Easy Orange Chicken

Total Time
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Updated on Jan. 24, 2025

You'll say goodbye to takeout and hello to homemade once you try this easy orange chicken recipe.

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This 30-minute easy orange chicken recipe will definitely rival your favorite Chinese takeout meal. The classic Chinese-American dish—thank the restaurant chain Panda Express for its creation—features crispy chicken tossed with a homemade sweet and tangy orange sauce. Our easy version takes shortcuts like using frozen popcorn chicken, which cooks up fast, and adding hoisin sauce as a stand-in for the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar usually found in an orange chicken sauce (that means fewer ingredients for you).

Think of orange chicken as the milder sibling to General Tso’s chicken. Both have an orange-scented, sticky, sweet-savory sauce, but General Tso’s often contains chiles for more kick. Served over fluffy rice with steamed broccoli or bok choy, this popcorn orange chicken recipe is easy for a fantastic and fast weeknight meal that everyone will love.

Easy Orange Chicken Ingredients

  • Popcorn chicken: Frozen popcorn chicken makes this recipe a breeze. Use chicken nuggets or chicken tenders (cut into bite-sized pieces after cooking) for a similar crispy texture.
  • Canola oil: This neutral cooking oil has a high smoke point, making it perfect for stir-frying veggies like the carrots in this popcorn orange chicken recipe. Canola is one of the best healthy oils to keep in your pantry.
  • Carrots: Thinly sliced carrots contribute sweetness and a crisp texture to this easy orange chicken recipe.
  • Garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds a punch of flavor to this dish.
  • Orange zest and juice: The chicken gets its signature orange flavor from orange zest and juice. For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed orange juice (strain out the pulp). When zesting the orange, be sure to avoid including any of the white pith, which has a bitter flavor. Wash the orange before zesting, and zest before juicing.
  • Hoisin sauce: Made from fermented soybean paste, this dark brown, sweet, savory, salty sauce is a staple for Cantonese cuisine. Use this Asian sauce in stir-fries, as a glaze or in marinades.
  • Sugar: A little sugar balances the saltiness of the hoisin sauce.
  • Seasonings: The sauce is seasoned simply with salt and pepper. A dash of cayenne pepper adds just a touch of heat.
  • Cooked rice: Serve rice alongside this orange chicken recipe for an easy meal. Cook the rice using your favorite method, whether on the stovetop or in a rice cooker. The aromatic and lightly floral flavor of jasmine rice is particularly well-suited to this recipe.

Directions

Step 1: Bake the chicken

A baking sheet with crispy, golden-brown chicken nuggets surrounded by small bowls containing sliced carrots, soy sauce, a yellow sauce, seasonings, and citrus zest on a textured countertop.Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Bake the popcorn chicken according to the package directions.

Step 2: Make the sauce

A pan with sliced carrots being cooked with a wooden spoon. On the side, there are small bowls with spices, a measuring cup with liquid, and a baking sheet with breaded food pieces on a light countertop.Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots. Cook and stir until tender, three to five minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Stir in the orange zest, orange juice, hoisin sauce, sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, four to six minutes, stirring constantly.

Step 3: Add the chicken

A pan filled with cooked pieces of seasoned chicken and sliced carrots. A wooden spoon rests on the pan. Surrounding the pan are small bowls with seasonings, a measuring cup, and a baking sheet on a textured surface.Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Add the cooked chicken to the skillet and toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Plates of sweet and sour chicken with sliced carrots served on white rice. There are two plates on a blue-patterned dish, along with a bowl of rice, a serving dish of chicken, and cutlery resting on a blue napkin. A pepper grinder is in the background.Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Easy Orange Chicken Variations

  • Pile on the veggies: Before making the sauce, stir-fry broccoli florets or thinly sliced red peppers along with the carrots to amp up the flavor (and nutrition).
  • Spice it up: To add a little heat to this dish and deepen its flavor, add one or both of the following: 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.
  • Give it a garnish: Top each serving with freshly chopped green onions or toasted sesame seeds.

How to Store Easy Orange Chicken

Leftover popcorn orange chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Note: The texture of the popcorn chicken is best fresh and will probably become less crispy over time.

How do you reheat orange chicken?

For the best results, reheat leftover orange chicken in a pan on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. You can also reheat popcorn orange chicken in the microwave.

Easy Orange Chicken Tips

Easy Orange Chicken Tohd24 73206 Jonathanmelendez 06Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Can you use other types of chicken for easy orange chicken?

Absolutely! You can use fresh boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch or flour seasoned with salt and pepper before pan-frying for a light crust.

This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover chicken. Simply cut leftover chicken breast or thighs into 1-inch cubes and use that instead of the popcorn chicken. Or, if you don’t have any leftovers on hand, you could always use cubed grocery-store rotisserie chicken.

How can you thicken easy orange chicken sauce?

If you’re short on time, the easiest way to thicken a sauce is to add a cornstarch slurry. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and stir together. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and whisk until it begins to thicken.

What can you serve with easy orange chicken?

Of course, fluffy rice is the best thing to serve with an easy orange chicken recipe, but you can also create a full takeout meal at home with Chinese food recipes like Asian green beans, sesame soy broccoli, easy fried rice, glass noodle salad or tofu salad. You can also use popcorn orange chicken in wraps or on top of a crisp and crunchy salad.

Crispy Orange Chicken

Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 15 min
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces frozen popcorn chicken (about 4 cups)
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • Hot cooked rice

Directions

  1. Bake popcorn chicken according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots; cook and stir until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in orange zest, juice, hoisin sauce, sugar and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 4-6 minutes, stirring constantly.
  3. Add chicken to skillet; toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup (calculated without rice): 450 calories, 20g fat (3g saturated fat), 35mg cholesterol, 1294mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate (25g sugars, 3g fiber), 14g protein.

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We enjoy these tangy nuggets so many ways—over noodles or rice, in sandwiches, even on top of lettuce and cabbage. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
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