Baked Orange Chicken stars crispy, bite-sized chicken pieces coated in a simple homemade orange chicken that’s sweet, tangy and oh-so addicting. This recipe can be made with either chicken breasts or thighs, and I’ve included instructions for both oven-baking and air frying. Just whip up a side of rice while the chicken bakes, and dinner is done!
Table of Contents
Step aside, Black Pepper Chicken. Take a seat, General Tso’s. And move on out, Sesame Chicken. There’s a new takeout-fakeout favorite in town and it’s about to take over your weeknight dinner lineup: Baked Orange Chicken.
This is the orange chicken you love from your favorite takeout spot, but with a healthy twist. As in, no deep-frying. No standing over a cauldron of hot oil. No messy cleanup. Just golden, crispy chicken coated in a sweet and tangy copycat Panda Express orange sauce that will have you licking your plate clean.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: You can also use chicken thighs for a juicier result.
- All-purpose flour: For that essential crispy coating.
- Eggs: Helps the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
- Panko breadcrumbs: The secret to a perfectly crunchy exterior.
- Cooking spray: To ensure your chicken gets that golden-brown finish.
- Orange sauce ingredients: Sesame oil, olive oil, fresh garlic and ginger, hoisin sauce, orange marmalade and low sodium soy sauce. If you like a hint of spice, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (so good!).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Chicken Breasts vs. Chicken Thighs
While most orange chicken recipes often use chicken thighs for their rich flavor and juiciness, I developed this recipe with chicken breasts to keep it lean and light. Plus, they crisp up beautifully when baked or air-fried, making them perfect for this takeout-inspired dish.
Now, if you’re all about chicken thighs, go for it! Since most Chinese takeout dishes traditionally use dark meat, sticking with chicken thighs will give you a more authentic, tender and flavorful result. It all comes down to personal preference, so pick your favorite and let’s get cooking!
What I love about this orange chicken recipe is that it can be oven baked or made in the air fryer! The orange marmalade sauce comes together in less than 10 minutes, so I usually whip that up while the chicken bites are cooking.
IN THE OVEN:
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.
- Coat with flour. Here’s my favorite trick for coating chicken quickly: Add the flour to a sealable plastic bag, then add the chicken pieces. Seal the bag and give it a good shake. This will coat the chicken evenly and make cleanup a breeze!
- Dip in eggs and breadcrumbs. In one shallow dish, whisk the eggs until they’re well mixed. In another shallow dish, spread out the breadcrumbs. Take each piece of flour-coated chicken, dip it into the egg mixture, then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Make sure each piece is well-coated, then place them on your prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Pro Tip: For a cleaner, more efficient coating process, designate one hand for handling the egg mixture and the other for the breadcrumbs. This technique, often called the “wet hand, dry hand” method, keeps your hands less messy and ensures a more even coating on your chicken pieces.
- Bake the chicken pieces for 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to flip them once halfway through to ensure they’re evenly crispy and golden brown.
IN THE AIR FRYER:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Follow the same steps as above to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat it.
- Air fry. Arrange the Panko-coated chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket, then lightly coat with cooking spray. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until they are crispy and cooked through. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may need to cook in batches. This guarantees your air-fried chicken is perfectly crispy.
All that’s left to do is toss the chicken in the sauce and serve it alongside your choice of fried rice, lo mein or chow mein noodles, or Chinese garlic green beans for the ultimate takeout-inspired meal whipped up in the comfort of your own kitchen.
And for a fun and easy dessert, finish off with some fortune cookies or chocolate wonton pillows.
- Flip the chicken pieces once during baking to ensure they get a golden-brown crunch on all sides.
- A spritz of cooking spray at the start and at the halfway mark guarantees crispy perfection.
- Want to save time? Prep the chicken a few hours ahead. Simply coat the pieces, place them on a baking sheet, and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.
- You can make the orange sauce up to a week in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge, and just reheat it on the stove before tossing it with the chicken.
- Reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer to restore some of the crispiness. Avoid microwaving, as it can make the coating soggy.
