saved recipes, and today, created a Mel’s Homemade file just for collecting your recipes.
Thanks, Bonni! I hope you enjoy any of the recipes you make!
I never leave comments on recipes but have to on this one. My family thinks it’s better than Panda Express! This is the second meal I’ve made from your website and they all say “keep them coming”. Thanks, Mel. I know it must be time consuming but we appreciate it!
So happy to hear that, Jane!
I made this, but cut the chicken into chunks and coated with the flour mixture and then cooked in a wok, added broccoli and onion and sautéed, and then poured the sauce mixture over the top and let it thicken in the wok. It was seriously amazing flavor and a full meal in one pan. YUM!
Mel,
Please don’t use my whole name — I should have put jvogue in the first blank for “name.”
Joan – I usually use the white and green parts.
Mel, Do you use the whole green onions, or stop when you get to the green “chivey” part. It appears in the picture that you’re just using the white part.
Jvogue
Hi Mel — I think I understand, but just to clarify — the question mark after the 2 (regarding the chicken cubes) means “twenty-something” cubes? It’s a perfectionist thing, sorry if it’s a dopey question. 🙂
Hi Maureen, the ? Mark actually means 2-inch cubes. I’ll fix that on the recipe!
This was ok for us. I have made the firecracker chicken and sweet and sour chicken, plus about a dozen other recipes from this site that my family LOVES!!! From that I assumed we would likevth
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on camera bag purse. Regards
My husband is not a fan of Asian food but I made this tonight and he thought it was great. I have been hungry for this since I saw a pin on Pinterest but didn’t want to fry the chicken. Thank you so much for this recipe. It was wonderful.
I tried this for supper tonight. Yum. This is definitely a keeper! Thanks.
I made this recipe a while back and I must have doubled the sauce recipe so I had some sauce left over. I froze it in a jar to await inspiration. Let me tell you that I baked some frozen meatballs in the sauce, served it with rice and vegetables and it was WONDERFUL! My family loved the first meal AND the second. I love double-whammies like that! 🙂
I love this chicken..in fact I haven’t made anything on this site that I haven’t loved. Tonight when I made it, I changed it up a bit (which I never do, because I’ve learned you’ve already perfected it and even when I see an ingredient, I’m not sure I want to add-I always just tell myself that Mel knows best-and I’ve never been wrong on that one). But tonight I replaced the butter with cocnut oil (have you cooked with that stuff yet? Hello-yummio!!!!) I have to say it took it up a notch in our book and I didn’t think that was possible!!!
I made this for dinner tonight – another excellent recipe of yours! From your other orange chicken recipe (Simple Orange Chicken with Broccoli) I took the idea to add to it broccoli as well as bean sprounts and orange pepper. I prepared the chicken as you suggested and steamed/stir-fried the vegetables in the leftover sauce – then added the chicken in once I took it out of the oven – I served it all over white rice. Very, very good! My husband (who isn’t a big fan of Chinese-style food) complimented me by saying this dish is one of the best I’ve ever made 🙂 I pass the compliment on to you Mel! Thank you!
I tried this tonight. I, too, am not fond of deep frying. This is a great solution! I loved the flavor of the orange sauce. Another hit at my house!
I have a confession. We had a small portion of this leftover and planned to do a leftover smorgasbord lunch the next day to clean out the fridge. I went to sleep that night thinking I could get up early and eat these particular leftovers for breakfast. Because I knew I’d be busted by the kids, I refrained. But it took every ounce of self control. This dish was that good.
Trudy – hope this worked out for you! It could just be the old picture that makes the sauce color look different than yours.
Forgot to mention……I got lazy and poured all the sauce over the chicken in a casserole dish. Put it in to bake at 350. Let’s hope this works. Judging from the recipes on this blog, I would wager a guess that you are my sister-from-another-mister 🙂 LOVE. IT. ALL.
I have this baking in the oven at the moment but I noticed something odd….the sauce is a very dark brown from the soy sauce. Yet the picture above shows a clear, orange glaze on the chicken. I did put some extra orange zest in for some extra kick and it did deliver! Can’t wait to taste it although I don’t think it will look as “pretty” as yours 🙂
Diane – I think the ziploc bag approach would work great if you want to streamline the process. Sounds like you basted just the way you needed to, basically just brushing the sauce onto the chicken. Sorry you were underwhelmed!
I really, really love Panda Express orange chicken, so I probably should not have made this expecting that. Obviously, since I baked it, it wasn’t fried… and the sauce was very much more orangey. It was pretty sweet, and I was stingy with my brown sugar. I added somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. My husband really loved it. I have mixed feelings about it, though it was good. I feel like the dredging took way too long – I feel like I could have gotten similar results using a ziplock bag.
