Name: Super Easy Orange Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound frozen popcorn chicken; 1/2 cup BBQ sauce; 1/2 cup orange marmalade; 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Jump to Recipe

This easy orange chicken recipe only has five ingredients and takes 20 minutes to make. The secret is using shortcuts! When it’s done, you have a bowl of orange chicken that’s delicious served over rice with a veggie. It will definitely cure a craving for takeout and is ready in less time than it takes to order it!

orange chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables.

Over the past year, I have developed a habit of ordering a certain orange chicken from a certain Chinese fast food place more often than I like to admit. So, a few months ago, I staged an intervention with myself and started making this easy copycat recipe instead. And by “easy,” I mean ridiculously easy.

And it had to be this easy because that was the whole point of ordering the other orange chicken – it was the perfect comfort food for Friday nights during a year that… well, that needed orange chicken on Friday nights. And now that it’s summer and quick and easy dinners are the order of the day, there’s no better time to try it.

The Highlights

You only need five ingredients to make it.
It takes all of 20 minutes to make.
There’s nothing more complicated than measuring the ingredients for the sauce and combining them in a pan.
It tastes so much like the other, I might not ever order out again… Okay, I probably will, but not as often.

If you’ve got a craving for sticky-tangy-sweet orange sauce chicken, this is for you.

Ingredients

Frozen popcorn chicken
BBQ sauce – I like Stubb’s Original
Orange marmalade
Low-sodium soy sauce
Rice vinegar

How to Make It

☑️ Bake the Chicken

Bake the popcorn chicken pieces until golden brown, following the package directions.

☑️ Make the Orange Sauce

Combine the BBQ sauce, marmalade, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a saucepan. Heat it over medium heat, and once it starts to bubble, keep it on low until the chicken is done.

the sauce poured over the baked chicken.

☑️ Sauce the Chicken

Once the chicken is done baking, pour the sauce over the top and toss to coat the chicken. I do this on the sheet pan. Serve over white or brown rice with broccoli or another veggie you like.

Tips and Ideas

This recipe makes enough for four if you add rice and a veggie. You can double or triple it to serve more, or cut it in half to serve less.
I’ve successfully meal-prepped this recipe. I make the dish along with cooked brown or white rice and veggies, and then keep it in containers. It reheats well, but the breading on the chicken does soften after it sits in the fridge.
You can also prep the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Then just bake your chicken, and it’s all ready to go.
Want to fancy it up with garnishes? Try sliced green onions or scallions, or sprinkle on some sesame seeds for a little extra crunch. You can also add a little kick of heat by adding red pepper flakes to the sauce.

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