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This quick and easy spicy orange chicken is a 30-minute dinner that is sticky sweet with the perfect pop of heat. Hot honey, sriracha and red chili flakes give balance to the bright citrusy orange flavor. This recipe also does not skimp on the sauce–it’s got enough sauce to soak into the rice and any veggies you serve it with. This will be a favorite weeknight dinner for sure!
Orange and chicken are one of my favorite combos. This spicy orange chicken is for sure for my husband because orange chicken is never spicy enough for him. You, too?
This baked orange chicken sheet pan dinner has been a favorite for YEARS and I have a crockpot orange chicken and broccoli, but I also wanted a super simple stove top version, so here it is!
Try these other favorite chicken dinner recipes: Greek Chicken and Orzo, Easy Chicken Fried Rice, Parmesan Crusted Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner, or this Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken!
Why We Love This Spicy Orange Chicken
Quick and easy dinner recipes with all the flavor are my favorite recipes of all. Dinner time is a daily struggle for me, and having a lot of super simple options is critical. This chicken recipe is my husband’s ten thumbs up dinner lately so hoping you love it as well!
This spicy orange chicken:
- is ready from start to finish in 30 minutes or less
- can be easily varied to suit your needs
- has the perfect pop of orange flavor with a nice level of heat to balance
- is protein packed and easily comes together as a whole meal with some veggies and rice
Let me know what you think of this one!
Ingredient Notes
- I landed on chicken tenderloins for this recipe mainly because they are the perfect shape to easily cut into bite sized pieces, especially with a pair of kitchen shears. Chicken breasts can work well too.
- You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if preferred. My husband is not a fan so we rarely use them. Chicken thighs will take a touch longer to cook than the tenders or breasts but they are a bit more forgiving and don’t dry out as easily so that’s what a lot of people like about cooking with them.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice is ideal in this recipe. You will need the fresh oranges for the zest too, so use the whole orange for the juice as well.
- If you don’t have hot honey, use regular honey and then adjust the spice level by adding more sriracha and red pepper to the sauce.
Ways To Vary This Recipe
- adjust the heat to your preference: make this orange chicken as spicy or as mild as you prefer. Everyone has their own level they love. Add more hot honey, sriracha or chili flakes to spice it up, or lessen them to lower the spice level.
- add a touch of orange extract for an even stronger orange flavor
- add in veggies to the stir fry: you can even double the sauce and add in some vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, snow peppers etc. to give this recipe a veggie boost.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside. You want this ready before cooking chicken because once you start cooking, it comes together very quickly. You can adjust spice level to your liking–before or after cooking.
Step 2: Pat the chicken dry for best results and add the cut pieces to a large gallon plastic bag. Add the corn starch and other seasonings to the bag.
Step 3: Seal the bag and toss well to coat evenly. I like to pour the chicken into a colander to allow any excess corn starch to fall off so I don’t have random chunks of burnt cornstarch in the pan. Totally optional.
Step 4: Heat a large skillet or wok to medium-high heat and allow it to get really hot. Add half of the oil to the skillet and let it heat up. Working in batches, add the chicken to the pan in a single layer, making sure none of the pieces are touching one another.
Step 5: Cook for about 4 minutes uninterrupted for a golden-brown sear. Flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until center reaches 165°F or just below. Remove from the pan and set aside and heat remaining chicken. Add more oil if needed before adding more chicken.
Step 6: When all the chicken is cooked and removed from the pan, shift to low heat. Pour the sauce into the pan, stirring well.
Step 5: Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Step 6: Once sauce is ready, add the chicken and stir to coat. We serve ours over rice with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds over top. We also usually add some steamed broccoli.
Recipe Tips
Have the sauce ready and all of the things you need for the recipe ready to go before you start cooking the chicken. Things move fast once you start to cook the chicken. Have a plate set out to move it to, have utensils, prepped sauce, etc. ready before you heat up the skillet and you will be much better off for sure!
Use chicken breasts, tenderloins or chicken thighs, but whatever you use, cut into even sized pieces for the best results and even cooking. Use an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days in a sealed, airtight container. To reheat, you can microwave for about a minute and a half to 2 minutes, stirring once halfway. Add an extra splash of orange juice or soy sauce if too much of the sauce has been absorbed.
To freeze, allow the chicken to cool completely. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Other Quick Dinner Recipes
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Spicy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ lbs chicken tenderloins (or chicken breast), cut into small, bite-sized pieces (approx.. 1ish inch, doesn’t have to be exact)
- 3 Tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp each: salt and pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2-3 Tbsp preferred cooking oil
Spicy Orange Sauce
- 1¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sriracha, more or less for preferred spice level
- 2-3 Tbsp hot honey
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½-2 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 ½ inch piece of ginger, grated
- ¼ – ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp pepper
- sea salt, to taste, as desired
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside. You want this ready before cooking chicken because once you start cooking, it comes together very quickly. You can adjust spice level to your liking, before or after cooking.
- Pat the chicken dry for best results and add the cut bite-sized pieces to a large gallon plastic bag. Add the corn starch and other seasonings to the bag and toss well to coat evenly.
- Heat a large skillet or wok to medium-high heat and allow it to get really hot. Add the half of the oil to the skillet and let it heat up.
- While oil heats, I like to pour the chicken into a colander to allow any excess corn starch to fall off so I don’t have random chunks of burnt cornstarch in the pan.
- Working in batches, add the chicken to the pan in a single layer, making sure none of the pieces are touching one another. Cook for about 4 minutes uninterrupted for a golden-brown sear. Flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until center reaches 165°F or just below. Remove from the pan and set aside and heat remaining chicken.
- Once all of the chicken is cooked, shift heat to low. Add the sauce to the hot pan and stir. Simmer for a few minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Once sauce is ready, add the chicken and stir to coat.
- We serve ours over rice with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds over top. We also usually add some steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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