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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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Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
Hhaha. I love it. I am going to use the saying "when in doubt sheet pan it out" from now on 😉
I love having everyting in the meal ready at once, so this is perfect for me!
Lorie says
I mean, I am a part time comedian in my own world ??
Linda says
This makes meal prep more fun and enjoyable. Who doesn't want an easy recipe to make and tasty lunch? Adding this to my meal prep train next week.
Lorie says
Yay!!! Let me know what you think!!
Heather says
OH yea no doubt. I'll be making this for dinner. We love sheet pan dinners and orange chicken yes please. I pinned for later!!
Lorie says
Yay! Hope you love it as much as we do Heather!
Jo says
Oh the flavors of this orange chicken is min blowing. love a simple and flavorful meals like this. So easy to put it to gether and so delicious
Lorie says
Wow. Glad I could blow your mind. I’ll take that any day!
Analida Braeger says
Oh my ! Orange chicken is such a guilty pleasure of mine and I haven't found a good and easy recipe ..until now ! thanks for sharing 🙂
Lorie says
This one is easy with a capital E!! Hope you love it!
Denise says
I love this so much! It looks amazing and fresh, and I LOVE the fact that its a sheet pan dinner! Easy Peasy!
Lorie says
Easy peasy, lemon squeeze indeed! IT's a keeper for sure!
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
I love a good sheet pan recipe! The chicken sounds so tasty and I'm always a fan of minimising the washing up! Look forward to trying this!
Lorie says
Thanks Carrie! Hope you love it--especially the part about less dishes!
Nicoletta says
Sheet pan dinners are awesome! they are not only fast and easy but also delicious. Now, I'm vegetarian, but my husband is not and he would love this dish!
Lorie says
Maybe some tofu instead soaked in the marinade??
Dan from Platter Talk says
I am all over the health, flavor, and convenience of this organ chicken sheet pan dinner! I love that you use broccoli as the supporting star here as I'm always looking for new ways to use this. power food. Thanks so much for sharing!
Lorie says
Thanks Dan! IT's a good one for sure, packed with so much power!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
Love the flavours and the ease of this delicious dinner. Perfect for busy weeknights. Great for stress-free entertaining too.
Lorie says
Stress free entertaining---is that a thing?? Ha!