Also, maybe I’m just not very basting savvy, but I feel like that part was a little unclear. I sort of tried to use what was in the pan to smear back on the chicken, with little success, so then I ended up using the second half of my sauce in basting about every seven minutes. I guess it worked, I just wasn’t sure how it was supposed to be.
made this tonight. it was really good! best orange chicken recipe i’ve tried! and i LOVED that it was baked and not fried. the chicken turned out so tender and the sauce was great. my massively picky 3 year old actually ate it without us having to tell her to. or feed her bites. haha thanks! can’t wait to try more of your recipes. 🙂
Holy moly this was good! We made this for dinner tonight and found we didn’t even need the extra sauce. It was moist and so full of yummy flavor! We served it over jasmine rice, omitted the garlic, and added a pinch of onion powder since I didn’t have any green onions on hand (grocery day is tomorrow). Thanks for another “fabulous” recipe to keep in my dinner rotation!
Mel!!! I made this last night as a late Chinese new year celebration, with tiny spicy chicken, egg rolls sweet and sour sauce, and egg drop soup!! This was AMAZING! I actually used half the chicken, and just put all the sauce in to bake, and it was so good! Thanks! I’m excited for the leftovers!
This recipe has become one of my top fav 5 dinners. I think I’ve made it 4 times now. The whole family loves it! Thanks!
While this recipe was good I wouldn’t say it was great in my books- I just briefly looked at the intructions again and I’m sure I followed it to a T, although my sauce was WAY darker than yours…and I since I was busy looking after the boys while cooking I wasn’t sure which quantity of water I was suppose to put first for the recipe, looking at it now I’m guessing it would of been the 1 1/2 cups of water instead of the 1/4 cup which might of affected the way the sauce turned out…but could it of affected the darkness of the sauce? I’ve had lemon chicken before which I LOVED so perhaps the organge just wasn’t for my tastedbuds- on another note the chicken was nice and tender in the oven 🙂
Nathalie – it’s been a while since I made this so I’m not sure what would have affected the darkness of your sauce – maybe something to do with the water amount. Sorry you didn’t love it!
if the soy sauce you use is too dark ,you would end up with a darker sauce. try using light soy sauce.
Another winner from Mel! My kids love the orange chicken at Panda Express but were skeptical that I could recreate at home. Everyone was delighted with the results. Served with a homemade fried rice I make with brown jasmine rice and it was awesome. Thanks!
I made this with a few healthier substitutions- I baked the chicken as others said above, never breaded and fried it. I also used only 1/4 cup of brown sugar and it was still delicious. To add more veggies I sauteed zucchini, onion, green peppers, red peppers, and broccoli for about 10 minutes, then added them to the chicken cooking in the oven for the last 15 minutes and they were delicious covered in the sauce! Served over brown rice it was great. Thanks Mel for another tasty tasty recipe 🙂
My only regret with this recipe, is that I only made half as there is only two of us…the hubs and I were both wishing we could have had seconds…this is really FABULOUS ORANGE CHICKEN!
Im pregnant and having a hard time getting excited about any kind of food, however I made this for my husband last week and it looked and smelled so good I had to try a bite… before I was even done chewing I had loaded up a plate for myself and needless to say ATE THE WHOLE THING! It was incredibly divine and my husband is begging me to make it again which I know will not be a problem at all! Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes.
Delicious! As a picky eater, I have only in the last few years ventured into trying a few Chinese foods that seemed “safe”, and orange chicken is one of them. Made this tonight with brown basmati rice and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it! No leftovers here!
We had this for dinner tonight and it was perfect!! Thanks!
Kensi – thanks! So glad you liked it.
Made this tonight and it turned out wonderful! My husband absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for posting a non fried version!
Thanks, paramedichick!
This recipe was fab-u-lucious. We cooked it in a frying pan on our bbq (weather was way too hot to turn on the oven) and cooked it for 10 minutes (lid on), flipped the chicken and poured the sauce over the top (put lid back on) and cooked another 10 minutes. It was so tender and scrumptious. We served it with fresh pineapple chunks on the side.
Nancy – thanks for detailing how you cooked it. I’m so glad you liked the end result!
Ok, Mel- I broke my “don’t turn on my oven this summer” rule last night in order to make this dish. It was SO worth it! The sauce is absolutely TO DIE FOR! No kidding-my family raved about this dish all night! I mentioned that I am hosting an Asian themed party in September…this dish will be the star! Now I have to figure out how to make enough to serve 25-30 people! 🙂
P.S. I am going to break my “rule” again today to make the oatmeal cookie recipe you posted this morning! 🙂
Kim – I’m kind of sorry you had to heat up your house but am honored you broke your rule with one of my recipes! I’m so glad you liked this chicken and am glad that you have found “the one” to serve at your dinner party. I can’t wait to hear how it goes over in a couple of months!
well, we just ate this tonight for the second night in a row, and my husband is taking the last little bit to work tomorrow, so I’m pretty sure that’s a big success!!! I loved that it was so simple to put together. that orange sauce is seriously OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! I mean, is it socially acceptable to drink it??? I served basmati rice and steamed broccoli/carrots/baby corn on the side. we ALL loved it!
another great one Melanie! thank you so much!!!
Melanie – you totally had me laughing wit the “socially acceptable” question. Too funny. I’m so happy you liked this – it is a family favorite around her, too!
