Orange you glad for an easy and delicious recipe?
Welcome back, friends! I haven’t posted a simple, family-approved recipe in quite a bit. I will go ahead and blame it on the holiday madness 😉 This Orange Chicken and Rice recipe is easy and perfect for meal prepping! If you double this recipe, you can have multiple lunches or dinners for the entire week.
Planning meals is a life savver.
I don’t know about y’all, but planning our meals ahead of time not only saves on sanity, but also cost. You won’t find yourself scrounging last minute for meal options. Plus, if you are working on a ‘healthier’ eating lifestyle, then planning ahead is a must. Not going to lie. If I don’t plan ahead and meal prep, you just may find me hiding in a corner with a bag of chips for lunch. Kidding or not.. that is your decision.
This is where this Orange Chicken and Rice recipe comes into play. I was looking for ideas that were different, but also easy and delicious. I love Chinese food. I also know that Chinese takeout can get expensive as well as contain a high sodium content. Enter in this homemade Orange Chicken and Rice. What is even better is that the entire family loves this one!
Orange Chicken and Rice.
For this Orange Chicken and Rice dish, you will need:
- Chicken Breasts or Chicken Tenders
- All Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Orange Juice
- Granulated White Sugar
- Rice Vinegar
- Soy Sauce
- Garlic Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
The chicken breasts or chicken tenders ( I like to give options here. The chicken tenders may be easier to cut into bite sizes) will be cut into bite sizes. Then added to an egg wash and dredged in cornstarch/all purpose flour. Next up, you will fry these chicken bites. You could bake or air fry instead. The outside coating may not be as crispy as when you fry them in oil.
While the chicken bites are frying, you can prep the orange sauce. For the orange sauce, you will add the orange juice, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then add the cornstarch. Lower the heat to bring sauce to a simmer. Make sure to stir the sauce while it heats up. If cornstarch doesn’t incorporate right away, you can grab a whisk to make sure it breaks up. Once cornstarch is mixed in, remove the orange sauce from the heat.
Toss the fried chicken bites to the orange sauce and serve with a side of rice!
Orange Chicken and Rice
Looking for a delicious Chinese inspired dish that can be made easily at home? This Orange Chicken and Rice dish is perfect for lunch and dinner!
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp for sauce
- 1 cup of Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Prep chicken breasts by cutting them into bite sizes.
- Start heating up the oil to about 350
- Mix 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1 1/2 cups of flour
- In a separate bowl, add the 3 eggs and whisk to mix up
- Add the chicken bites a few at a time to the egg mixture, then toss them into the flour and cornstarch mix.
- Fry the chicken bites for about 8-10 minutes
- While the chicken bites are frying, make the orange sauce. Add the Orange Juice, sugar, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Red Pepper Flakes to a medium sized saucepan. Stir to mix all the ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and mix it into the sauce. Lower the temp to a simmer until the cornstarch is incorporated into the sauce. Then turn off the heat.
- Toss the cooked chicken bites in the orange sauce. Serve with rice!
You will be glad you gave this Orange Chicken and Rice dish a try!
I promise, this Orange Chicken and Rice recipe will not disappoint! You can always prep the chicken and sauce ahead of time, then finish frying and tossing together the next day. Let me know what y’all think!
More family-approved recipes: Meatball Cups , Pesto Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Bake , Easy Beef Cutlets
Hugs!
