Oven Baked Orange Chicken
This Oven Baked Orange Chicken is everything you love about takeout! It's sticky, sweet, citrusy, and savory, but made right at home in your own oven. It’s coated in an orange glaze, baked (not fried!), and made with simple ingredients you probably already have.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 323kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the orange glaze
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 orange zest of
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Cut chicken into even bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch big. Stir the sesame oil into the chicken bites. Then toss the pieces with cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a large casserole dish and spread them into a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
- While they bake, make the orange sauce by whisking together soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, orange juice, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and cornstarch in a sauce pan.
- Bring the sauce pan to a simmer over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then remove from heat.
- Once the timer goes off, pour the orange sauce over the chicken, then toss to coat in the sauce. Return to the oven for 4-6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F.)
- Remove from oven and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve warm with rice.
Notes
Substitutions: Chicken thighs can replace chicken breast, and tamari, low-sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos all work well in the orange glaze.
How to Store: Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
How to Freeze: Freeze fully cooked and cooled orange chicken in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
How to Reheat: Reheat gently in a skillet or microwave with a small splash of water or orange juice to keep the sauce from drying out.
How to Scale: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled—just use a large enough baking dish to keep the chicken in a single layer.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1074mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg