This Orange Marmalade Chicken is a sweet and spicy simple Asian-inspired chicken recipe for dinner. Serve it with rice or quinoa and a side of your favorite veggies.
Orange Marmalade Chicken Recipe
I think I finally found something that I have spent a long time looking for with this baked orange marmalade chicken. First, a little backstory.
One of my most favorite dinner recipes that I’ve shared is Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken. It literally takes just a handful of minutes to prep and get into the oven.
And the thing is that it is good, like really good. Good enough for company but easy enough for even the craziest of days. It really is one of the most perfect recipes for family mealtime.
I think every mom out there, me included, wishes she had more of those type of recipes. The type that are no fuss, something I know I’ll most likely have most if not all of the ingredients no matter the day, the type that are special even though really they aren’t.
Oh, and kids need to actually eat it.
Creating this Recipe for Orange Marmalade Chicken
I’ve been on a mission to come up with some variation of Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken. Enter: Easy Baked Orange Marmalade Chicken.
This idea had been brewing a while, but I had a slight dilemma with what to do with the 1/2 cup of mustard the other recipe contains.
Marmalade was an easy swap for the honey, both are sweet and sticky. I swapped out 1/4 cup of the mustard for a combination of chili garlic sauce, marmalade, and orange juice.
I knew I wanted a little bit of spice, but not too much. I decided to add an extra 1/4 cup of marmalade to the mix. That gave me a sweet, slightly spicy sauce that basically measured the same as the previous recipe.
The orange juice and soy sauce gave it a little extra flavor. A touch of ginger, salt, and pepper and we were good to go.
Click HERE to save this recipe for Orange Marmalade Chicken!
Tools Needed to Make Orange Marmalade Chicken
You’ll need a few kitchen tools to prepare this easy dinner recipe. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before getting started:
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – to measure the sauce ingredients.
- Small Bowl – to mix the orange sauce ingredients in.
- Whisk – to stir the sauce together.
- Oven Safe Large Skillet or Baking Pan – to cook the marmalade chicken in.
Orange Marmalade Chicken Ingredients
This truly is the most incredible easy orange glazed chicken recipe. It requires just 9 simple ingredients and can be whipped up at a moment’s notice – perfect when you need a quick dinner.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this orange chicken recipe with orange marmalade:
- Chicken thighs
- Soy sauce
- Chili garlic paste
- Rice vinegar
- Orange juice
- Olive oil
- Orange marmalade
- Ginger paste
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Orange Marmalade Chicken
Here are the basic steps to making this healthy orange chicken:
- Whisk together the orange chicken sauce.
- Arrange the chicken pieces in an oven-safe baking dish.Salt and pepper the top of the chicken.
- Pour the marmalade mixture on top of the chicken.
- Cover with foil, then bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the foil and baste the chicken with the juices. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake until finished.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making Orange Marmalade Chicken
We like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can also use bone-in, skin-on. For best results, I do recommend browning the thighs first if you use skin on.
I’ve only ever made this orange glazed chicken recipe with full-sugar orange marmalade. I’m not sure how the flavor or texture would be affected if you used low-sugar or sugar-free marmalade.
For an extra touch of orange, I recommend adding some orange zest to the sauce. A little zest goes a long way!
If you have leftover orange marmalade chicken, you can reheat in the oven or in a skillet with some of the sauce to prevent it from drying out.
Click HERE to save this recipe for Orange Marmalade Chicken!
What to Serve with Orange Marmalade Chicken
Garnish this orange glazed chicken with sesame seeds and green onions or Thai basil leaves.
We like to serve it with this Easy Coconut Quinoa — because my kids are weird and actually like quinoa better than white rice. Go figure. You could also serve this with brown rice or Asian-style rice noodles.
For a vegetable side dish, steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli taste great along with the chicken and quinoa.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead of Thighs?
Yes, but chicken breasts may need to cook for a longer amount of time. For Larger chicken breasts, I would cut them in half so they are closer to the size of chicken thighs.
Since chicken breasts are much thicker, I recommend browning them on both sides before baking.
Try this Orange Marmalade Chicken at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy chicken recipe, give this healthy orange chicken recipe a try!
Has this become a family favorite weeknight dinner recipe? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this simple recipe.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your easy orange chicken recipe!
More Easy Chicken Dinners:
If you haven’t learned How to Shred Chicken yet, I recommend reading this post. You can make shredded chicken in big batches and then use it throughout the week in soups, salads, sandwiches, and more.
These Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps are one of the easiest dinners to make on a busy weeknight. You can either serve these as lettuce wraps or over a bed of jasmine rice.
I love making Creamy Orange Almond Chicken and Rice during the fall and winter months. It’s such a comforting, easy dish.
This Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet is another recipe I turn to on school nights. Quick, healthy, and flavorful!
I also like to make a big batch of Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili and enjoy the leftovers throughout the week.
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What’s your favorite way to prepare chicken on busy weeknights?
Easy Chili Marmalade Baked Chicken
Yield: serves 4 - 6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Easy Chili Marmalade Baked Chicken is a sweet and spicy simple Asian inspired chicken recipe for dinner. Serve it with rice or quinoa and a side of your favorite veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds chicken thigh, or tenderloins
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Chili Marmalade Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chili garlic paste, rice vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, marmalade, ginger paste, and cornstarch.
- Whisk until well combined and no clumps from the cornstarch remain.
Baking the Orange Marmalade Chicken
- Arrange the chicken pieces in an oven-safe baking dish. I like to use my Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 3-1/2-Quart Round Braiser for this recipe.
- Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference. Pour the marmalade mixture on top of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken covered at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through.
Notes
Optional:
For an extra touch of orange, add some orange zest to the sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 381Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 502mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 24gProtein: 26g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
See my original post for this Easy Chili Marmalade Baked Chicken on Food Fanatic.
