Orange Chicken with Rice
After having eaten a similar entree at Applebees, I worked for months trying to get Orange Chicken with Rice just right. Crunchy pieces of breaded chicken breast in a tangy orange sauce with vegetables over a bed or fluffy rice. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
(Post modified on 1/15/23.)
I love the orange sauce in this recipe. Much of the wonderful flavor comes from the orange juice, but also the special Hoisin sauce. I can find this at our local grocery store, but I don’t always have it in my cupboard. So, I often make my own version of it, which is really quite simple. See my Homemade Hoisin Sauce Here.
Ingredients for Orange Chicken with Rice
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- white rice
- water
- kosher salt
- skinless, boneless chicken tenders or breasts
- all-purpose flour
- seasoned salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Orange Sauce
- orange juice
- Hoisin Sauce or Homemade Version
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- garlic cloves
- frozen stir-fry vegetables
- slivered almonds
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Rice
In a medium saucepan, prepare rice. Boil water with salt. Add rice and cook as directed on package, approximately 20 minutes.
Cook your rice while you’re preparing the chicken and sauce. Go ahead and steam your stir-fry vegetables in the microwave ahead of time, too. That way when you’re ready to put everything together, all the steps have been taken.
Brown the Chicken
While rice is cooking, cut chicken into 2-inch pieces. Heat enough oil in large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan.
In plastic bag, combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to flour and shake until well coated.
Drop chicken into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
I’ve tried cooking the chicken without the breading, but it really adds to the dish, so I encourage you to take the time to brown the chicken with the simple crust. Remember those old commercials for Shake-and-Bake? That’s what this is. Place your flour, black pepper and seasoned salt in a gallon bag and mix together. Then add the pieces of chicken and shake!
Make the Orange Sauce
The orange sauce comes together quickly, so have all of your ingredients on hand. If you’re making your own Hoisin Sauce, have it already prepared. It helps to have the orange sauce ready to go when it’s time to cook.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup whisk together the orange juice, Hoisin sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
I might mention here that you may add as little or as much of the red pepper flakes as you desire. I like mine a bit spicy, so sometimes I add nearly 1/2 teaspoon to the sauce. It’s your choice.
Saute garlic for one minute in skillet with oil. Pour orange mixture into the hot skillet with garlic. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Add the fried chicken pieces to the orange sauce and toss with your choice of steamed stir-fry vegetables.
Serve over cooked rice and garnish with sliced almonds. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.
I like to serve Orange Chicken with Rice in large flat bowls (like a pasta bowl). Dish the rice in first, follow by spoonfuls of the chicken and plenty of sauce. For a special touch, sprinkle sliced almonds over the chicken.
See more Asian Recipes Here. Browse Chicken Recipes Here.
Orange Chicken with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white rice
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Chicken
- 2 pounds skinless chicken tenders or breasts cut into 2" pieces
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Orange Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce see Homemade Version Here
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 12 oz Frozen Stir-Fry Vegetables of your choice Steamed in microwave
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. The orange sauce comes together quickly, so have all of your ingredients on hand. If you're making your own Hoisin Sauce, have it already prepared.
- In a small bowl whisk together the orange juice, Hoisin sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside until ready to use.
Cook the Rice
- In a medium saucepan, prepare rice. Boil water with salt. Add rice and cook as directed on package, approximately 20 minutes.
Prepare the Chicken
- Drop chicken into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
Make the Orange Sauce
- Saute garlic for one minute in skillet with oil. Pour orange juice mixture into the hot skillet with garlic. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Add the fried chicken pieces to the orange sauce and toss with your choice of steamed stir-fry vegetables. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with slivered almonds. Serves 4-6.
This sounds yummy. Thanks for posting. I'm going to try this over the weekend.
Oh, I must add my cookery blog is http://www.chef-on-the-run.blogspot.com
I’ve made this many times and love it! If I don’t have hoisin sauce, I use a little sweet and sour sauce and reduce the sugar.
Thanks for stopping by, Susan. I’m so glad that you are enjoying the Orange Chicken. We really like it. That’s a great idea for a substitution on the hoisin sauce. Thanks for sharing.