3-Ingredient Orange Chicken

For a new quick dinner recipe or easy lunch, make this 3 Ingredient Orange Chicken with simple ingredients you can find at your local grocery store, and made in less than 20 minutes. 

We love an easy orange chicken recipe and this is just that, with no complicated process or even working over the stovetop. Just bake or air fry the nuggets, mix the sauce ingredients all together and you are ready for an easy meal. 

While I can’t say this is exactly like the orange chicken you would get at Panda Express, this crispy orange chicken is a great substitute for an easy version of Chinese orange chicken with equally delicious results. 

You’ll be sure to add this orange chicken recipe to the weekday recipe list your whole family loves.

Ingredients for 3-Ingredient Orange Chicken

• Chicken: when making this easy dinner you will need to use frozen chicken nuggets
• Sauce: to make the orange sauce, grab some sweet orange marmalade, barbecue sauce (your favorite brand of bbq sauce), and low-sodium soy sauce
• Optional: you can serve this with cooked white rice and steamed vegetables

How to make Easy Orange Chicken

Bake or air fry the chicken nuggets according to the package instructions.

To a small bowl that is microwave safe, add in the sweet orange marmalade, barbecue sauce, and low sodium soy sauce and microwave for 1 minute. Stir well.

Add the chicken nuggets into a large bowl, add in the orange sauce and stir to coat. Serve over a side of rice and enjoy your American adaptation of orange chicken!

How to store leftover orange chicken:

Fridge: Store the leftover Chinese orange chicken with the tangy sauce in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days for the best results.

Tips and tricks for making air fryer orange chicken: 

Type of chicken to use for orang chicken:

While I like using chicken nuggets to make this recipe super easy, that is not the only option for making this tasty orange chicken dinner recipe. You could also give one of these a try, but you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly:

• Chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
• Chicken tenders
• Popcorn chicken
• Chicken thighs

What side dish to serve with orange chicken:

1. White rice
2. Brown rice
3. Cauliflower rice
4. Green beans
5. Stir fry noodles
6. Fried broccoli

Toppings for homemade chicken nugget orange chicken:

• Orange peel zest
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds

Sauce Ingredient variations: 

If you want to make this sauce a little spicy you can add in some red pepper flakes. Or to up the orange flavor pour in 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice. However, if you add in the orange juice it might make the sauce a little thin. Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding a cornstarch mixture to the sauce ingredients to get the thickness you want.  

Cornstarch mixture – 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp of cool water

More easy chicken recipes:

• Rotisserie Chicken Bacon Alfredo
• Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
• Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Zucchini
• Slow Cooker Mexican Pasta 

Quick links for making dinner easy:

• Family meal plans
• Tools for the kitchen and more
• The best cookbook for family dinner recipes
• FREE budget meal plan
• Cooking videos to watch

If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!