Baked Orange Chicken

Baked Orange Chicken made with Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat Sauce with an easy baked recipe that’s easier and healthier than frying in 30 minutes!

This recipe is healthier because of baking, but has the same sauce as my classic Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat) recipe and you should make it immediately and serve it with Easy Chow Mein or Chinese Fried Rice.

Baked Orange Chicken Recipe
 Baked Orange Chicken

Baked Orange Chicken takes the most difficult part of making my crazy popular orange chicken recipe out of the equation (that would be the deep frying). Most people don’t like deep frying because it can be dangerous, messy and it takes a lot of oil. This recipe is so much easier but uses the same delicious sauce you love and easy enough for dinner tonight.

The first time you make this recipe make it with this sauce (because yes, it is as good as the Panda Express original), but next time try making my recipes for General Tso’s Chicken or Easy Sesame Chicken using this method for baking the chicken. When you break down the panko bread crumbs and make them smaller you won’t have the spiky texture most people have when baking with panko, so it will taste and feel more like a classic orange chicken recipe.

Orange Chicken Sauce:

Classic orange chicken sauce is made with white sugar but some recipes call for marmalade or brown sugar. Using the Panda Express recipe most of the flavor comes from garlic, ginger, orange juice, orange zest and sesame oil.

The first thing we do is add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to a pan with a bit of oil to saute before adding and thickening the sauce ingredients.

To cut down on the time you are working on this orange chicken recipe make your sauce while your chicken is baking. This way your orange sauce will be ready right when the chicken comes out and is perfectly crispy.

Finish the dish with some green onions, sesame seeds or extra crushed red peppers as a garnish.

Pieces of baked orange chicken

Chicken Thighs vs Chicken Breast

You can absolutely use skinless chicken breast in this recipe instead of chicken thighs, the reason I chose to use chicken thighs was because the classic Chinese Orange Chicken recipe is made using chicken thighs.

Since we are baking it in the oven the thigh meat will keep the meat more tender and any fat that renders out of the chicken will help to crisp up the bites. Most Chinese food that is battered is made using dark meat, so while chicken breast is certainly an option, just know it will make the dish slightly less tender.

You can also bread the chicken pieces and freeze them ahead of baking on a baking sheet. When ready to cook be sure to spray with cooking spray or coat with vegetable oil well because the extra condensation from defrosting will cause the breading to soften a bit, so the extra oil will help.

What to serve with Baked Orange Chicken:

We love to serve this with Chinese Steamed Rice, dim sum favorites like Crab RangoonEgg RollsSpring Rolls, or Potstickers and something non chicken like Beef Teriyaki or Coconut Shrimp.

More Easy Chinese Recipes:

 

Chinese Baked Orange Chicken Recipe

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Baked Orange Chicken Recipe
5 from 24 votes
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Baked Orange Chicken

Baked Orange Chicken made with Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat Sauce with an easy baked recipe that's easier and healthier than frying in 30 minutes!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Baked Orange Chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 388 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 pounds chicken thighs , boneless skinless
  • 2 large eggs , beaten
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil , divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger , minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic , minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine (white wine works too)
  • 1/4 cup orange juice , from the orange
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 10 tablespoons sugar
  • 10 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 orange , zested

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and add the panko to a food processor and pulse until the crumbs are much smaller, like regular breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the panko to one bowl, the chicken (cut into small chunks) in a second bowl, the eggs in a third bowl, and the flour in a fourth bowl.
  3. Dip the chicken pieces into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet, then spray with cooking spray (or brush lightly with vegetable oil).

  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, while the chicken is baking, make the sauce.

  5. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and crushed red peppers to a saucepan on medium heat and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

  6. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, bring to a boil until it thickens then turn off the heat and wait for the chicken to finish baking, then toss the chicken with the sauce and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Orange Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 388 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 213mg71%
Sodium 505mg22%
Potassium 497mg14%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 260IU5%
Vitamin C 17.1mg21%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Collage of Orange Chicken Photos

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This recipe is so good! I served it over lo mein noodles and and my husband loved it. It makes a lot…Will have leftovers tomorrow over rice.

  2. Made this tonight. Definitely a hit! I was concerned after I added the vinegar because it smelled strong but the sauce ended up tasting perfect. Thank you for the recipe!

