I love this recipe for Spicy Orange Chicken! Loaded with a delicious sauce, sugar snap peas, and rice, this bowl is a perfect meal everyone will love.
If you prefer a milder sauce, you can easily adjust the heat level in this recipe and make it a perfect meal that is also kid-friendly. Mix up this easy sauce and fry up chicken for a delicious meal that is ideal for satisfying your craving for takeout. Half the price and none of the guilt.
ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE
If you enjoy the spicy orange chicken from places like Panda Express or P.F. Chang’s, then you will not only love this recipe but prefer it. This is an easy meal to make that is loaded with flavor and sauce and also includes crispy vegetables. I love the mixture of the tender bits of chicken, spicy sauce, and the sweetness of the crisp snap peas.
CAN I USE DIFFERENT VEGETABLES?
If you prefer a different vegetable for this recipe, feel free to make adjustments. I love snap peas because they are definitely easy to cook and fit this flavor profile well.
For this recipe, I think a sturdier or crisp vegetable is better than softer options. One of my favorite things about a good stir fry is that you can add in any number of vegetables. I like to use whatever happens to be on sale or in season, but you can choose your personal favorite veggies.
Try using these vegetables in your dish:
- Water chestnuts
- Snow peas
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrot chips
- Zucchini
- Squash
- Mushrooms
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE CHINESE FIVE SPICE?
If you don’t have Chinese five-spice, you can easily use just black pepper in this recipe. A traditional five-spice recipe includes a blend of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel, and Szechwan peppercorns. As these are items you most likely won’t have on hand in your pantry unless using on a regular basis, a simple addition of black pepper is ideal as a substitution.
Where can I get Chinese Five Spice?
You should be able to find this specialty spice anywhere you buy groceries. I found it at my local Walmart located next to the other spices in the baking aisle.
WHAT IS THE BEST RICE TO SERVE WITH THIS BOWL?
I love a nice basmati or jasmine rice for most meals when it is served. For this bowl, you could easily use any rice you prefer that will soak up the delicious flavors and sauce of this orange chicken recipe. Many prefer to use brown rice for health benefits, and you could even use something like quinoa if you prefer. Just use what you prefer and it will be delicious.
Spicy Orange Chicken Ingredients
Here’s what I used in my spicy orange chicken. For the complete recipe including exact amounts, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
- Chicken – I used chicken breasts. But you can use chicken thighs too.
- Sesame oil
- Snap peas
- Cooked rice
- Sesame seeds
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
Spicy Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients
And here’s what I used in my sauce. As you can see, it’s full of sweet flavors!
- Orange juice – Use the kind without any pulp.
- Brown sugar – Dark brown sugar is best for this recipe
- Cornstarch
- Hoison sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Chinese five-spice or black pepper
- Orange zest
- Sriracha
- Red pepper flakes
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE
Mix together the orange sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. It really is that easy! You don’t have to simmer it or let it cook down. All the ingredients mix together perfectly.
HOW TO MAKE Spicy ORANGE CHICKEN BOWLS WITH SNAP PEAS
Making the rest of the dish is pretty simple too. First, you need to coat the raw chicken with the cornstarch and egg wash and fry them up to golden perfection!
Then, add in the snap peas and orange sauce, and cook for an additional few minutes to heat through the peas and thicken the sauce.
Serve with rice or noodles as preferred.
Time-Saving Shortcut
If you buy frozen popcorn chicken and bake it in the oven, you don’t have to go through the effort of cutting up the raw chicken and frying it.
When it’s completely baked, just toss it in the sauce and add in the veggies. Easy!
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MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
If you keep chicken on hand but are looking for something new to make, there are some amazing options listed below. This list is full of Asian inspired or influenced recipes that are loaded with chicken and vegetables. I love adding rich sauces to these recipes for extra flavor, and all are served well with your choice of rice, pasta, or even potatoes.
- Spicy Cashew Chicken
- Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
- Spicy Sriracha Chicken
- Mango Habanero Chicken Kabob
- Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
Easy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons sesame or canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups snap peas
- Cooked rice
- Sesame seeds
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs
MARINADE SAUCE
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp hoison sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice or black pepper
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together for the marinade.
- To coat the chicken, dip each piece into the eggs and then into the corn startch and set aside on a pan.
- In a skillet, Stir fry chicken with 3 tablespoons of sesame or canola oil until golden brown. Add orange sauce marinade and snap peas.
- Cook for 4 minutes until the sauce is thick and the peas are cooked through.
- Add rice to bowls and top with orange chicken and snap peas.
- Top with sesame seeds and pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a large pan/skillet or wok.
- Opt for skinless boneless chicken breast.
- Cut your chicken into even, bite sized, pieces. This way they'll cook evenly.
- To make this Easy Orange Chicken recipe even easier, you buy frozen popcorn chicken and bake it in the oven, you don't have to go through the effort of cutting up the raw chicken and frying it!
- Make sure you have all your ingredients prepped before firing up the skillet/wok, things move fast
- If you prefer a milder sauce, you can easily adjust the heat level in this recipe and make it a perfect meal that is also kid-friendly.
- Feel free to throw in different veggies.
- You can reserve some of the sauce to place on rice.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
Nutrition
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