The Best Oven-Baked Orange Chicken Stir Fry
There are certain takeout orders that just get me. Orange chicken is absolutely one of them.
Sweet, sticky, citrusy, a little savory, and usually eaten straight from the container while standing in the kitchen because “I’m just going to have one more bite” is apparently a lie we tell ourselves for fun.
This Easy Baked Orange Chicken with Fresh Orange Sauce gives you all that orange chicken flavor, but the chicken is baked instead of fried. So we’re skipping the pot of oil, keeping things a little simpler, and still ending up with saucy, golden little chicken bites tossed in a glossy homemade orange sauce.
A lot of orange chicken recipes lean into the classic takeout-style version: crispy chicken coated in a sweet, tangy orange sauce. Some versions are fried, while baked orange chicken recipes usually position themselves as a lighter, easier, less messy option.
And this version is especially good because the sauce uses fresh-squeezed orange juice and orange zest, which makes it taste bright and actually orange-y. Not orange in a “what exactly is this sauce?” way. Orange in a “okay wait, this is really good” way.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Orange Chicken
This recipe is for the nights when you want something that feels like takeout, but you also want to stay in your house pants and avoid paying $47 in delivery fees for dinner. Relatable. Deeply.
The chicken gets cut into small pieces, seasoned with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, then lightly coated in flour and baked until golden. While the chicken bakes, you make a quick orange sauce with brown sugar, fresh orange juice, soy sauce, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic, and a cornstarch slurry to thicken it.
The result is sweet, savory, tangy, citrusy, and sticky in the best way.
What Makes This Orange Chicken Different
The biggest thing is that the chicken is baked, not fried. So instead of standing over hot oil and wondering if your kitchen will smell like a fast food fryer until next Tuesday, you can let the oven do most of the work.
The sauce is also made with fresh oranges, which gives it a brighter flavor. Orange zest is especially powerful because it contains aromatic oils that carry a lot of citrus flavor, which is why recipes often use both juice and zest for a more pronounced orange flavor. Epicurious’ orange chicken recipe also points to using both orange juice and rind/zest to build a richer citrus flavor.
Also, the cornstarch slurry helps turn the sauce glossy and thick, so it clings to every piece of chicken instead of sliding sadly to the bottom of the pan. We do not want sad sauce. We want clingy sauce. In this one specific case.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Avocado oil spray
For the stir fry:
- Red bell pepper
- Broccoli
- Avocado oil, or preferred cooking oil
For the orange sauce:
- Brown sugar
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice
- Soy sauce
- Orange zest
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Cornstarch
- Water
A Few Tips Before You Make It
Cut the chicken into small, bite-size pieces so it cooks evenly and gets coated in sauce really well.
Use enough flour to lightly coat the chicken. You don’t need a thick breading situation here — just enough to help the chicken get a little golden in the oven and give the sauce something to grab onto.
Fresh orange juice really does make a difference here. Since the ingredient list is simple, the orange flavor has nowhere to hide, so fresh juice and zest are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
And when you make the sauce, let it simmer until it thickens into that glossy, sticky orange chicken texture. Once it coats the back of a spoon, you’re in business.
Easy Oven-Baked Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Chicken
- Avocado oil spray for spraying the chicken
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour enough to coat the chicken
Stir Fry Veggies
- Avocado oil for sautéing
- 1 Red bell pepper sliced
- 1 Bunch Broccoli cut into small florets
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2- inch knob fresh ginger minced
Orange Sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice about 2 to 3 oranges
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and toss until they are evenly coated.
- Place the coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the chicken well with avocado oil spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy and cooked through. If you notice any dry white spots from the flour while it bakes, spray those areas with a little more oil.
- While the chicken bakes, chop the red bell pepper and broccoli. Mince the garlic and ginger.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a little avocado oil. Add the red bell pepper and broccoli and sauté until softened and fragrant. Add ginger and garlic, sautee for a minute or two, being careful not to burn. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.
- Depending on your pan, add a little more oil if needed. Add the brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger, and minced garlic to the skillet. Stir and simmer until everything is combined and the brown sugar has dissolved, about 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the sauce, stirring constantly so it does not clump.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then let it simmer for at least 2 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and glossy.
- Add the baked chicken and sautéed vegetables back into the skillet with the orange sauce. Toss everything together until the chicken and veggies are coated.
- Serve warm over rice or with your favorite side.
