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August 5, 2021 5 Comments

Baked Orange Chicken

A glass 9x13 dish at a diagonal filled with Baked Orange Chicken with a metal serving spoon in the bottom left-hand corner.Breaded bite-size pieces of chicken, tossed in a slightly sweet orange glaze, this Baked Orange Chicken is a healthier version of the Panda Express Orange Chicken you love so much!

If I’m being really honest, I’m not a huge fan of orange chicken. I rarely choose it when we get Chinese. I’m much more into stir-fry. My kids, on the other hand, always get orange chicken or sweet and sour chicken, and I’ve had requests from readers to get an orange chicken recipe on the site, so here we go. 

I looked through a lot of recipes on the interwebs to decide how I wanted to proceed with my own orange chicken recipe. Many recipes use fried chicken pieces, similar to what you would get at a Chinese restaurant. But, guys, that just takes too long and isn’t something practical for me to do on a weeknight. Plus…calories.

A light blue plate with white rice topped with orange chicken and broccoli. Above the chicken a fork is starting to lift a piece of chicken up. In the background, there's a gray and white striped kitchen towel.I decided to go with baked chicken pieces instead of frying them. I used a breading technique that I like from this Baked Honey Curry Chicken with Green Beans. For the sauce, I didn’t want to risk it not coming to the consistency I wanted in such a short baking time. So, I prepared it on the stove and tossed the baked chicken in it right before serving. It turned out great and is much more simple to make than traditional orange chicken.

More Asian-Style Dinners You’ll Love

  • Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Grilled Sweet Chili Pork Chops
  • Korean Beef Bowls
  • Sticky Teriyaki Baked Chicken Thighs
  • Better than Take-out Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry
  • Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Orange chicken sitting on a serving of white rice next to a serving of broccoli all on top of a blue plate. In the left background is a grey kitchen towel.Step-by-step pictures for how to make Baked orange chicken

9-picture photo collage of step-by-step pictures for how to make Baked Orange Chicken.On the left, there's a grey kitchen towel ruffled with a metal fork sitting on top. Next to the towel and fork is a serving of rice topped with Broccoli and baked orange chicken all on a blue plate.Tips for making Baked Orange Chicken
  • Cut the chicken into equal-sized 1-inch pieces.
  • Use boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs.
  • Use fresh-squeezed orange juice for the best flavor.
  • Add more or less spice by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes you add to the sauce.
  • Double the sauce if you want extra to eat with your rice. The amount the recipe makes doesn’t leave much excess sauce after being tossed with the chicken.

Two-photo Pinterest picture with the text of the title of the recipe in the middle.

Delicious Chicken Dinners

Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets with waffle fries in a basket lined with brown paper. There's a small plastic cup of dipping sauce in the basket.Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggetsa juicy chicken breast with seasoning and cheese next to noodles and green beansPesto Parmesan ChickenBlue plate with spanish rice, black beans and two chicken enchiladasSalsa Chicken Enchiladas

Baked Orange Chicken
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
50 mins
 
A healthier version of Panda Express Orange Chicken. My kids love it and so will yours! Serve with Jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Author: Maria
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2-3 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • SAUCE:
  • ¾ cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
  • ½ tsp orange zest
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed (approx 2 tsp)
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2½ tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp rice wine or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sesame seed oil
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare a large cookie sheet or two 9x13 pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. In a large Ziploc bag or in a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, 2 tsp cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add the cut chicken pieces and toss until the chicken is well coated.
  4. Place chicken pieces in a single layer on a large cookie sheet or divided among the two 9x13 baking dishes. Spray the top of the chicken pieces with cooking spray.
  5. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir chicken once halfway through cooking.
  6. While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a 1- or 2-quart-sized saucepan. Before turning on the heat, make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly whisked together, being especially careful to make sure the cornstarch has dissolved.
  7. Once it is whisked together, turn on medium-high heat and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to simmer for 5-7 minutes or until it slightly thickens. You don't want it too thick. Imagine a thin gravy consistency.
  8. Once sauce is done simmering, remove it from heat. As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, toss the chicken pieces in the sauce.
  9. **I recommend combining both 9x13 pans of chicken before tossing. If you used a cookie sheet, put the chicken in a serving bowl or something easier to toss it in before adding the sauce.
  10. Serve immediately over jasmine rice and with a side of your favorite green veggie.
  11. Enjoy!
3.5.3251

Easy Rice Dishes

Picture of a metal 2 quart sauce pan with cooked coconut rice in it and a wooden spoon about to take a big scoop out.Coconut Ricebaked spanish riceOven Baked Spanish RiceHomemade-rice-a-roni-recipe-chicken-flavorHomemade Rice-a-Roni Recipe

Pinterest photo with the text of the title at the top.

$10 Dinners, Asian, Chicken, Chicken Breasts, Dinners, Main Categories, Meats, Recipes
Asian Chicken recipes, Asian recipes, baked orange chicken, baked orange chicken recipes, easy baked orange chicken, orange chicken, orange chicken recipes, Panda Express recipes
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5 Comments

  1. Callie

    August 9, 2021 at 11:54 am

    #augustgiveaway

    reply to this comment
  2. Emre Savas

    January 13, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    This may be stupid question as I am new to cooking. Is it 350 degree Celcius or Farenheit ?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      January 13, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      Definitely not a stupid question. Farenheit.

      reply to this comment
  3. Lynn Cain

    April 12, 2023 at 12:56 pm

    My husband loves Chinese food. However, health issues have arisen that demand he reduce caloric intake. This baked Orange Chicken will really help to satisfy his Chinese food craving with reduced fat and calories. Thanks for working the recipe out. I’m anxious to try it!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      April 13, 2023 at 1:36 pm

      I’m sorry about the health issues, I hope he likes it.

      reply to this comment

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Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


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