Home / Recipes / Dinner / Chicken / Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken
Published on January 7, 2014 · Updated on August 15, 2021 · By Aysegul Sanford
Ditch the take out and try this easy one-pan Orange Ginger Chicken recipe at home. This spicy Mandarin chicken recipe starts with marinating chicken in an orange-based Mandarin sauce and then cooking it in a skillet. Served on rice, it is an easy dinner that will make your family ask for more.
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Total: 55 minutes mins
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Do you remember the Sex and the City episode where Miranda calls a Chinese take out place and orders the same thing everyday? The girl on the phone mocks her and laughs at her. Miranda gets offended and goes to the restaurant to complain.
Remember?
I do not know you, but very often I feel like I live in a Sex and the City episode.
I was just like Miranda for a very long time when I was working at the hotel. After a long day (at least 12 hours) of work I did not want to come home and cook. I would call the Chinese take out place and order the same Mandarin Chicken every day. I could not get enough of that chicken covered with sweet and sour glaze.
Then, one day, somehow I switched to something else and forgot about it. I did not think about it until my husband, Dwight, said that he misses Chinese food sometimes.
See, living on a very small island in the Caribbean may come with its perks like warm weather, beaches, and umbrella drinks but it does not come with a Chinese takeout place.
I decided to take the matters into my own hands and find a recipe to create that Mandarin Chicken recipe in my own kitchen.
Coincidently, at the same time Whole Food Market had a contest for “the best stove chicken” recipe. One of my favorite food bloggers, Lori of Foxes Love Lemons had entered to the contest with this Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken recipe.
After I quickly read the recipe I decided to make it on that very same day. The end product was amazing. Just like the Mandarin Chicken that I used to order from the Chinese takeout place back in the days I used to live in a city.
Since then, I made this dish so many times not only for us, but also for friends. Everyone loves it.
That is why; I decided to put it on my blog.
The ingredients for this Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken are easily available in supermarkets and I am pretty sure that you already have most of them in your pantry. It takes around 15 minutes to make the marinade but once the marinade is ready, all you need to do is let the chicken sit in it for an hour and cook it right before you are ready to serve.
I did not try this, but Lori says that if you are crunched on time, you can use carton orange juice and skip on the step of marinating the chicken.
I serve it on white rice because I love how the glaze flavors the pretty-much-flavorless rice. After I sprinkle it with scallions and black sesame seeds, it turns into a meal that is not only appealing for my stomach but also for my eyes.
I mean, really, how good does that look??!
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- Chicken Salad with Yogurt
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Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken Recipe
By Aysegul Sanford
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Total Time: 55 minutes mins
Ditch the take out and try this easy one-pan Orange Ginger Chicken recipe at home. This spicy Mandarin chicken recipe starts with marinating chicken in an orange-based Mandarin sauce and then cooking it in a skillet. Served on rice, it is an easy dinner that will make your family ask for more.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed from 6-8 oranges
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ginger freshly shredded
- 8 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 medium 1 1/4 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup scallions green parts only, sliced
- 2 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
In a glass bowl, whisk orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1-tablespoon olive oil, Sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and black pepper.
Place the chicken in a ziplock bag and pour 1/3 of the mixture in the bag. Seal the bag and place it in the fridge. Let it marinade for an hour.
Heat 1-tablespoon olive oil on a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Remove chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.
Add chicken, in 2 batches, and cook each batch for 6-7 minutes. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate. Set aside.
Pour the rest of the marinade into the now-empty skillet and cook until boiling over medium high heat.
In the mean time, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. It will be like a white paste. Whisk it into the marinade and let it boil for a minute.
Return chicken into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until chicken registers 160 F when a thermometer is inserted in some of the pieces of chicken.
Serve it immediately over rice. Sprinkle it with scallions and black sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 970mg | Potassium: 1111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FoolproofLiving or tag #foolproofeats!
Adapted from Foxes Love Lemon’s Spicy Orange Ginger Recipe.
Who needs a Chinese takeout place on Virgin Gorda, when I can make it at home?
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About Aysegul Sanford
Hello Friend! I’m Aysegul but you can call me “Ice.” I’m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.
If you’re looking for approachable yet creative recipes made with everyday ingredients, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re all about recipes that have been meticulously tested to provide you with a truly foolproof cooking experience regardless of your level of cooking.
Check out my about page to learn more about me.
Did you make a recipe? Be sure to tag @foolproofliving on Instagram so that I can see.
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Reader Interactions
Sassy
Ok, I’d been looking for dinner inspiration…I knew I wanted chicken…like your hubs, I could eat chicken every night and I drive my hubs nuts lol. I’d made some wontons a couple of weeks ago and froze some uncooked ones. I spotted this recipe and knew we were having Chinese for dinner. This chicken was fantastic! Omg it was even better than my local chinese takeaway! So we had wonton soup to start and then your delicious spicy Orange chicken. Hubs was knocked out with it and proclaimed this is one chicken dinner he won’t complain that it’s chicken again. Lol I followed the recipe exactly but when it came time to serve, I had some cashews left over so I toasted them, crushed them and used them as an optional topping for a little crunch. I tried both with and without and loved both options (I only ever rate a recipe if I make it exactly, otherwise it wasn’t that persons recipe I’m rating, it’s my adaptation, hence I had it first without cashews lol) thanks so much for sharing this! ❤️
Aysegul Sanford
Sassy,
Cashews are a fantastic idea. I love this recipe too. Like I mentioned in the post, we don’t have a Asian take out place on the island so this recipe comes in very handy when my husband and I crave for Chinese food.
Thank you for letting me know.
All the best – Aysegul
Aimee / Wallflower Girl
Mm mm mm! Sounds sooooo good 🙂 Hope you are having a good 2014 so far!
Dalya
Looks so yummy!
Michael Nichols
Great recipe…what about using thigh meat…I would think I would need to cook it longer…
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Michael,
I think it is worth trying with thigh meat. Yes, you are right. Dark meat is considered cooked aroun 180-185 F degrees. I would cook it maybe another 3-4 minutes longer.
Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers – Ice
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons
Ice, these photos are just gorgeous! I feel so honored that you made my recipe 🙂 I love the addition of black sesame seeds – so smart!
Debbie Sword-St Cyr
Oh I’m so looking forward to making this….I’m Monica Sword’s sister…I have heard much about you and your wonderful cooking…Thanks for sharing this recipe…:)
Aysegul Sanford
Ohhh Debbie,
I heard so much about you too. Thanks for saying that…
This is an amazing recipe that we enjoyed so much. I hope you will feel the same way.
Thanks so much for reading.
Cheers! Ice