Brittany – thanks for letting me know you liked this, albeit a little sweet. Hopefully your husband will help you eat the leftovers!
I made this this week for the first time. I must preface my review by stating I have never had orange chicken before (seems absurd, I know). The chicken was perfectly cooked and not dry at all. I really love that it’s not fried. However, my husband is out of town and I will be freezing the leftovers to try to pawn off on him – I can’t eat it at all. It is WAY too sweet (I mean, I was expecting sweet but not this sweet).. but all in all I’m glad to have found a way to not fry chinese chicken and not miss the fact that it’s not fried – so thanks Melanie!
Cheme'-I've never made this in the crockpot so I'm hesitant to tell you you'll get the same results, but there is probably no harm in trying it. If I were you, I'd probably only use half the sauce in the crockpot with the chicken and thicken the other half on the stove and use it to drizzle on top. Good luck!
I am such a novice to cooking, but this looks delicious. I am also very short on time. Do you think I can cook this in the crock pot and get the same delicious results? I have not ventured much into what I call chinese cooking. How would you recommend "converting" the recipe? Thanks so much! Your blog is awesome!
restrainedchaos – ok, kind of funny and kind of gross on the “blood orange” rename, but hey, I’m glad they liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
I bookmarked this recipe a while ago and just got around to trying it. Although the chicken didn’t seem to get very crispy in the oven, once I got everything in there, it was fairly hands-free. The sauce was wonderful. I switched blood orange juice and zest for the regular (too old to be used for marmalade anyway). My two kids and husband wolfed down what they called ‘Blood Chicken.” 😉 Thanks!
My husband and I love this meal! After looking at your picture though I was wondering if you put your green onions in with the sauce (like the recipe states) or if you just use them as a garnish. They look so green in the picture, and mine never turn out looking that way once they’ve been cooked into the sauce. -Melanie A.
Melanie A. – I cook the recipe as stated and boil the green onion with the other ingredients but I always slice a few extra green onion rounds for a bright garnish like in the picture. Hope that helps!
Jonelle – well, hello! Thanks for making my day. Really! Hopefully you aren’t disappointed with any of the recipes! I actually have the most basic digital camera known to man – I just set it to the macro focus setting/no flash and shoot away. Anyway, you are so, so sweet. AND amazing for expecting your fifth baby! Thanks, again. Check back often and feel free to send any winning recipes my way…I’m always looking for new ones! (mykitchencafe@gmail.com)
Norah – fantastic idea to add red pepper flakes. I love what they do for a meal.
That orange chicken looks really good!
Kara – I love the recipes from your blog, too, so I’m glad that you liked this! Thanks for letting me know.
Yum, yum, triple yum! This was fabulous. I did make it with the breading but next time I am going to try it without. I will probably alternate between the two when making it.
Who are you and where have you been hiding this blog? I was so excited I found this blog today, I almost cried. I could move in with you and never complain about the food. We have very similar tastes. Your pictures are gorgeous. Do you have a special camera? Anyway, forget food network, this is where my free time wil be spent! Thank you!!!! (mom of 4 and one on the way!)
Oooh! YAY! Starring this! I love orange chicken but never ahve made it b/c I hate fried food. Thanks for posting!!
Just finished eating this and it was a hit! Thanks! I’ve tried a lot of chicken recipes that use orange juice and I’m not usually a fan- this one is different and has the perfect flavor! No bribing my 2 year old either…maybe because he saw me pour in the orange juice! Thanks again Mel- I’m never disapointed!
Jenn – you sound like me – I totally hoard the leftovers from dinner! Thanks for letting me know you liked this. And I can’t wait to hear about the honey lime enchiladas…they are a family favorite.
AmISparky – let me know when you try it without breading and what you think!
Just made this for dinner tonight. It was really good. I’m glad there’s leftovers because that means I get it for lunch! Next on the docket–honey lime enchiladas.
Loved this dish. I added some red pepper flakes just for a little zing and it was really good.
If it’s anything like the Panda Express orange chicken, I know my husband and I will love it!
Just made this for dinner last night and it really is fabulous!! Everyone in my family and our two dinner guests just loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
I am totally bookmarking this, I love that you included a deep fried alternative. Sounds really, really good!!
Melanie,this was so yummy! My kids love the school cafeteria’s version of orange chicken and have asked me to make it, so I finally did. I kind of worried about it not tasting like the lunch lady’s and kind of worried that it might. I actually licked the pan clean, but that was only because all the chicken and rice were completely gobbled up by each one of us and I was sad to see it gone so quickly. I’ll just have to make it again…
Wow, I just made this tonight, and it was delicious! The chicken was very tender and my two children 2 and 3 had no problems eating it. I am excited to try more.
mmm…hello, brown sugar. nice to see you. 🙂orange chicken is marvelous, and i love your version of it–the less hot oil involved, the better. 🙂
Hey Mel – This looks awesome! I haven’t eaten at Panda Express in years but I think yours looks way better anyway!