Mandarin orange chicken

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Mandarin orange chicken with double the sauce. Flavored with fresh oranges, zest, garlic, ginger, and sriracha.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Servings: modest plates

Calories: 487kcal

Ingredients

Chicken & vegetables

2 small chicken breasts about 20 ounces
2 small heads broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Rice

1 cup rice uncooked
2 green onions
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Orange chicken sauce

1 clove garlic
2 teaspoon orange zest
1 inch ginger zested
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 6 clementines, 4 larger mandarins, or 3-4 navel oranges
½ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha for moderately spicy flavor, adjust as needed
2 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame oil optional, purely for flavor

Instructions

Prepare ingredients & preheat oven

Preheat oven to 375℉ with convection if you have it. Start boiling water for rice (follow package instructions).
For the sauce: zest the oranges, ginger, and garlic on a microplane grater. Squeeze the orange juice until you have 1 cup. If you fall short, add extra chicken broth. Mix corn starch & water together, then all it and all other sauce ingredients (EXCEPT the sesame oil) to a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Stir. Set aside.
Chop the green onions. Set aside.

Cook the broccoli & chicken

Cut the broccoli into florets, toss with olive oil and add to a baking tray. Then cut the chicken into pieces and add to baking tray. Season both with salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes - until the chicken is 160℉ and the broccoli is soft.

Make the rice

While the chicken bakes, cook the rice according to the package directions. It should take about 15 minutes to cook.

Make the orange chicken sauce

Add the orange sauce mixture to a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Once it's hot, it will quickly thicken (within 2-5 minutes). Reduce heat, stir in sesame oil (if using), and keep warm as needed.

Combine & serve

Once chicken and broccoli are ready, add to the sauce pan, stirring to coat. Spoon over rice, top with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

This makes 4 modest sized servings, or 2 large takeout sized portions. Nutrition calculated for 4 servings.

Olive oil & sesame oil

I use olive oil for baking the chicken and broccoli because it has a high smoke point and won't burn. Sesame oil has a great flavor for this dish, but has a low smoke point. That's why I add it to the orange sauce at the end.

Baked vs pan-fried chicken

I like the hands-off approach to baking the vegetables. But you can easily pan-fry them with some olive oil. Just be sure to turn them and stir as needed.

Orange chicken sauce

This makes about ⅓ cup of sauce per person (for 4 servings). It is just enough to coat the chicken and vegetables with a little extra for the rice. I've made it with just orange juice (no broth) as well as different combinations of the two. I found that adding a little broth balances the tartness of the oranges without the need for more sugar.

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