Another “baked, not fried” recipe? Yep! I’m on a roll and cannot get enough of it! You need this Easy Baked Orange Chicken in your life!
After working on Baked Cream Cheese Wontons, I got excited about turning Orange Chicken (a staple American Chinese dish) into a baked version as well. Orange chicken is typically breaded, deep fried, coated with a sticky, sweet, tangy, citrusy glaze that is out of control.
It is delicious, but how awesome would it be if you can make this at home? And wouldn’t it be even better if the make-at-home Orange Chicken calls for simple ingredients from your pantry, is healthier, easy to make, and is even more delicious than the fried ones?
Well, I got you covered! I have to say – I’m thrilled about how this turned out. Get ready to say goodbye to greasy Chinese takeouts!
The orange chicken inspiration
For us, another frequent encounter with Orange Chicken is Trader Joe’s famous Orange Chicken. They have a great frozen version that we buy frequently for quick meals. It has been one of their bestsellers for years, and it is just fantastic.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge Trader Joe’s fan. When I was living in Memphis, we did not have a Trader Joe’s. I would drive three hours to Nashville, with a cooler, to go shopping at Trader Joe’s. It was like a fun adventure and getaway for me. And no, I didn’t do it all the time. Even I am not that obsessive. Ha.
I probably did it once a year, during a weekend when life wasn’t crazy busy, and sometimes turned it into fun road trips with girlfriends. We shopped and went to see the pretty sights in Nashville as well. Ah, those good old days.
All that to say, Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken is another inspiration for this dish. I have probably consumed more of their Orange Chicken than ones from Chinese places. Thank you Trader Joe’s – just walking down your grocery aisle is inspirational.
How to make Easy Baked Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is basically chicken with an orange sauce, with some Asian influenced spices thrown in there. The first thing to do is prepare the coating for the chicken. Grab a flat bowl, add flour, cornstarch and salt, and mix well. Grab another bowl and whisk one egg.
Cut a defrosted chicken into smaller cubes. Pat dry chicken to remove all excess water. Dip cubed chicken into the egg mixture, coat all over, and then coat multiple times in the flour mixture. I coat it in flour mixture at least 3-4 times to get a nice, thick coat of flour on the chicken.
Depending on the size of the bowls you use, you can throw many pieces of chicken into the egg mixture at once instead of doing it one at the time. You do want to make sure each piece of chicken is coated evenly with the flour mixture.
Typically I use one hand to work on the egg mixture and another hand (with a spoon) to work on the flour mixture. This way I keep one hand wet and another dry. Wet hands on flour mixture can be tricky.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spoon 2 tablespoons (or more if needed) of vegetable oil onto parchment paper and spread all over evenly. I use aluminum foil for easy cleanup, but you can also place chicken directly on the baking sheet.
From my experience, it can be very challenging removing the chicken pieces from the aluminum foil/baking sheet if you skimp on the oil. So be generous with it!
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, remove from oven, use a pair of tongs flip chicken, and bring baking sheet back to oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Once chicken is done, remove chicken promptly from baking sheet into a large bowl.
I typically make the orange sauce when the chicken is baking. In a small pot, combine orange marmalade (I used Smucker’s brand), soy sauce, minced garlic and a tiny bit of red pepper flakes. If you like it spicier, you can add more red pepper flakes. Bring to boil under medium low heat.
Once it boils, keep boiling on low heat for 4-5 minutes to slightly thicken sauce. Keep stirring the whole time and keep it under low heat to prevent sauce from burning. Remove from heat once sauce is done.
Add sauce to bowl with chicken and toss to coat chicken evenly. And that’s it.
Dinner is served.
Jazzing it up
Since I was little, I was taught every meal needs a serving of vegetables or fruits. Thanks, mom and dad :). If you want some greens to go with this dish, try my super simple Asian Style Green Beans or Sautéed Brussel Sprouts and Carrots recipe. They will compliment Baked Orange Chicken well in taste, and doing this provides a nice, more balanced diet.
Or, equally delicious, make some appetizers and sides, for example, Egg Drop Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, and Baked Cream Cheese Wontons , and bam, you just made your very own Chinese takeout. How fun and awesome is that??