- Use leftovers to make Orange Chicken Bowls! Add the chicken to a bowl with steamed coconut rice, top with your favorite veggies, and drizzle with any leftover sauce.
I’d love to know how your orange chicken turned out! Rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Enjoy your homemade takeout night!
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Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray
For the sauce:
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
To cook the chicken in an air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.
- Add the flour to a sealable plastic bag then add the chicken and seal the bag. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated all over.
- Add the eggs to a shallow dish and whisk them until combined. Add the breadcrumbs to a second shallow dish. Remove each piece of chicken from the bag, shake off any excess flour, then dip it in the eggs then breadcrumbs. Repeat the coating process with all of the chicken pieces.
- Arrange a portion of the chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket, then coat them with cooking spray.
- Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, flipping them once halfway through, until they are cooked through. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken pieces.
To cook the chicken in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease it with cooking spray.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.
- Add the flour to a sealable plastic bag then add the chicken and seal the bag. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated all over.
- Add the eggs to a shallow dish and whisk them until combined. Add the breadcrumbs to a second shallow dish. Remove each piece of chicken from the bag, shake off any excess flour, then dip it in the eggs then breadcrumbs and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the coating process with all of the chicken pieces and arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken pieces for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them once halfway through, until they are golden brown and fully cooked.
Make the sauce:
- Add the sesame oil and olive oil to a small saucepot set over medium-low heat.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Add the hoisin sauce, orange marmalade, soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes (optional), and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the oven or air fryer and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the sauce to the bowl and toss until combined. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Trying tonight, but I don’t care for Hoisin. Any suggestions?
Hi Barbara! It’s a key ingredient in this, but if you want to skip it, you can up the orange marmalade to 1 2/3 cups and up the soy sauce to 3 Tablespoons (and then omit the hoisin). The flavor won’t be the same but it’ll still taste great!
I made this last night and it was a hit. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for another great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Erin!
This recipe was delicious! Definitely making it again!
So glad you enjoyed it, Shawna!
I haven’t yet tried this recipe but plan to once I shop for the ingredients. THANKYOU from Australia.
I hope you enjoy it, Robyn!
I am allergic to sesame oil and seeds, what other oil can I use? Thank you for your assistance.
Hi Mildred! You can just use extra olive oil. The flavor of the sauce will be slightly different but still delicious!
Delicious! A great dinner served with rice.
So glad you enjoyed it, Natalie!
Has anyone tried to make this recipe gluten free (or mostly gluten free – the small amounts in the soy sauce is fine) by using gluten free flour and gluten free bread crumbs?
That should work great, Deanna!
I used GF flour and GF panko and it came out wonderful.
Awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
I Love this recipe! My whole family loves it to. To change things up. Instead of orange preserves. We use pineapple preserves. It is really Good! Thank you for posting this recipe!
You are so welcome, Amy! I’m thrilled your family has been enjoying the recipe!
It’s probably just me, but I don’t see where you put flour etc on chicken if air frying…
Updating this now, Kim! It’s the same as for the oven-baked version but I’ll make that more clear :)
Baked orange chicken is delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious thanks. Air fried in my Ninja in ten minutes too!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Deb!
OMG THIS RECIPE IS BEYONDDDDD I am crying bc it’s just that good. It’s even twice as good the next day when the marmalade has thickened up even more. Omg hands down fave ever thank you for sharing ! Xo
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Shelle!
We were thrilled as we discovered a recipe for our favorite chinese take-out ‘Baked Orange Chicken’ on @justataste and today we tried to make it by ourselves. And what should I say? It was easy to make and tasted soooo gooood!!! There’s just one thing we would like to know: could you recommend a specific orange marmelade?
Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I don’t have a favorite brand but have made this recipe with both regular-priced and high-end marmalades!
I made this exactly as written and It was the bomb. I wouldn’t change a thing. The chicken was juicy and the sauce was to die for. Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe.
You are so welcome, Debbie! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
sorry, this just didn’t taste that great. OK, but not awesome I usually love all her recipes.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Nancy. What brand of orange marmalade did you use?
