Orange-Glazed Chicken
Orange-glazed chicken is a lightened-up version of orange chicken made with less sugar and no breading for the chicken. The glaze, made with fresh orange juice, is lightly sweet and tart, and the chicken thigh pieces are tender and juicy.
Chicken tossed in a citrusy orange sauce piled on rice with red bell peppers and sliced green onions is a bit of a take-out/fake-out that’s a whole lot lighter than the original but with the same bright tangy-sweet flavor, which is the best part, right?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this orange chicken recipe. It’s easy, and the flavors satisfy a takeout craving. I skip the breading for the chicken and use just enough oil in the pan to cook it. I love the sauce, too. It’s made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and some sugar, but not so much it ends up cloyingly sweet.
Ingredients
- Chicken: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they have more flavor, stay juicy, and are tender even after you cut them into pieces and cook them. Chicken breasts will work, but I find they dry out more than thighs when you cook them.
- Oranges: You will need one cup of fresh orange juice from about three to four naval oranges. I strain the juice to remove the pulp, and I also use the orange zest.
- Brown sugar: The sauce contains only one tablespoon of sugar—just enough to balance out the acidity and tartness of the orange juice.
- Bell pepper: I like to add some chopped red bell pepper. It adds texture, flavor, and a pop of color.
- Cornstarch: I coat the chicken with cornstarch to absorb moisture and tenderize the meat. It’s not enough to create a crust or breading coating. I also add some in the sauce to thicken it.
- Other sauce ingredients: Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and ginger paste.
- For serving: Cooked rice and sliced green onions.
How to Make It
☑️ Prep the Chicken Thighs
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and toss the chicken to coat it evenly.
☑️ Prepare the Orange Sauce
Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, orange juice, orange zest, and sugar in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk until it dissolves.
☑️ Cook the Chicken and Bell Pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes on each side, turning the pieces a few times as they cook. Remove them from the pan and set them aside when they’re done.
Add the bell pepper to the pan for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Once the peppers have softened, add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil. Simmer and stir the sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the cooked chicken to the orange glaze and stir.
☑️ Garnish and Serve
Serve the orange chicken with cooked rice and garnish each serving with sliced green onions.
More Orange Chicken Recipes
PrintOrange-Glazed Chicken
This is a lightened-up version of orange chicken made with less sugar and no breading for the chicken. The glaze, made with fresh orange juice, is lightly sweet and tart, and the chicken thigh pieces are tender and juicy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 1 teaspoon, divided
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- For serving: Cooked rice and sliced green onions
Instructions
- Place the chicken thigh pieces in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat the chicken evenly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, orange juice, orange zest, and brown sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and whisk until it dissolves.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces until they are cooked through, turning once. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate or cutting board.
- In the same pan, cook the bell pepper until it softens, about two to three minutes. Add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently. Let the sauce bubble and simmer until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add the chicken to the pan and stir to coat it in the sauce. Serve the orange chicken with cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onions.
Notes
I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they have a lot of flavor. That said, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in place of the thighs.
I like to use a fine-mesh strainer when I squeeze the oranges. It catches all the pulp so it doesn’t end up in the sauce.
Leftovers will keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition estimates do not include the rice or garnish.
Nutrition
- Calories: 339
- Sugar: 10.4g
- Sodium: 480.7mg
- Fat: 14.1g
- Saturated Fat: 7.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16.9g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 34.6g
- Cholesterol: 159.8mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Chicken Thighs
I hope you try this orange glazed chicken soon! It has so much fresh flavor – enjoy!
Happy Cooking,
This orange glazed chicken post was updated from the archives. It was first published in August 2015.
I loved this – will definitely keep me from ordering take-out. Easy to make, too!
Yay! Always great to bust the take-out cravings 🙂
What a fabulous dish!!! My husband just made this for me (lucky me). It is so easy, so delicious, and so healthy. April, your Orange Chicken is one of your many dishes we are eager to make for our friends. A lot of the preparation can be done ahead of time which gives us more time to spend being with our friends and family. We decided to substitute the rice for monk beans (bean sprouts). This is a good alternative if you don’t eat rice. Also, the boneless chicken thighs were soooo flavorful. Good choice over chicken breasts. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!