Spicy Orange Chicken

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READY IN 1¾ hrs

Spicy Orange Chicken

Read Reviews (27)

"My Spicy Orange Chicken has the same flavor profile as its take-out counterpart, Orange Chicken: the sweet orange, the spicy chilies, and the Asian condiments. I make this without oil, making something much lighter and very tasty." — Chef John

Directions

Whisk orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in a large bowl.
Mix in chicken pieces and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Remove chicken from refrigerator and drain thoroughly in colander, reserving marinade.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Cook and stir chicken for 2 minutes; spoon out any excess liquid.
Continue to cook and stir until chicken caramelizes, 6 to 7 minutes.
Stir in white portions of green onions, garlic, and orange zest; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in half of reserved marinade. Simmer until reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in jalapeno pepper, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas; cook and stir until vegetables are warmed, about 2 minutes.
Stir in green portions of green onions; cook and stir 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 25 mins
READY IN 1 hr 45 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 29, 2012

crazy good. I forgot to add the fish sauce, skipped jalapeno and used on hand fresh vegetables ( celery carrots onion broccoli ) sauce is fantastic. orange zest is mandatory. Don't skip. Thanks for sharing

—JENNLANE1973

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Most Helpful Critical Review

May 01, 2012

Kids thought it tasted to much like sweet and sour chicken with the peppers added. I tend to agree.

—Escape

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38 Ratings

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Apr 25, 2012

This was very welcome for dinner here. It was a tad sweet for me - but I am the odd-ball, everyone else loved it. I followed the recipe and method with the exception of finely chopping the jalapeno pepper. I did this is a heavy duty wok - really high heat and didn't have to spoon off any extra liquid from the chicken. I didn't need half of the marinade either. I used a large spoon and spooned a couple of spoonfulls of the marinade around the edge of the very hot wok - so the liquid would immediately come to a boil and thicken quickly. Thanks for a great recipe. Enjoy!

—Baking Nana

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Apr 24, 2012

All we could say as we ate was WOW! Only change was we used low-sodium soy sauce. It was perfect. Thanks for the recipe.

—jcinaz

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Mar 26, 2013

A lighter, healthier version of American Chinese orange chicken. We made this as written except for omitting the cilantro garnish. For us, it’s hard to beat orange chicken when well prepared by a fine Chinese restaurant as the flavor of the sauce is absorbed and clings to the battered fried chicken. This dish eliminates the batter and oil for cooking the chicken which reduces some fat and calories. We were very pleased with the outcome and thought this dish delivered a savory balance of sweet and spicy flavors. We will make this again.

—ConkyJoe

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Aug 08, 2012

For a healthy version of this dish, the recipe is excellent. I did do a couple somethings slightly different. I used a splash of sesame oil to grease my pan and I marinated the chicken over-night instead of 1 hour. The end product was sweet, juicy, and flavorful! Definitely will make again.

—nieves_victoria

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May 16, 2012

Needed more of an orange kick

—Marilyn

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Mar 22, 2013

Followed all directions and the ingredients except: 1) used 1 habanero pepper instead of jalapeno, 2) did not use the green onions, 3)used green peas instead of snap peas 4) chicken breast instead of thighs, because the above were the ones we had on hand. I will use the habanero again for this recipe, I think it is a more flavorful heat than jalapeno. Will get green onions next time for more texture/flavor. It tastes like Chinese take-out orange chicken minus the calorific batter around the chicken and it is truly non-greasy!!! Loved it!!! But I am taking 1 star off because the recommended length of cooking the chicken made it dry and overcooked. But I will make it again when I have a hankering for Chinese food without the extra calories.

—BabyChops

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Nutrition

Calories
324 kcal
16%

Carbohydrates
25.2 g
8%

Cholesterol
103 mg
34%

Fat
10.8 g
17%

Fiber
2.6 g
10%

Protein
31 g
62%

Sodium
627 mg
25%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Spicy Orange Chicken

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 324
Calories from Fat: 97

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.8g 17 %
Saturated Fat 2.9g 14 %
Cholesterol 103mg 34 %
Sodium 627mg 25 %
** Potassium 606mg 17 %
Total Carbohydrates 25.2g 8 %
Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10 %
Protein 31g 62 %
** Sugars 17.5g
Vitamin A 41 %
Vitamin C 103 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 28 %
** Thiamin 18 %
** Niacin 107 %
** Vitamin B6 36 %
** Magnesium 20 %
** Folate 37 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.