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Juicy, sweet and sticky chicken with crispy broccoli make this Baked Orange Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner a simple favorite for everyone. Less mess and a healthy, hearty meal for the family!
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Winner, Winner, Baked Orange Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner!
You all know my love/hate relationship with cooking dinner so yet another sheet pan dinner to the rescue! These are my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE kinds of meals--not a lot of mess, not a lot of effort, and lots and lots of goodness for dinner!
I wish I could tell you dinner is so much fun to cook, that I loooove thinking of new things to make each night to feed the hungry family and that dong dishes is my very favorite thing. Sorry friends, I cannot lie to you. I just can't do it. So when in doubt, sheet pan it out!!!!!
Probably the most popular sheet pan meal on the blog is my Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner but this recipe is up there as well.
Why are sheet pan dinners the best?
- They are so stinking simple--toss all the ingredients on the pan and bake is typically all you need to do!
- Less clean up--that's really the big win for me. A bowl to whisk the orange, honey and seasonings together is all you really need. I toss the broccoli in this one right on the pan with the olive oil and seasoning.
- Sooooooo many options! Grab a protein, some veggies, and a starch and toss it all together with your favorite spices. Dinner is served!
This baked orange chicken recipe is no exception to the ease of the sheet pan meal rules. Easy, delicious and it's all ready in 30 minutes max!
What you will need:
- I use chicken tenderloins. They cook at just the right pace as the broccoli. If you only have chicken breasts, then cut them in half long ways to make them more tenderloin like. That should do the trick!
- I typically use navel oranges for this recipe. One orange has enough juice and zest for a nice orange flavor.
The bonus of this baked orange chicken is that I almost always have just about everything on hand to make it. If I don't have fresh broccoli, I have frozen and then I toss that in the microwave and bake the chicken.
I much prefer the roasted broccoli though, so I try to plan it out better when I want to make this recipe.
How to make this recipe:
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients and set aside while the oven preheats. Toss the chicken and sauce together in a bowl or a ziplock bag and allow to marinate while prepping other ingredients. You can prep the chicken as early as a day in advance if desired. (steps 1 through 4)
- Rinse and cut broccoli into florets and lay evenly on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over and toss to coat evenly. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper (to taste). (steps 5 and 6)
- Spread the broccoli out to make an opening in the center of the pan for the chicken. Lay the chicken evenly in the opening and pour over any extra marinate on top of the chicken. (steps 7 and 8)
- Bake about 20 minutes or until chicken comes to an internal temperature of 165°F. Serve it with a simple minute rice and you have yourself a meal!
Notes:
- If you are planning ahead, you can mix the orange marinade together and toss it with the chicken in a ziplock bag and allow it to really marinate until you are ready to cook. That definitely kicks up the juicy flavor but is not necessary. These meals are supposed to be simple, so keep it that way!
- Sunday meal prepper?? Make this baked orange chicken and dish it out into your Tupperware so you are set for the week!
- Add more red pepper or kick up the heat with a bit of sriracha or hot sauce. The last time I made it I went all in on the spice and got a high rating from the hubby for that one.
Try these other simple recipes:
- Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner
- Sweet and Smoky Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Easy Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- 15 Minute Sheet Pan Steak and Broccoli
- Parmesan Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!
Orange Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 ½ - 2 lb chicken tenderloins
- ⅓ c honey
- zest of one orange
- 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper
- 1 inch grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 large broccoli heads
- 3 T olive oil (separated)
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together honey, orange juice, orange zest, 1 T olive oil, ginger, garlic cloves, red pepper and sea salt (about ¼ teaspoon or to taste) and pepper. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder as desired (I like garlic, can you tell??) Pour marinade over top and toss to evenly coat.
- Cut stems from broccoli and break into florets. Toss 2 tablespoons olive oil, dash of sea salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder and cracked pepper together so that broccoli is coated. This should double as oiling the sheet pan as well. Spread the broccoli out to the edges of the pan. Add the chicken to the center of the pan and pour remaining marinade over top. ** Short on time? Line the chicken straight onto the pan and pour the marinade right on top before popping in the oven.
- Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature. When you pull out the pan, some extra liquid may be on it. Blot it with a paper towel or pour it gently off the side.
- Serve with rice or as desired! I like to add an extra drizzle of honey and a garnish of red pepper when serving.
Notes
- If you are planning ahead, you can mix the orange marinade together and toss it with the chicken in a ziplock bag and allow it to really marinate until you are ready to cook. That definitely kicks up the juicy flavor but is not necessary. These meals are supposed to be simple, so keep it that way!
- Sunday meal prepper?? Make this and dish it out into your Tupperware so you are set for the week!
- Add more red pepper or kick up the heat with a bit of siracha or hot sauce. The last time I made it I went all in on the spice and got a high rating from the hubby for that one.
Nutrition
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Jamie says
Lorie! This was one of THE best recipes I've ever made. I took your advice and went more liberally with the garlic powder and red pepper flakes and it was sweet and spicy and just perfect! I loved orange chicken from restaurants but it was always heavy and unhealthy with fried chicken...and you really never know what they throw in in terms of sugar, etc. This was phenomenal. No leftovers either...which means I need to make it again real soon. Thanks for a great dinner!!
Lorie says
This made my day, Jamie!!! Thanks so much for sharing and so glad you loved it!!
DogRescuer says
Hi Lorie,
I am planning to make this later this week, and I have a quick question: on the ingredients list, you feature "zest of one orange" first, then "Zest of one small navel orange" a little further down. I don't seem to find any indication in the detailed recipe that I need to use orange zest twice. It's quite a difference in the amount of zest if I only need one orange vs. two, so I just want to make sure I don't mess up.
Thank you,
Viktoria
Lorie says
Hi!! Nice catch!!! No it’s not the zest of two oranges, one of those should say the juice of an orange. I will adjust that. Thanks so much!
DogRescuer says
Thanks a lot for the clarification, Lorie. I am making it tomorrow. 🙂
Lorie says
Hope it all goes well and you like it!
Jagruti Dhanecha says
Orange chicken looks amazing and I too love sheet pan dinners. The citrus and fresh flavours from the orange makes this dish more appetising.
Lorie says
Sheet pan dinners for the win, right!?!
lauren says
Bring on the sheet pan dinners! The older my kids are getting the more I am coming to embrace easy, week night meals. I can't wait to add this to the list. The combination of sweet and savory and the simple ingredients are welcome to my kitchen any day!
Lorie says
Dinner is so much better when it is so simple--and using simple ingredients isn't bad either!
Analida Braeger says
I absolutely love orange chicken it is one of my personal favorites and go-to's at any Chinese restaurant 🙂 thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe
Lorie says
You can’t go wrong with orange chicken. One of my faves as well!!!
Natalie says
I love sheet pan dinners. They are so family friendly. Love this combo of chicken and orange juice. Must give it a try. Looks amazing. And it's so healthy. Winner!
Lorie says
Family friendly is always so huge. Enjoy!!