Easy Homemade Honey Orange Chicken Tenders Recipe
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This fast and flavorful honey orange chicken is your weeknight dinner solution. It’s made with tender bites of lightly floured chicken in a citrusy honey-soy sauce that’s both tangy and kid-approved. It’s a recipe that checks all of the boxes, fresh, flavorful and ready in 30 minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
- It’s healthy! The chicken is sauteed quickly instead of being deep-fried.
- Simple ingredients, ready in under an hour.
- Easy to customize, adjust sweetness, heat, or swap the protein.
Here is What You will Need to Make Honey Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Garlic, fresh tastes best in a pinch use 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Ginger, fresh gives the best flavor. Use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger if needed.
- Tamari, a gluten-free soy. Regular soy sauce or coconut aminos both work.
- Orange juice, fresh is best but bottled will work too.
- Honey, swap with maple syrup, brown rice syrup or brown sugar. For less sweetness, reduce or leave it out.
- Flour, thickens the sauce. Cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca flour will also work.
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How to Make Honey Orange Chicken
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions and ingredient amounts.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Dredge the chicken in flour, then sear it in a pre-heated skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and pour in the orange sauce and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through (165°F), about 5 minutes.
- Adjust the texture of the sauce if needed by adding a splash of water to thin it, or flour to thicken it.
Tips
- For an extra burst of fresh orange flavors, add a teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the sauce.
- Cooking time can vary depending on the cut of chicken, use a meat thermometer for best results.
- Adjust the texture of the sauce by adding a little bit of water at a time if it’s too thick, or a little bit of flour if it’s too thin.
What to Serve it With
Serve orange honey chicken over steamed rice, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles. Add a veggie side like steamed broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts , roasted asparagus or stir-fried veggies.
How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat in a covered skillet, or use the microwave in short bursts until warmed through.
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Recipe Variations
Spicy – Add red pepper flakes,a dash of cayenne or sriracha to the sauce.
Orange teriyaki chicken – Add a splash of mirin or sake to the sauce for an authentic teriyaki flavor.
Stir fry version – Sear quick-cooking vegetables first, such as bell peppers, broccoli florets, carrots, or mushrooms. Remove, cook the chicken, then return the veggies to the pan with the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, freezing leftover orange chicken is a great option. Once it has cooled to room temperature place leftover orange chicken into an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove over low heat.
You can make this recipe vegetarian or vegan by replacing the chicken with tofu or tempeh.
You can use marmalade if you are in a pinch. Marmalade is sweet, for best results mix a little water into the sauce with marmalade and soy sauce to taste 2and leave the honey out.
Yes, it can easily be made ahead of time and assembled just before serving. Cook the chicken and let it cool off, and place it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days. Next, mix up the sauce and store it in a separate container. When it’s time to serve, heat a little bit of oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cooked chicken tenders and the sauce. Once the sauce bubbles, reduce the heat to low and cook until everything is heated through and serve.
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Honey Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup flour all purpose
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari saue
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Dredge the chicken pieces into the flour making sure the entire piece of chicken is coated and set it aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the tamari sauce, honey, orange juice, crushed garlic, ginger and sesame oil together and set it aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces. Let them sit in the pan without moving them for about 4 to 5 minutes. At this point, they should be turning golden brown. Flip the pieces of chicken over and cook them on the other side until they begin to turn golden.
- Turn the heat down to low – medium heat and stir in the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the chicken in the sauce for 5 to 8 minutes until it begins to thicken. Adjust thickness if necessary by adding a little bit of flour.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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I really like all the ingredients in this recipe
My question is could I do it without the flour?
Thank You
Hi Eileen, Yes you can leave the flour our or you can replace it with corn starch or arrowroot.