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Looking for a copycat BAKED Orange Chicken recipe? This is such a great 30 minute meal that’s perfect for dinner. Skip takeout and make this orange chicken instead! I dreamed about this recipe after I made it and couldn’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch. It’s that good!

multiple pieces of orange chicken on a pile of rice on a blue plate.

Table of Contents

Why we love this recipe

One of my weaknesses is Friday night takeout. By Friday I’m either tired of cooking or I want something sinful like a cheesy pizza or Chinese. Am I alone in this? Sometimes we even door dash salads from a local place just because the thought of making one more salad makes me want to stab someone with tongs.

I love making copycat meals at home because you can make them a bit healthier. We love Panda Express Orange Chicken (who doesn’t?) and sweet and sour pork but it’s so high in calories. It’s fried (yummmm) and doused in a super sweet and sticky sauce. Sure, that’s all delightful and totally fine once in awhile but sometimes I want it when takeout isn’t on the menu. That’s where this Copycat Orange Chicken recipe comes in!

With this easy 30 minute meal you can make Orange Chicken at home with way less calories. It’s baked but still with a bit of crunch, is made of 100% white meat, and the sauce is just the right amount of sweet without being overly so. It’s the perfect takeout dinner recipe at home!

Ingredients Needed

  • Boneless Chicken Breasts – I cube them to equal size pieces
  • Breadcrumbs – this gives a crunch. You can also use panko.
  • The sauce is lightly sweetened with honey instead of a ton of brown sugar and I used fresh orange juice, which added more natural sweetness.
multiple pieces of orange chicken on a pile of rice on a blue plate.

How to make Baked Orange Chicken:

  1. Start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I diced mine into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Coat them with bread crumbs and cook them on a cookie sheet at a high temperature (400°F). It takes at most 20 minutes to cook the chicken, and I flip it halfway through to crisp it up on both sides.
  3. The sauce has several ingredients, but don’t worry. You probably have most of them in your pantry.
  4. I like to use low-sodium soy sauce, but use what you like.
  5. How to prep Ginger Root: buy a normal size one. Break off a piece and freeze the rest for future uses. Peel the skin off and grate it using a microplane.
  6. When adding the cornstarch at the end, make sure you use cold water and stir it so all the lumps are out. Whisk while you pour it in slowly so that it doesn’t clump.

Baked not Fried

To give the chicken that “fried” taste while just baking it, I tossed the chicken pieces in some breadcrumbs, like I do my parmesan chicken. I know some baked orange chicken recipes use flour and egg wash and panko or breadcrumbs, which will admittedly make it even more crunchy, but also that adds a lot of carbs and calories. In trying to keep this recipe as low-carb as possible, I skipped the flour step, and it works just fine if you cook the chicken on a high temperature.

orange chicken on a bed of rice on blue plate

Baked Orange Chicken

4.17 from 6 votes
Looking for a copycat BAKED Orange Chicken recipe? This is such a great 30 minute meal that’s perfect for dinner. Skip takeout and make this orange chicken instead!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 4 servings
Serving Size 1 /4 recipe
Save RecipeRate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice from 3-5 oranges
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic pressed
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 small orange
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger zested
  • ⅛ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • 2 green onions sliced (green parts only)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Slice chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.
  • Place breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper into a gallon size resealable bag. Add the chicken pieces, seal, then shake to coat. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on the cookie sheet.
  • Bake about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, flipping the pieces after 10 minutes.
  • While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Place water, honey, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and pepper flakes to a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine and heat over medium heat until boiling. Add the green onions. Taste the sauce to see if it needs any adjustments: if it’s too sweet, add a bit more soy, or add a few more pepper flakes if you want it a bit spicier.
  • Stir together cornstarch and cold water until it is smooth. Make sure there are no lumps! Pour the cornstarch slurry into the boiling sauce while whisking. Cook until thick, which will happen fast.
  • Once the chicken is done, add it to the pot of sauce and stir to coat. Serve hot over rice with a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Last Updated on June 12, 2023

Dorothy Kern

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11 Comments

  1. This was a terrible recipe. Tasted awful.
    We threw it out after tasting the finished product!!!
    I would give it zero stars if I could.

    Reply

  3. Any suggestions for alternatives to breadcrumbs? I find when I make my own they don’t stick to chicken as well. Maybe it will be just as tasty with out the coating at all? Just season with a salt and pepper then bake?

    Reply

  4. My husband will not eat take-out Chinese, (we do not have really good ones) So this is something I will try. I love Chinese and will pick up for myself. This would be so easy if we both liked it. I am willing to try all types of recipes. Everything I see looks so wonderful.

    Reply

  7. Made this the same day I saw it on your post. It was delicious! I actually like this better than takeout orange chicken. I could control the sweet and the heat! Thanks Dorothy

    Reply