Are you craving that incredible, sticky, sweet, and tangy flavor of your favorite Chinese restaurant-style Orange Chicken, but need a delicious dinner on the table in a hurry? This amazing, super-easy, from-scratch-tasting Easy Orange Chicken is your new weeknight hero! We’re using a few brilliant shortcuts to get that authentic, addictive flavor on your dinner table in about 20 minutes, faster than you can even decide what to order for delivery.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to the ultimate “takeout fake-out.” We’ll show you how to transform a bag of frozen popcorn chicken into a gourmet-tasting meal with a luscious, homemade orange sauce that is perfectly balanced and unbelievably delicious. This is the kind of fun, family-friendly meal that will cure any takeout craving and become a new staple in your recipe rotation.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate 20-Minute Takeout Fake-out
What makes this Orange Chicken recipe so spectacularly delicious and easy is its brilliant use of smart shortcuts to create a restaurant-quality meal in minutes. The secret to the crispy, bite-sized chicken without any of the fuss of breading or frying is using a bag of your favorite frozen popcorn chicken. The true star, however, is the from-scratch sweet and tangy orange sauce. It’s a simple, stovetop sauce made with a base of orange juice, hoisin sauce, and fresh aromatics that comes together in the time it takes to bake the chicken. The final, glorious step is to toss the hot, crispy chicken in the thick, glossy glaze until every piece is perfectly coated.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 25 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Essential Ingredients for This “Better Than Takeout” Meal
This recipe uses a handful of smart shortcuts and pantry staples to create its signature sweet and tangy flavor.
- The Shortcut Chicken (The Genius Hack!):
- Frozen Popcorn Chicken: This is the ultimate, time-saving, kid-friendly shortcut! A 16-ounce bag of your favorite brand of frozen, pre-cooked popcorn chicken provides the perfect, crispy, bite-sized chicken base with zero extra effort. There’s no need to cut, bread, or deep-fry any raw chicken.
- The Easy Homemade Orange Sauce:
- The Orange Flavor: For the absolute best, most vibrant, and authentic flavor, it is essential to use both freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh orange zest. The juice provides the sweet and tangy base, while the fragrant zest (the outer orange peel) contains all the essential oils and provides a powerful, pure orange perfume.
- Hoisin Sauce (The “Secret” Ingredient!): This is the brilliant secret weapon that gives this sauce its deep, complex, and authentic “takeout” flavor. Hoisin sauce is a thick, sweet, and savory Chinese condiment, similar to a barbecue sauce, that adds a wonderful, salty-sweet richness that you can’t get from just soy sauce alone.
- The Aromatics: Freshly minced garlic and thinly sliced carrots add a wonderful, savory flavor and a bit of fresh texture to the sauce.
Step-by-Step to the Easiest Orange Chicken
This delicious meal comes together in just a few simple stages.
Step 1: Bake the Chicken and Make the Sauce
Step 1: First, preheat your oven and bake your 16 ounces of frozen popcorn chicken according to the package directions until it is hot and crispy.
Pro Tip: For an even crispier result, you can cook your frozen popcorn chicken in an air fryer! Simply cook at 400°F for about 8-10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Step 2: While the chicken is baking, prepare your delicious orange sauce. In a large skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Add the 2 thinly sliced medium carrots to the hot skillet. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Add the 1 minced garlic clove and cook for 1 more minute, until the garlic is very fragrant.
Step 4: Stir in the 1 1/2 teaspoons of grated orange zest, the 1 cup of orange juice, the 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce, the 3 tablespoons of sugar, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the dash of cayenne pepper.
Step 5: Bring the sauce to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring it constantly, until it has thickened into a beautiful, glossy glaze.
Part 2: Combine and Serve
Step 1: Add your hot, crispy, baked popcorn chicken to the skillet with the thickened orange sauce.
Step 2: Toss everything together until every single piece of chicken is beautifully and generously coated in the sticky, glossy glaze.
Serve the hot orange chicken immediately over a bed of fluffy, hot cooked rice.
What to Serve With Your Orange Chicken
This “better than takeout” meal is a fantastic centerpiece for a complete and delicious dinner.
- Classic Rice & Veggies: Serve it over a bed of hot, fluffy white or jasmine rice with a side of simple, steamed or roasted broccoli.
- Fried Rice: For a true takeout experience, serve it alongside your favorite homemade or store-bought vegetable fried rice.
- Noodles: This saucy chicken is also fantastic when served with simple lo mein or chow mein noodles.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast and impressive weeknight meal, you can get a head start by preparing the entire orange sauce up to 3 days in advance. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, simply bake your chicken and gently reheat the sauce on the stovetop before tossing everything together.
- Storage: Store any leftover orange chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat the chicken and bring back some of its original crispiness is in an air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for just 3-4 minutes. You can also place it on a baking sheet in a hot 400°F (200°C) oven for about 5-8 minutes.
For more recipe follow my pinterest account
Creative Recipe Variations
- Make it From Scratch (No Popcorn Chicken): If you prefer to use raw chicken, you can cut about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs into bite-sized pieces. Toss the chicken pieces in about 1/4 cup of cornstarch until they are well coated, and then pan-fry them in a skillet with a little oil until they are golden brown, crispy, and cooked through before you add them to your finished sauce.
- Add More Veggies: For an extra boost of nutrition, you can toss about 1 to 2 cups of steamed broccoli florets or some sliced bell peppers into the skillet with the finished chicken and sauce.
- Add a Spicy Kick: If you love a lot of heat, you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper in the sauce, or you can add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite sriracha or chili garlic sauce to the orange sauce.
Enjoy The Ultimate “Takeout Fake-out” Meal!
You’ve just created a truly special dish that is a perfect harmony of fun, classic ingredients and delicious, satisfying flavors. This Easy Orange Chicken is a testament to the power of a few smart shortcuts to create a meal that is both incredibly fast and incredibly delicious. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new, much-requested family favorite for busy weeknights.
We hope you enjoy every last, perfect, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, easy, and comforting meal!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute best way to get my popcorn chicken extra crispy?
The air fryer is your best friend for this! Cooking the frozen popcorn chicken in the air fryer will make it even crispier than the oven, which is perfect for standing up to the thick, sticky sauce.
Q2: What is hoisin sauce, and is there a good substitute?
Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant, and pungent condiment that is a staple in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. It has a very complex flavor that is both sweet and salty, similar to an American-style barbecue sauce. It is the secret ingredient that gives this sauce its authentic, “takeout” flavor. If you can’t find it, you could substitute it with a little more soy sauce and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar or honey, but the flavor will be different.
Q3: Can I make the orange sauce ahead of time?
Yes, this is a perfect make-ahead sauce! You can prepare the entire sauce completely and store it in an airtight container or a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This makes the final meal a true 15-minute dinner of just baking your chicken and reheating the sauce.
Q4: Can I freeze the finished orange chicken?
While you can, the texture of the crispy breading on the chicken may become a bit soft upon thawing and reheating. For the best result, it is a great idea to freeze just the orange sauce.
Q5: Can I use a different kind of juice if I don’t have orange juice?
For a different but equally delicious sweet and tangy flavor, you could try making this same sauce with pineapple juice!