Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (2024)

This delicious and simple Baked Orange Chicken, is the perfect dinner on a busy night. It is also the BEST Chinese food, I have had in a while. It tastes so fresh and delicious, you are going to love it. All the goodness of restaurant food, in the comforts of your own home.

Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (1)

I have been on a big Chinese food kick lately. I recently made our Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken for dinner a few weeks ago and realized we had to try it with a zesty orange sauce.

This Baked Orange Chicken tastes just as good as take out and can be made in the comfort of your own home.

I love making restaurant food in sweats at home. It totally beats getting ready, getting everybody dressed, fighting to put on shoes with hungry kids, waiting for a table, then waiting to eat, and paying a giant tip at the end.

I think I may start making all the restaurant recipes at home, from here on out.

Want more orange taste?

This sauce does have a hint of orange to it, but if you are looking for more, we recommend using some real orange.

I love to get my zester, or use the small side of a cheese grater, and grate some orange peel over my chicken, for a little more orange flavor. It is delicious.

Could I deep fry this chicken?

You most definitely could deep fry the chicken, if you desire. I like to bake mine because fried food give me a little bit of a stomach ache, but you could most definitely fry, instead of bake, your chicken.

I will sometimes even skip the browning step, just because canola oil give me a little bit of a stomach ache.

What could I use in place of canola oil

If you are like me, you don’t love canola oil. It is great for cooking, however, it leave me feeling a little sick.

If you are looking to replace canola oil, I recommend using a light olive oil, or avocado oil.

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Related recipe: be sure and try our CHINESE CHICKEN FRIED RICE. It tastes even better than take out.

Looking for more of our favorite restaurant recipes, you can make from home?

  • Animal Style Fries from In – n – Out Burger
  • Copycat KFC Coleslaw
  • Copycat Fiesta Chicken Nachos
  • Copycat Blaze WhiteTop Pizza

Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (2)

Serves: 6

Baked Orange Chicken Recipe

This delicious and simple Baked Orange Chicken, is the perfect dinner on a busy night. All the goodness of restaurant food, in the comforts of your own home.

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 4 boneless chicken breasts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 ½ cups cornstarch
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • ¼ cup canola oil

Sauce

  • cup brown sugar
  • cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons white vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

  • Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

  • In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.

  • Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until lightly browned.

  • Place the chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, orange juice, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, garlic salt, and cornstarch.

  • Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.

  • Serve over rice, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 481 kcal · Carbohydrates: 58 g · Protein: 19 g · Fat: 18 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 130 mg · Sodium: 866 mg · Potassium: 311 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 26 g · Vitamin A: 239 IU · Vitamin C: 15 mg · Calcium: 48 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls

  • 9x13-inch Baking Pan

  • Skillet

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

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Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (3)
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Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (4)


Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (5)

Join The Discussion

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  1. Peggy says:

    Looks super delicious. Orange sauce sounds yummy. I must make this for a workday lunch!

  2. Larissa says:

    Made this for dinner tonight and my entire family LOVED it!! That's rare!

  3. Cathie says:

    This is delicious, but I sure would like some details on the nutritional info.

  4. Cyd says:

    Hi Cathie. The nutritional info is all there. Just click on the MAGIC button under the picture. Then in the upper left corner you will see NUTRITION. Click on that and it will give you all of the nutritional information on this recipe.

  5. Kim says:

    So good, I just added zest of an orange when it was done cooking

  6. Stephanie says:

    Made this for dinner tonight. It was a hit. My entire family loved it, even my three year old. But she likes things with a kick. I carried out the recipe exactly as written except I added chili garlic sauce instead of sriracha because that is what we buy at our house. The only thing I did was stir it halfway through the oven time. I was worried that the sauce would not thicken but it did. At the end, it was the perfect consistency. I served it with white rice and broccoli. Delicious recipe!

  7. Bonnie Cramer says:

    It would be nice if there was a picture to go with the recipes. It encourages me to make it if I see what it looks like when I'm browsing through my recipes :)

  8. Cassie says:

    If you fry the chicken instead of baking how would you do the sauce? I know it thickens when you bake in the oven?

Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (6)

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Baked Orange Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the orange sauce made of in orange chicken? ›

To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

What's the difference between orange chicken and tangerine chicken? ›

Tangerine is used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as cooking. Tangerine chicken tastes fresh and spicy, but orange chicken tastes sweet and sour. Orange chicken is crispy cooked in a sweet and little spicy orange sauce. The sweetness of orange chicken was introduced to cater to American tastes.

Why is my orange chicken soggy? ›

Don't crowd the pan

If your breaded chicken is too close together, they will get soggy instead of crisp. I almost always cook my orange chicken in batches so my pan doesn't get crowded. Be sure to add a little more oil for each batch of chicken you add.

How to make soggy orange chicken crispy? ›

Using the oven is a good way to reheat orange chicken and keep it crispy. Place your chicken in an ovenproof dish and set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake until the chicken is heated through, usually 15–20 minutes. This method might take longer than the microwave, but it tends to keep the chicken more crispy.

What is Panda Express orange chicken sauce made of? ›

All of the flavor in the Asian chicken dish comes from the Panda Express signature orange chicken sauce, which features orange peel, soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili peppers. This gives the dish a citrusy sweet and tangy flavor with just a hint of heat.

What is a substitute for orange juice in orange chicken? ›

The most commonsubstitutes for orange juice are lemon, lime, apple, and pineapplejuice. Sometimes you can use orange extract as well to keep the orange flavor. But for some recipes you may also need to add something acidic as well, such as pineapple juiceor citric acid.

What is the original orange chicken? ›

The original “Orange Chicken” had no breading around each piece of chicken and the sauce was made of leftover orange or lemon peels cooked with soy sauce, chilis and garlic. The sauce had a citrus element, but it wasn't as pronounced or sweet like you would think of today.

What Chinese dish is similar to orange chicken? ›

Similarities in Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken and General Tso. Sesame Chicken, General Tso, and Orange Chicken look quite similar and share some common ingredients, which can make it difficult for some to choose between them. Chicken: Each dish uses chunks of boneless chicken meat (usually thigh).

Is orange chicken Chinese or American? ›

While the orange chicken is one of the most famous Chinese dishes in America, it is a purely American invention, with no authentic Chinese resturants or restaurants in China serving this dish.

How do you thicken orange chicken sauce? ›

To thicken the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce starts to bubble in the pan on the stovetop, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine.

What helps sauce stick to chicken? ›

However, there's a simple technique that can help the maximum amount of sauce coat every inch of the wing's surface area: Dusting chicken wings with flour before cooking. This easy step transforms the wings into a canvas that both promotes a crispy texture and ensures that the sauce clings irresistibly to every inch.

How do you thicken orange chicken sauce without cornstarch? ›

Arrowroot powder: Arrowroot powder is a fine, gluten-free powder you can use in place of cornstarch as a thickening agent because it has a similar thickening power. Substitute arrowroot powder one-to-one for cornstarch.

How do Chinese get their chicken so crispy? ›

The chicken is then air-dried for 10 to 12 hours before being flash-fried, then oil-poached. The skin gets its signature crispiness from 10 to 12 minutes of basting with scalding hot oil right before serving.

How does Chinese chicken get crispy? ›

This is done by first poaching the chicken in water with spices (e.g. star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper, ginger, fennel, and scallions), drying it, coating with a syrup of vinegar and sugar, letting it dry thoroughly (which helps make the skin crispy) and deep-frying.

What is the secret to crispy chicken? ›

FLOUR + CORNSTARCH + BAKING POWDER

My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color!

What is orange sauce made of? ›

What is orange sauce made of? Homemade orange sauce is heavenly! This sweet sauce is made of orange juice, brown sugar, pure maple syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and minced ginger.

What is the orange Chinese sauce called? ›

Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip for deep-fried dishes such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, fish, or with rice or noodles.

Why does orange chicken taste like orange? ›

The orange sauce is sweet with a little tang and a hint of spice. It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name). It's typically made with orange juice and orange zest to achieve the citrus flavor.

Where does orange chicken sauce come from? ›

The most famous dish at Panda Express is the Orange Chicken. Inspired by flavors of the Hunan Province in China, Chef Andy Kho developed it in 1987, and it has been a consistent part of the menu ever since. Distinguished with its orange-flavored chili sauce, it has spawned several 'copycat' recipes.

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