Easy Orange Chicken is proof that a delicious shortcut can deliver restaurant-quality results at home. No deep frying, no complicated steps, no sink full of dirty dishes required. This recipe uses just four ingredients, comes together in under 30 minutes, and tastes even better than takeout.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
- Skill Level: Easy
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 2
- Best For: Weeknight dinners, takeout-at-home cravings
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Better than takeout: Balanced orange flavor without being excessively sweet
- No frying required: Oven-baked breaded chicken keeps things simple
- Weeknight-friendly: Minimal prep, minimal cleanup, and ready in under 30 minutes
- Budget-friendly: Costs less than half of a takeout version (I did the math, but prices may vary by location and brand)
Ingredients - What You'll Need
Tested and Recommended: Frozen Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Bites
Other frozen breaded chicken bites will work, but results may vary. Smaller, lightly breaded pieces stay more tender and have a more "restaurant-style" feel once sauced.
How to Make Easy Orange Chicken
- Cook the Chicken: Place the frozen chicken bites in a single layer on a nonstick aluminum-foil-covered baking pan. Cook in the oven according to the package directions.
- Make the Orange Sauce: While the chicken cooks, combine the orange juice and light brown sugar in a medium saucier or skillet over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Add the orange sauce and heat gently, stirring until glossy and well combined.
- Toss and Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat. Add half the cooked chicken and gently toss to coat. Add the remaining cooked chicken; gently toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately over rice or on its own.
That's it - 4 ingredients and tender, glossy takeout-style Orange Chicken in under 30 minutes. The chicken is tender, perfectly sauced, and absolutely delicious. Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen
- When I first made this recipe, I used a different brand of frozen chicken bites. The chicken pieces were too large, and when cooked became hard and dried out. The Just Bare Chicken Bites ultimately worked perfectly for me.
- Once sauced, the chicken won't stay crispy. However, that's normal; the breading "soaks up the sauce.
- I've tried this with long-grain, Basmati, and Jasmine rice. For me, the simple long-grain rice worked the best, but it's a matter of preference.
- I used my medium All-Clad saucier to make the sauce and coat the chicken. Its deep sides worked great. However, a medium skillet will also work.
- I scaled the recipe to serve two since it's just the two of us, and the Orange Chicken is best served immediately. However, the recipe could easily be doubled, using the full bag (24 ounces) of frozen breaded chicken bites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Use the air fryer directions on the package. However, to avoid overcrowding, I needed to cook the chicken bites in two stages in my Ninja Crispo Pro.
I would avoid using popcorn chicken, primarily because of its size. You want bite-sized pieces, but popcorn chicken, at least the brands that I've tried, are just a bit too small.
I've tried making the sauce 30 minutes in advance. I found that because of its stickiness, making the sauce in advance caused a lot of it to stick to the sides of the pan. The chicken is best cooked fresh and tossed just before serving.
The Orange Chicken is best eaten immediately. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently, but expect a softer texture.
Other Asian-Inspired Dishes
I really like Asian-Inspired recipes. Here are some of my favorites.
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Easy Orange Chicken (Better than Takeout)
Equipment
- Quarter-sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil
- Medium saucier or skillet
- Silicone spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (half a 24 ounce bag) of frozen lightly breaded chicken bites (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) orange juice
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- ½ cup (approximately 5.5 ounces) Panda Express Orange Sauce (See Tip 2)
Instructions
- Place the frozen chicken bites in an even layer on a nonstick aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Cook the chicken according to the package directions. (See Tip 3)
- While the chicken is cooking, make the orange sauce. Add the orange juice and light brown sugar to a medium saucier or skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about a minute. Stir in the orange sauce; cook over medium-low heat until well combined and heated.
- Add half of the cooked chicken to the orange sauce in the skillet; toss to combine. Add the remaining cooked chicken to the orange sauce and toss gently to fully coat.
- Serve immediately over rice or plain.
- Yield: 2 servings (See Tip 4)
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used frozen Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Bites. Results might vary with other brands of frozen chicken bites.
- Half a bag of Just Bare chicken bites contains 12 to 14 pieces, depending on the size of the pieces.
- You can also cook the chicken in an Air Fryer. However, depending on the size of your air fryer, you will likely need to cook the chicken in two batches to avoid overcrowding.
- This recipe can be easily doubled.
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