  3. This orange chicken was fabulous! I have tried other recipes for baked orange chicken and it always ended up soggy when I took it out of the oven. However, this chicken was perfectly crunchy and delicious. I have finally found a recipe that I will make over and over again. For the sauce, I forgot to zest an orange so I didn’t use that. I added a half cup of vinegar and a half cup of coconut sugar to the sauce (no patience for so many tablespoons). I highly recommend this delicious chicken! Thanks for the recipe!

  4. My brother loved this. Great to bake the chicken. Used combo of Panko (crushed in bag with rolling pin) and bread crumbs cause I didn’t have enough Panko in the house. It was fine. Had to add a little extra cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Will make this again!!!

  5. This recipi is very helpful! I dont like frying food so much because its unhealthy, so this recipi was like a healthy and delicious version of orange chicken. THX

  6. Delicious! Made this with one and a half the amount of sauce. Didn’t have panko so I used regular. I left bits of orange pieces in the sauce. Loved it!
    Next time will try doubling the sauce and using panko.

  7. This was amazing! I am gluten free, and have a hard time finding GF Chinese/Japanese food. Orange Chicken is my favorite, and this tasted just like what you get in a restaurant. It was so easy to make. I just subbed GF bread crumbs, flour and soy sauce! How long will the sauce keep in the fridge for future use if I want to make a large batch to keep on hand?

    1. It would last up to 2-3 weeks if stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  8. I often make a similar version with a quick cornstarch dredge and stir fry the chicken in a tablespoon or two of oil. I tried this recipe because I was interested in the difference using panko. It tasted fine, but it wasn’t worth it. This took twice as much time with no noticeable difference in flavor and way more calories between the breading and a whopping amount of sugar.

    1. Thanks for the insight. I’m also concerned about carbs so it’s great to know stir fry + corn starch coating is a tasty option <3 i'll try that!

  9. Baked instead of fried! A killer sauce! I have been looking for a sweet version of this dish for quite awhile and nothing seemed to be quite right, but your recipe hit it just right! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and the tips. We are in California and I was dying for some orange chicken and I’m thrilled to find such an easy prep as well. I made the recipe as laid out and I doubled the sauce because I knew I would love it. Thanks again!

  10. I tried it today for lunch with jasmine rice. Came out beautifully but a tad too sweet for my taste. Loved the fresh orange flavor the zest lent to it. Next time I try it I will put less sugar. Simple and delicious dish.

  11. I followed the recipe verbatim as this was my first time making it. All I can say is it was fantastic!! Never ate a Panda Express as we have none here but next time I am in the states I will see how it compares, lol. I stir fried some carrots, celery, red onions, and red peppers with a little sesame oil and placed that on top of a bed of white rice and smothered it with chicken and sauce. Great recipe!!!

    1. Yay!! I’m so happy you decided to give it a try. Thanks for coming back to let me know and for the 5 stars.

  12. EXCELLENT ! Made per recipe w/o modifications. Tangy and sweet. Delicious. I wouldn’t do anything differently. The extra step to add panko to the chicken coating was worth it! I don’t think you could find a better recipe than this.

  13. My boyfriend and I made this last night. It was delicious! Easy to make, AMAZING sauce, and simple ingredients. A few things…

    It would be helpful to have a bit more instruction on the sauce. The recipe states add “the rest of the ingredients” however it left me guessing a bit. Also, it doesn’t say to make a slurry out of the cornstarch but I did and had to double it because it wasn’t getting thick and I can’t imagine cornstarch working not as a slurry.

    2 lbs of chicken is a LOT of chicken. The sauce amount doesn’t cover it and neither does the egg wash and Panko amounts. Either make less chicken or double the sauce.

  14. This is a wonderful recipe. My husband loves it.
    I left out the sesame oil (not a fan).
    I don’t have wine so I used Mirin.
    I also used chicken breast (it was awesome).

  15. Made this tonight as the recipe said. I didn’t have white wine,so I left it out, but the chicken was delicious. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.

    1. You could make the chicken ahead of time and place in the refrigerator. When you’re ready for dinner, warm them up in the oven while you make the sauce. Hope this helps.

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