Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

If you're craving takeout, there's no need to pick up the phone with this recipe for Orange Chicken. It's made in about 30 minutes and is just as good (if not better) than ordering in.

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Easy Orange Chicken Recipe

Orange chicken is a staple of Chinese-American cuisine that has been a hit for decades. It’s one of those dishes that keeps you coming back for another bite, and while you might think it’s a treat when you’re ordering in, it’s actually really easy to make this dish at home. This sweet, tangy, and savory dish is perfect for those who love Asian flavors and are looking for an easy weeknight dinner option. 

A saucepan with ingredients around it - marmalade, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, chili flake and sesame oil.

6-Ingredient Sauce

The sauce for this orange chicken is made with just six ingredients, making it quick and simple to prepare, especially since one of those ingredients is a sauce shortcut – orange marmalade. Simply simmer marmalade with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, some grated fresh ginger, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and you’ll have a delicious sauce that perfectly balances sweet and savory flavors. 

Two images - on the left coated chicken pieces in an air fryer basket and on the right the same chicken pieces, cooked in an air fryer basket.

Air Fryer or Oven

While you can make this orange chicken in the oven (see oven directions below), if you have an air fryer, you’ll love this recipe even more. The air fryer gives the chicken a crispy texture, similar to that of traditional deep-frying, but with less oil and fewer calories. Simply toss the chicken pieces in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and flour, place them in the air fryer, spritz well with oil and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. The result is delicious, juicy chicken with a crispy exterior that’s perfect for soaking up the orange sauce.

Two images - on the left a glass bowl with chicken and orange sauce and on the right the same chicken and orange sauce tossed together.

How to Serve

This orange chicken is perfect served over a bed of steamed rice, with a side of stir-fried vegetables. It also makes a great addition to a Chinese-style feast, along with dishes like fried rice and egg rolls. You can even add a sprinkle of green onions or sesame seeds on top for a pop of color and extra flavor. No matter how you serve it, this orange chicken is sure to be a hit!

Two bowls of orange chicken on white rice on a table with an orange and a green napkin.

 

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Orange Chicken (Air Fryer Version)

Nutrition Info Print Recipe
  • Prep Time: 10 m
  • Cook Time: 20 m
  • Total Time: 30 m
  • Servings:
    4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½- pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Vegetable or canola oil
Orange Sauce:
  • 18- ounce orange marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 2½ tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • pinch of red pepper flakes optional
  • chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions

  1. Set up a dredging station. Place ¼ cup of the flour into a zipper sealable plastic bag. Place the beaten eggs in a shallow pan. Place the remaining flour, panko breadcrumbs, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a second zipper sealable plastic bag.
  2. Working in batches, toss the chicken pieces in the flour first, then coat in the eggs and finally toss the chicken in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
  3. Generously spritz both sides of the coated chicken pieces with vegetable oil. Again, working in batches, air-fry the coated chicken at 425°F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking process. (If you air fryer only goes up to 400°F, you may need to add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.)
  4. While the chicken is air-frying make the orange sauce on the stovetop. Combine the orange marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stovetop, lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.
  5. When the chicken pieces are browned, place them in a bowl. Bring the sauce back up to a simmer and then pour it over the chicken, tossing gently to coat all the pieces well. Serve warm over rice with chopped scallions scattered on top.
Enjoy,
If you made this recipe, please add your comments and ratings below.

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to Orange Chicken (Air Fryer Version) on Blue Jean Chef. Thank you!

Orange Chicken (Oven Version)

Nutrition Info Print Recipe
  • Prep Time: 10 m
  • Cook Time: 25 m
  • Total Time: 35 m
  • Servings:
    4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½- pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Vegetable or canola oil
Orange Sauce:
  • 18- ounce orange marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 2½ tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • pinch of red pepper flakes optional
  • chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a sheet pan with a little oil.
  2. Set up a dredging station. Place ¼ cup of the flour into a zipper sealable plastic bag. Place the beaten eggs in a shallow pan. Place the remaining flour, panko breadcrumbs, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a second zipper sealable plastic bag.
  3. Working in batches, toss the chicken pieces in the flour first, then coat in the eggs and finally toss the chicken in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
  4. Place the coated chicken pieces on the greased sheet pan and spritz both sides of the chicken pieces lightly oil. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
  5. While the chicken is baking, make the orange sauce on the stovetop. Combine the orange marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stovetop, lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.
  6. When the chicken pieces are browned, place them in a bowl. Bring the sauce back up to a simmer and then pour it over the chicken, tossing gently to coat all the pieces well. Serve warm over rice with chopped scallions scattered on top.
Enjoy,
If you made this recipe, please add your comments and ratings below.

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to Orange Chicken (Oven Version) on Blue Jean Chef. Thank you!

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Comments (16)Post a Reply

  1. There are no oven baking instructions. At what temperature and for how long do you bake the chicken in the oven? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. There are two tabs, or a drop down box on mobile devices, for Air Fryer and Stovetop/Oven versions of the recipes. Just click on the stovetop tab for the oven directions.

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit in my family. Better than our favorite restaurant where we get it. It is going to be my new go-to impressor. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  5. I’m about to make your “air fry” recipe, but one question— Did you really mean, ‘Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces’? That seems to me to be really small.

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    This was PERFECT! My chicken was not as brown as I thought it would be out of the air fryer. But when it went in the sauce it was beautiful! The sauce needed no tweaking. Make it! It is delicious!

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Meredith, another winner from you!!!

    Skipped a big step – made the sauce exactly as written except I used the Heartland Fresh Chicken Fried Chicken. Air fried several of the breasts, when done, we prepared them 2 ways. We left some whole breasts and some I cut into nuggets. Whole breasts just had sauce drizzled on it but the nuggets I put in a bowl and tossed & coated them. I have to say either way was just delicious. Already planning on having this sauce with tossed grilled shrimp or on the Faroe Island salmon. Outstanding!

    Reply

  10. 3 stars
    Made this last night. Loved the sauce and will use it again, but will double it. I also added chunks of sautéed onion and green and red pepper. The timing for the chicken was good but we both found the texture somewhat off-putting. If I were to do it again, I would either switch to regular breadcrumbs instead of panko or leave them off altogether and dredge in cornstarch, egg and cornstarch again. I have done that method many times and much prefer the texture.

    Reply

    1. Panko breadcrumbs are used to keep the chicken pieces crispy after you add the sauce, but you certainly can try regular breadcrumbs if you prefer it less crispy.

      Reply

    1. Hi Donna. You won’t actually taste the marmalade once it’s mixed with the Hoisin and soy sauce, ginger, etc.. and it’s really needed for it’s consistency. Orange juice would dilute the sauce in the same quantities. You could try adding a little orange juice to thin the other ingredients a little, but it wouldn’t add enough orange flavor. You could try orange preserves instead of marmalade, or change the flavor profile and go with apricot preserves.

      Reply

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