Made this tonight. My son loved it (which is miraculous because he’s super picky)! My husband thought the chicken was great but felt the sauce wasn’t quite right. I think it had to do with the marmalade? I also think the sauce will be yummier on the 2nd day and I made lots of chicken so will try it al lunch tomorrow. I steamed some broccoli and tossed with the sauce as well. Yum!
I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Amy!
My family loves this recipe. Second time I made it in 2 weeks. I make it with cauliflower for me (vegetarian) and chicken for everyone else. My oven is broken so I have been using my air fryer and convection feature of the microwave. The second time I made this recipe I doubled the sauce recipe to cover both veg and chicken. I love all of your recipes. Thanks for explaining the steps so well. I know I can work a whole day and come home to make a dinner with very few steps and ingredients and all of it delicious!
So glad you’re enjoying it, Lisa!
I’m making the orange chicken tonight
Thank you for sharing your recipe. Can’t wat to taste it
Looking forward to hearing your results, Debbie!
I made this for Sunday supper. Absolutely delish. I held back, slightly, on the marmalade and tasted the sauce…added more to my taste. I also kicked up the ginger a bit. And speaking of marmalade…check the first two ingredients. If it says high fructose corn syrup and the second ingredient is corn syrup..look for another brand. Loved it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Karie!
I have this in mind for next week. Think I am going to use Trader Joe’s marmalade as it is made with Seville oranges which are a more intense orange and not as sweet… will report back. Hoisin sauce is an excellent product though..for sure. It sounds delicious.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Karie!
I tried this last night. I checked ingredients again this morning to make sure I did not mess something up. It could have been the brand of marmalade I used, but the sauce ended up tasting like straight up, out of the jar marmalade. The hoisin and soy sauce did not cut the flavor of the marmalade enough. It didn’t have that umami to it.
Hi Carol! The sauce definitely shouldn’t taste like marmalade since the hoisin has a very strong flavor that will balance with the marmalade. Let me know if you try another brand!
Thank you for this recipe. I’m going to try it. But the hoisni sauce is not available where I live . Can i substitute it with something else?
Hi there! I’ve never tried this, but I’ve read you can use equal amounts of ketchup and molasses as a substitute for hoisin sauce. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Whoa, that’s a lot of orange marmalade. Any substitute I can use? Maybe apricot jam with fresh orange juice?
Hi Brooke! Sure! Feel free to try that swap. The flavor will be different of course but the texture should still work.
I really want to try this but I’m going to play dumb what is hoisin and I love your recipes
Hi Sandy – Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It can be found in most major grocery stores in the international aisle.
This is one of the best dishes I have ever made. I love to cook but can’t handle MSG. This is authentic tasting and very good. The chicken nuggets are crispy and the sauce is perfect. I will make this many times again. Thank you for sharing your cooking talents and this amazing recipe.
WOW! You are so welcome, Paul. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi! I really want to try this recipe but I don’t have fresh ginger. Can I use ground ginger? If so, how much ground ginger do you recommend using? Thanks!
Hi Diana – Yes! While it won’t have the exact same taste, you can substitute 1/8 teaspoon dry ginger for every 1 tablespoon fresh. :)
This was very good. The breading was great and I loved that it was a baked recipe. The Orange Marmalade was just too Orange and too sweet; has anyone done anything to tone down the strong flavor of the Marmalade? Please let me know so I can retry the recipe. Thanks
Thanks, DeeRon! A little acidity (lime juice!) would help tone down sweetness.
I just made this, and it was pretty good. The baked chicken was even crispier than normal fried chicken, and the saice was rangy and sweet. One note: I used four eggs instead of 3, as I found 3 was not enough to coat the chicken
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Hugo!
I am a little confused. The last instruction says to coat the sauce on the chicken and then serve immediately. Do you not bake the chicken at all with the sauce to caramelize it?
Correct :)
Love love love this recipe!!! Hand down the best orange chicken that I have had and now I can make it when ever. The best part is that it easy to make and you get to control the quality of ingredients you use. Thanks you so very much for this wonderful recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Melanie!
Are chicken thighs okay to use with this recipe?
Absolutely!
