Toss the takeout menus in favor of a 20-minute recipe for Quick Orange Chicken and Broccoli. This recipe stars tender pieces of chicken thighs coated in a zesty orange sauce and paired with crisp, fresh broccoli, creating a perfect balance of sweet and savory in every bite.
I love the salty, crunchy allure of perfectly fried pork egg rolls; the flavor burst of potstickers; the twirl-ability of the ultimate chicken lo mein; and most important on my list, any sort of sticky-sweet, garlicky soy sauce-coated chicken/beef/shrimp/pork and veggies piled high on a bed of rice.
That is where this insanely satisfying homemade version of Quick Chicken and Broccoli joins the party!
Imagine if beef and broccoli and orange chicken had a food baby. The result is juicy chicken thighs and crisp-tender broccoli florets tossed in the most flavor-packed orange chicken sauce made with just a few pantry ingredients.
If you aren’t sold yet, I’ve got one last little sticky-sweet nugget to entice you…
This recipe is going to be on your table in 20 minutes. I repeat: 20 MINUTES!
Now all you have to do is decide if you’re going to serve it over plain rice, fried rice or even tucked inside lettuce wraps for an added refreshing crunch.
Want to keep this takeout-fakeout train rolling? Don’t miss additional top-rated recipes below!
- Drunken Noodles with Chicken
- Quick Chicken Chow Mein
- Easy General Tso’s Chicken
- 30-Minute Mongolian Beef
- Easy Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 medium oranges
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups broccoli florets (See Kelly’s Note)
Instructions
- Zest and juice the oranges. To a medium bowl, add 2 teaspoons orange zest and ½ cup orange juice.
- To the bowl, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, crushed red chili flakes (optional) and cornstarch. Whisk together the sauce then set it aside.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
- Add the broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. (If the broccoli has been blanched, reduce the cook time to 1 minute.)
- Add the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil until it has thickened and is syrupy in consistency, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.
Kelly's Note:
- As an optional additional step, and to ensure the broccoli maintains its bright green color, blanch it in boiling water for 15 seconds then thoroughly drain and dry it.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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.
Looks terrific
Thank you, Ray!
Very tasty! My husband and I both enjoyed it. And all of the ingredients were already in our fridge or pantry! Will be making this again. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Laura!
Tasty nutritious meal ready in 30 minutes using readily available ingredients! Doesn’t get much better than this! Compliments to the creator of this recipe
Thank you so much, Corine! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Removing excess fat from thighs added extra to the 10 min prep time. Sauce was weak. Wouldn’t make sgain.
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Jean!
I made this awhile ago and it took 3 hours to make. it was delicious, but it took a long time.
Glad you enjoyed it, Grace!
Great orange chicken and broccoli! I didn’t want to buy rice vinegar as I seldom use it, so I subbed apple cider vinegar. I served it over Basmati rice which my family prefers over other types. Thanks for this easy recipe!
Awesome! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Kara!
This was seriously awesome! Loved adding the broccoli and I want to try the sauce on other proteins, too. YUM!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Amanda!
I wanted this to work soooooooooooo bad however it didn’t thicken at all. So disappointing!
Hi Susan – Did you allow the sauce to come to a boil to activate the cornstarch? That’s what thickens the sauce. If it doesn’t boil, it doesn’t thicken.
Hi Kelly, did you mean your 9 months and 3 weeks pregnant? Not 93 months pregnant?
Hi Autumn – I was just being sarcastic :)
I can’t rate it yet because I have not prepared it because I have a question: does the estimated nutrition info include the rice/noodles with which the entrée is to be served, or is it derived only from the list of ingredients?
Hi Theodore! The estimated nutrition info is derived only from the list of ingredients above :)
I made this for dinner last night and ate the leftovers for dinner today. The sauce is SO GOOD on this second day! It’s way more tasty than it was fresh, and it was tasty fresh. Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sonja!
My whole family loved this recipe, included the three year old! No oranges on hand, so just used orange juice and no zest and also used a mix of sliced mushrooms and broccoli. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so thrilled to read this, Chelsey!
I made this recipe and found the orange flavor was a bit strong. I’d suggest cutting down on the zest. Also, I think seasoning the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper would’ve made the recipe much better. Also a bit more brown sugar goes a long way :) Hope this helps whoever is gonna make this next!
Thanks for your feedback, Anna.
Made this last night and it was amazing! Picky 2 yo devoured it. I made some modifications for ingredients I had on hand. We were out of oranges but I had orange marmalade so I dissolved 2 heaping tbsp in hot water. I cut the brown sugar by a tbsp. I subbed beef for the protein but honestly think you could use any protein in this recipe. I only had 2 cups frozen broccoli so I added a 1/2 cup of sweet peppers and 1/2 cup of Vidalia onion. Otherwise I followed the recipe. This one will be in regular rotation. It came together so quick. Thank you for another fakeout takeout. You are hitting it out of the park with these!
Woohoo! You are so welcome, Abby! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! :)
How can I get printed recipes?
Every recipe has a “print” button in the top right corner :)
Quite good, but we found the orange zest flavor a bit too intense. I’ll cut back on that next time, and also use more chili flakes and more broccoli. Thanks!
Thanks for your notes, Jerry! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this tonight. So quick and easy and delicious! Even the one year old was into it. Orange chicken flavor is crave-worthy without the hassle of frying.
Love reading this! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lis!
Any way I might covert this recipe to a crock pot? Too hot in my kitchen in South Alabama.
Hi Deborah! This exact recipe would be difficult to do in a crock pot, but I have dozens of other crock pot recipes on the site. You can use the search bar and type in “slow cooker” and you’ll see all of them. Enjoy!
Can diced chicken cutlets be substituted for the thighs.
Sure!
Congratulations to you and yours on #3 Kelly! All the best and God Bless.
Thanks for all the fantastic recipes!
Patricia
Thank you so much, Patricia! We’re so excited :)
Can I sub apple cider vinegar for the rice white vinegar?
Absolutely! That will work :)
Would you use the same amount of apple cider vinegar?
Hi Jan! What ingredient are you substituting?