Honey Orange Chicken

Sweet honey, tangy orange juice, and warm ginger make this recipe irresistible. Why buy takeout food when you can make this bright, flavorful dish at home? Serve Honey Orange Chicken with riced cauliflower and veggies—and you have a delicious, inexpensive meal!

Chinese takeout is convenient on a busy night. But you can make this easy recipe in 30 minutes and never have to leave the house. Honey Orange Chicken is so tasty and is not difficult to make.

You will need to spend a few minutes cutting your chicken in preparation for cooking. And you’ll want to cook some rice (white or fried) according to the package instructions to serve with the chicken. You can make Cauliflower Fried Rice with sauteed veggies to serve with the chicken. This is a great healthy option and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

How to make Honey Orange Chicken?

• In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat canola oil to medium-high heat. Cut the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch pieces. Beat eggs in a small bowl. Coat chicken pieces with egg.
• Dust each piece of chicken with cornstarch. Carefully drop chicken pieces in the oil. Fry until lightly brown. If you are using a large non-stick skillet, you can use 1 cup of oil for frying since you have more surface area in a flatter pan.
• Turn pieces to cook them evenly and brown on the other side. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

• Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat this process until all chicken pieces are browned and cooked through.
• For the sauce, using a clean skillet, combine the honey, soy sauce, ginger, orange juice, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Stir to combine. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/3 cup water. Add this mixture to the sauce. Stir until sauce thickens.
• Add the chicken back to the pan and heat through. Stir to coat all of the chicken pieces with sauce. Squeeze the juice from one small mandarin orange into the pan over the chicken. Stir to combine. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

I served the Honey Orange Chicken with riced cauliflower and veggies. You can garnish the meal with chopped green onions or parsley, if desired. This is a real hit in my house. My boys and my husband never leave any leftovers.

Why would you want to order takeout when you can make this amazing Honey Orange Chicken in just 30 minutes?

Cutting back on calories?

If you are interested in making a skinny version of this recipe and cutting back on a few calories, you can simply saute the chicken without the cornstarch coating in some chicken stock instead of deep frying it. It won’t be crunchy, but it will be just as delicious, as most of the flavor comes from the honey orange glaze. And serve with riced cauliflower or brown rice instead of fried rice, super delicious!