Hello, I just made this for dinner and it was so good HOWEVER; my three children ages 11, 13 and 15 didnt’ like the orange marmalade from Bonne Maman brand and that is the main flavor. :( What can I sub for this next time?
Best, Mary
Hi Mary – Grape or blackberry would work great.
We’ve made this twice now. So good!! We even did it with sliced London broil. My husband said this is now in permanent rotation. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Felicia!
Sounds good!
Thank you so much! Enjoy!
La mejor receta que he probado hasta ahorita! Me gusta cuando hacen recetas accesibles para la gente con ingredientes fáciles, el sabor de esta salsa estaba muy rica, definitivamente la hare muy seguido en casa. BEST RECIPE EVER!
¡Estoy tan emocionado de escuchar que disfrutaste la receta, Denisse!
I used smuckers no sugar added to cut down on carbs and it was perfect to me
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Robin!
450 was WAAAYYYY too hot!!! 425 was also too hot! 12 minutes on each side and the chicken was over 200 degrees. Next time (and there will be a next time) we’ll lower the heat and/or cooking time. The sauce was great!
Hi there! Ovens and baking pans can cause great discrepancies in baking times. Do you have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven isn’t running hot?
This was real good. Little time consuming breading the chicken nuggets but well worth it. My son LOVES Panda Express and I told him I was going to make a healthier version and he was not excited about dinner, lol! He LIKED it!! So did my husband. I did add fresh greens beans that I steamed first for 5 mins and then tossed them in. This will be in my recipe folder for sure.
Love hearing this, Robin! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe :)
This is good, and it is nice to have a no-fry version. I followed the recipe, using about 1.25 pounds of chicken from three very large pieces of breast. The cut pieces just fit on my largest cooking sheet. Next time (and there will be a next time ;-) I’ll add julienned strips of orange rind or shredded zest–maybe strips in the sauce and zest for serving– for a bit more orange flavoring. Also, I might use a bit less marmalade. I used a full 16-oz/510g jar of Kroger-brand marmalade (about 26 T, according to the label, so the whole jar went into the pan), but next time will consider using a bit less, maybe 1 1/4 c or 1 1/3 c. It wasn’t too sweet for me, but it wasn’t too orange-y either. Taste-testing marmalade might be on the agenda.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Dee!
Question: Since I live in a country where cooking spray flat out does not exist, I was wondering how I should replace it? Light drizzle of olive oil? What’s the purpose of cooking spray? Could I do without? Appreciate your response :)
A light drizzle of olive oil works! Enjoy :)
Recommendations for orange marmalade? We used Smucker’s Natural Orange Marmalade. The dish was tasty but my husband and I both thought it was far too sweet and hard to eat after first few bites. Hoping it was just a bad choice for marmalade, or thought about reducing marmalade by 1/3 to 1 cup vs 1.5 cups.
Hi Maura! I’ve used the Smucker’s brand as well but didn’t experience the sweetness. You could always reduce the quantity!
What can i substitutre hoiusin sauce with, for the sauce????? i don’t think we have it here in Brazil, thanks !!!!!
Hi Helenita – Hoisin sauce has a very distinctive flavor so replacing it won’t be easy. However I did some research and found a homemade hoisin recipe on epicurious.com that combines 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons black bean paste or peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey or molasses, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 20 drops hot sauce and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. However, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for certain that it will work. Would love to hear your results if you give it a shot!
AMAZING! Served it with sticky rice and veggies. YUM!
This was so delish! Thank you for the recipe :] Made it last night & will be attempting to reheat leftovers tonight, hoping it’s just as tasty!
So glad you enjoyed it, Erin!
This dish was FANTASTIC.
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Marilyn!
Do you have calorie or nutritional info for this? It looks wonderful!
Hi there! We don’t have the nutritional data for this specific recipe but we’re adding it to our list. In the meantime, here’s a link to all of our recipes that include nutritional data: https://www.justataste.com/category/recipes/nutrition-facts/
Looks like great foodie ideas! Thanks
Thanks so much, Lynette!
I’m making this right now!! There are no reviews so im a bit hesitant…I will update :)
Enjoy, Erin!
Thanks for bringing good taste to the table!
Thank you, Lois!