Orange-Sesame Chicken
Chinese is not always healthy so I created my own recipe that is healthy, quick & easy. Once you do the prep, it cooks in less than 10 minutes and toasted sesame oil is key. Get your rice started first and try a side of steamed broccoli. This is really good! - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (one large orange)
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar (works with less sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- about 3/4 pound boneless chicken breast cut in 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Marinade:
Sauce:
Main Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Combine marinade ingredients in a small zip lock bag. Add chicken and marinate for 15-20 min.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a measuring cup. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium–high heat and add chicken, discarding marinade. Sauté 2-3 minutes per side.
- Reduce temperature, add sauce & cook 2-3 minutes until thick.
- Stir in 1/2 tsp. sesame oil (and toasted sesame seeds if you like).
- Serve over rice. A side of steamed broccoli goes really well.
Note: An easy way to steam broccoli is to put it on top of the rice for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking. (Lift the lid quickly, toss in the broccoli, cover back up) By the time the rice stands for 10 minutes, the broccoli is done.
I used chicken tenders. This was very tasty – with two alterations.
1.) I thought I had corn starch. Whoops! I did not. The same amount of AP flour made the sauce thicken perfectly.
2.) I doubled MOST of the recipe with great success. I did not completely double the chicken, and we had a better sauce to chicken ratio, which worked for us.
I made white rice and steamed broccoli as recommended. Some of the adults were thinking we might add spice next time. It was quick and yummy. Can recommend.
For the Orange Sesame Chicken recipe the main ingredients list says
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. For the marinade it says 1 Tablespoon sesame oil.
The instructions say to 1. Combine marinade ingredients in a small zip lock bag. Add chicken and marinate for 15-20 min. I did this using 1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil.
I do not see Toasted Sesame Oil in the list of ingredients for the sauce.
Instruction 5 says 5. Stir in sesame oil (and toasted sesame seeds if you like). Would this be the 1/2 teaspoon listed under main ingredients?
I will try adding that after letting the sauce cook. I hope that is what I am supposed to do. Does anyone know if that is what I should do?
I love this dish! You are correct:
1. The marinade uses 1 Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.
2. The sauce itself does not use sesame oil..
3. The 1/2 teaspoon listed in the main ingredients is what you stir in at the end.
You did it exactly right and I hope you liked it. I will try to clarify the recipe a little better.
Hi Jenny, I love your recipes! Do you happen to have the calories listed somewhere?
Thanks
Hi Jenny,
Can I marinade the chicken overnight?
Thank you.
I see that the recipe for orange chicken is for 2 servings…we are a family of 5 with 2 teenage boys with hearty appetites, does anyone know how to triple this recipe…I know sometimes when you try to increase a recipe and double or triple everything in the recipe, it is not the same. Can anyone help me with this?
So delicious!!! it comes out perfect every time!!
Thank you Jenny!
Jenny your recipes are genius! My 15mth old is so fussy & I worry how little he eats. He loves your bread and I have been successfully making loaves with ease. I tried your orange chicken for myself and shocked that my son gobbled it up ?. Amazing & feels incredible to see him eat so well! Another fool proof delicious recipe! I’m so grateful for stumbling upon your website – Thank you again for sharing!
I felt like the garlic over powered the recipe also. I’ll try it again for sure too.
Loved it. The marinade must be drained well before cooking the chicken in the oil. I used cut up boneless thighs. Even though I used ready-squeezed orange juice (good quality), it came out great.
Made this last night for the first time, perfect size for 2 people, hubby and I loved it, with all the sodium in Chinese cuisine, we had given up on ever eating Asian food again, so easy and will have it weekly, must remember to keep an orange on hand, thank you so much for sending any new recipes, will make the frittata soon, I have passed on website to my friends, who never knew of it,
Jenny, my husband thinks he’s died, and has been resurrected in someone else’s kitchen. With all the wonderful smell’s coming from cooking your recipes it’s no wonder. We have been married 39yrs., and I don’t remember all this attention to my cooking coming from him. Thanks Jenny! Oh, and if anybody is interested, I have found a healthier alternative to soy sauce. This one is made from soy protein. It’s Bragg Liquid Aminos. All purpose seasoning.Gluten free, and contains no preservatives.
IBMIZMO,
A relatively “clean” soy sauce I recently discovered is the Trader Joe’s brand. There are only five ingredients in it: water, soybeans, wheat, salt, and vinegar… none of those artificial and chemical ingredients found in other brands. 🙂
Same here!! My husband is usually the cook. This is AMAZING for me- recipes I can make quickly and easily and my family LOVES them! I love the one bowl desserts- so simple. Perfect.
We make the Carmel popcorn fairly often, now. Thank you SO much!!!
Tonight … the Sesame Orange Chicken!!
❤️❤️. Can’t thank you enough.
.way too garlicky for me, however my husband didn’t even notice it. Next time only one clove for me. I think I’m really sensitive to garlic.
Jenny – should the marinade be drained away before adding chicken to pan?
Yes, and I clarified the recipe.
jenny i luv this dish !!!!!! it was amazeballs!!!!
hi jenny, could I use plain sesame oil instead of toasted sesame oil would it make a difference.
Hi jenny,I tried the plain sesame oil ,it turned out really good .this is a really good and easy recipe.
I didn’t have a chance to reply earlier but I was going to say not to use plain sesame oil, which has very little flavor. Toasted sesame oil is key to this recipe and if you can find it, I think you’ll see the difference. It’s extremely fragrant!
Hi jenny,you were definitely right the toasted sesame oil is way better for this recipe .
Jenny – I only had regular sesame oil and seeds but I toasted the seeds in a fry pan and it really brought out the sesame flavor!
AMZING!!!!! I LOVED it!!!!! Best Orange-Sesame Chicken ever!!!!!!!
Just read this recipe. Want to make it for a group of 25 or more. probably more like 30 or 35 people. so hope I can do this using your recipe which sounds really good thank you.
Jenny, I would love to see a video for this orange sesame chicken recipe. Mine didn’t turn out quite like yours, so I’d like to see what I did different. My sauce wasn’t the nice color yours has and there wasn’t enough of it. Nice flavor though. So, next time I’ll double the sauce, I think. And maybe I need to do the chicken in batches so that it will brown instead of boil.
Sherri,
Same thing happened to me. Chicken did not brown and neither did the sauce.
However, it tasted great.
My chicken does not brown. The sauce might make it look that way but it’s only the sauce that is brown-ish.
I made the orange chicken and it was another success!! Thank you so much for this website and all your delicious recipes and fun videos!
Do I double the sauce recipe if I want to make 4-5 servings?
Yes, I would double the sauce. You will love this dish!
HI Jenny,
Just made your Orange-Sesame chicken.
Was very tasty and delicious. So easy and quick to make.
Keep making more yummy healthy food… 🙂
my sesame chicken was awesome, just like the picture. But I used Basmati rice. What a great easy tasty recipe!