Have fun with this one!
DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest! We very much appreciate your help! 🤍
More Asian Recipes
- Kung Pao Shrimp
- Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Asian Lettuce Wraps
- Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
- Pad See Ew Noodles
- Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Asian Ribs
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Easy Baked Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lbs chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes more if desire
- ~2 tbsp vegetable oil more if desire
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
- Cut chicken into cubes. Pat dry to remove all excess water.
- In a flat bowl, combine flour, cornstarch and salt. Mix well
- In another bowl, whisk one egg
- Coat chicken pieces with egg mixture and then flour mixture. Coat one by one in flour mixture. Generously coat each piece in flour mixture at least 3-4 times.
- Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spoon 2 tbsp or more vegetable oil onto aluminum foil and brush evenly all over. Ensure there is a thin layer of vegetable oil all over to help with easy removal of chicken pieces when baking is completed. Place chicken, without overlapping or touching, onto lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove baking sheet from oven, and flip every chicken piece over. Bring back into the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
- While waiting for chicken to bake, add orange marmalade, minced garlic, soy sauce and red pepper flakes into a small pot. Bring it to boil on medium low heat, then cook on low for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
- Once chicken is done, move chicken promptly from baking sheet to a large bowl. Add orange sauce to bowl and toss chicken in sauce.
- Serve with white or brown rice. Enjoy!
Tried this tonight, and it was delicious! My picky 5-year old said, “It tastes even better than it smells!” He is hard to please, but he ate every bite of chicken. I served it with steamed broccoli, which was a good combination with the yummy, sweet chicken. I liked the bit of spice with the red pepper flakes, and the texture of the chicken was perfect. I’ll be adding this one to the meal rotation.
Woohoo! So glad you all like it! π The red pepper flakes definitely adds a nice kick and brings out the flavor – I like that touch a lot too. Thanks so much for trying and letting me know how it turned out!
Made this last night and was majorly disappointed. Iβm. It sure if it was the marmalade that I used or it was the texture of the flour coated chicken but it was bitter and too much batter (as per your instructions dipping 3-4 times.)
Next time Iβll be using less of the marmelade and a different brand, adding some actual orange juice squeezed fresh and only dipping pieces once. Great concept using the oven to make it healthier !
Thank you for making the recipe! Appreciate the feedback and I’m sorry it did not turn out the way you hope. Agree that dipping the chicken pieces into the batter only once can help if you felt like there is too much batter, or also try increasing the amount of oil used, which will help sear the batter more thoroughly. Depending on pan size, the amount of oil needed to lock the batter onto the chicken can differ. I used Smucker’s Orange Marmalade which I think is on the sweeter side, but feel free to add some sugar too to offset the bitterness!
Before I’ve even tried it, I know it will be 5 STARS!! YUMMY this is going to be a regular in our family MinShien, that I know!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Kathleen! π Please let me know how it goes! It’s a favorite in our household! π
I made this tonight for the first time, and it was absolutely delicious! The chicken got nice and crispy in the oven, and the orange sauce was just the right amount of sweet and spicy!
Yay! I’m so glad you like it! Thank you so much for leaving a review! π
This was delicious! Itβs now in our weekly routine! Absolutely loved a baked alternative to my fave takeout.
Yay! I’m so glad! Thank you!
This is the second time Iβve made this, and it is so good. My husband loves it. Followed the recipe as is, except our tolerance for hot-and-spicy is different so I left out the red pepper flakes and my h used sriracha sauce to his preference. With rice, asparagus and some chardonnay, this was a 5 star meal. Thanks, MS, for yet another wonderful recipe!
Yay!! I am so glad! π And the Chardonnay sounds like a very nice touch! π
Yum that looks so good MinShien! I love how these are baked and that glaze is everything! The perfect dinner for a Friday night or any night hehe!
Thanks so much Christie!! π
It was my first time making orange chicken and wonβt be the last thanks to this recipe! I loved the nice crunch to the chicken (but it was still tender) and the directions were clear and easy to follow. Thanks, MinShien!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much π