Orange Chicken with Marmalade Recipe

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This orange chicken with marmalade recipe is tangy, sweet, and super flavorful. Crispy chicken is baked in the oven and tossed with a homemade marmalade sauce and served over steamed rice for the perfect weeknight dinner.

Our step-by-step directions below will help guide you to making the perfect Asian-inspired meal at home. Skip the takeout and make this better-for-you orange chicken with a fraction of the sodium in your own kitchen!

Want more unbelievable chicken recipes? Try our chipotle chicken fajitas, chicken paprikash soup, and our favorite smoked chicken breasts in the electric smoker.

marmalade orange chicken recipe with white rice and green onions and sesame seeds

Table of Contents

Skip the food court orange chicken, and make an easy version at home with marmalade. Marmalade is made by preserving sliced of orange (even the rind!) to make a delicious substitute in orange chicken.

If you’re wondering what to do with marmalade, try making this delicious, sweet, and spicy orange chicken with your jar. It’s simple, baked in the oven, and couldn’t be easier.

Why This Recipe Works

It has a deliciously sweet, citrusy, flavorful, and decadent sauce.
Get all the classic flavors of orange chicken, with an easy sauce made with orange marmalade!
the oven-baked chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle.
Much better than fried, and simple to make.
The homemade marmalade sauce takes just 5minutes!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

Chicken – I used chicken breasts, but you could always use boneless chicken thighs too if you prefer.
Orange marmalade – a fantastic bright and bold condiment spread made from preserved oranges. Marmalade has little bits of orange peel it in too, giving a ton of added orange flavor into the sauce.
Batter – for the chicken batter (to make it crispy) I use corn starch, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, egg, and all purpose flour.
More sauce ingredients – for the sauce I also added ground ginger, rice vinegar, more corn starch to thicken, and optional chili flakes for heat.
Sesame seeds and green onion for garnish.

Additions and Substitutions

You can use fresh ginger or fresh garlic in the sauce instead.
Add chili flakes for a little bit of heat.
Change your protein – you can substitute pork, beef, or tofu instead of chicken.
If you can’t find unseasoned rice vinegar, I’ve also made this with an equal amount fresh lemon juice in place of the vinegar. It turned out just as delicious!

How To Make This Recipe

Make the Orange Chicken

corn starch tossed with chicken to make a crispy coating for the oven

Step 1: Dice your chicken and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the corn starch and toss with the chicken to coat.

a fork mixing batter for orange chicken with eggs, black pepper, salt, flour, and garlic powder.

Step 2: In another mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, egg, garlic powder and black pepper. Mix well to combine into a batter. To thin, add 1 tablespoon of water if batter is too thick.

a sheet pan of chicken breasts coated in a batter to make crispy chicken bites in the oven

Step 3: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a sheet pan and cover it with parchment paper. Add the vegetable oil and spread it evenly over the parchment. Take your chicken breast pieces and dip them in the egg/flour batter until coated. Place the coated chicken on the baking sheet.

crispy baked chicken bites in the oven being flipped with a spatula to make orange marmalade chicken

Step 4: Place chicken in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway. Chicken is done when it’s crispy on the outside and 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally.

orange marmalade sauce for chicken oven baked crispy orange marmalade chicken

Step 5: While chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small pot, mix the marmalade, chicken stock, garlic powder, ground ginger, rice vinegar, and chili flakes (if using).

thick, tangy, and sweet orange marmalade sauce for chicken breast

Step 6: In a separate dish, mix the corn starch and cold water together (water must be cold) until the corn starch dissolves. Add this corn starch slurry to the orange sauce and stir well to thicken.

oramge marmalade sauce poured oven crispy baked chicken for dinner

Step 7: In a large mixing bowl, add the crispy baked chicken, and toss with the hot orange sauce. Mix and coat well.

a hand sprinkling sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl with marmalade chicken

Step 8: Top the chicken with sesame seeds, green onions, and serve with steamed rice or vegetables.

Recipe FAQs

What’s in this orange marmalade chicken recipe?

Crispy oven-baked chicken is tossed with a delicious sweet and tangy sauce made from orange marmalade, chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili flakes.

How to store leftovers

If you have leftover marmalade chicken, place it in an airtight container, refrigerate, and enjoy within 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven/air fryer (for crispier chicken).

What are some sides to serve with marmalade orange chicken?

Serve over steamed or fried rice, on top Thai wheat noodle salad, or serve up alongside crispy hot air fryer Trader Joe’s spring rolls.

Expert Tips

Want to double this recipe? No problem! This orange marmalade chicken is easy to make two batches of at once. You can save leftovers for another easy freezer meal.
When dicing the chicken, make sure the pieces are roughly the same size – that way each bite will be more consistent.
Season to taste – while everyone’s tastes vary, you can add a few extras for added flavor. Add more soy sauce, garlic, or chili flakes to the sauce, toss more green onions in with the chicken for a stronger flavor.

Serve This Low Sodium Orange Chicken With

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!