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    Home » Recipes » Chicken and poultry recipes

    Orange chicken thighs with a tangy sauce

    Published: Mar 3, 2020 · Modified: May 30, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    What do you do with a tin of mandarin oranges and a pile of chicken thighs? You turn it into a dish of orange chicken thighs with a tangy sauce, and surprise the family with a delicious new twist on chicken thighs!

    A sauce boat of orange sauce being poured over a plate of chicken thighs and vegetables.
    Jump to:
    • 🍊Orange chicken thighs - a new twist on chicken
    • 🔪How to make orange chicken thighs
    • Save for later
    • 🥗Serving suggestions
    • 📋The recipe

    🍊Orange chicken thighs - a new twist on chicken

    Succulent sticky chicken thighs, with a crispy baked skin, covered in a delicious orange and onion sauce. This chicken is so full of flavour that it should be illegal.

    The key to all the flavour lies in a simple tin of mandarin orange segments. The chicken is placed on a bed of chopped vegetables, covered with the contents of the entire tin, including the juice, and then baked in the oven. As it bakes the orange juice permeates the chicken, giving it a delicious citrus flavour and the juice combines with the vegetables and chicken juices to form a mouthwatering, delicious gravy.

    You can serve this with baby potatoes and your favourite vegetables, or why not pile the chicken on a bed of rice and cover it with the sauce? Either way, you will have a meal that will have the whole family coming back for seconds.

    If you were looking for a Chinese chicken recipe, you may like to try this sticky orange chicken recipe instead.

    A white dinner plate with a chicken thigh on a pile of rice, with carrots, peas and pumpkin vegetables.  There is a gravy boat of sauce in the background.

    🔪How to make orange chicken thighs

    You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions on how to make orange chicken on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

    Ingredients

    You will need the following ingredients:

    Ingredients needed to make orange thighs with a tangy sauce.
    • Chicken thighs - you could also use chicken drumsticks. If you want to use chicken breasts I would recommend you get the ones with the skin still on, as the crispy skin is an essential part of this dish. Depending on the size of the thighs, I would allow 2 to 3 per person.
    • Mandarin orange segments - you will need a 312-gram (11-ounce) tin of Mandarin oranges, including the juice.
    • Carrots and onions - the chicken is placed on top of the chopped carrots and onions to keep it above the juices. Once cooked, the carrots are transferred to a serving dish and served as a side vegetable, and the onions are blended with the cooking juices to form a gravy.
    • Garlic and ginger - you can use fresh if you prefer. I find that bottled works just as well, and is much more convenient.
    • Soy sauce - this is dark soy sauce which adds a unique umami flavour.
    • Honey - not too much, just enough to add a slight sweetness. If your Mandarin segments are very sweet you may want to leave this out.
    • Chilli paste - I like to add a small amount of chilli paste for a little heat. If you don't want the extra heat or are feeding this dish to children, you may want to leave this out.
    • Salt - for seasoning - to your own taste.
    • Depending on how thick you prefer your gravy, you may also need some cornflour (or cornstarch) to thicken it.

    Preparation

    • Start by peeling and chopping the carrots and onions. Chop the carrots and onions into large pieces.
    • Cut any excess skin away from the chicken thighs, trim any visible fat and discard.

    Assemble and bake

    A glass jug containing a mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and chilli.

    Drain the orange juice into a jug and add the crushed garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chilli paste, honey and salt. Stir to combine.

    4 chicken thighs on top of chopped carrots and onions in a light blue roasting dish.

    Place the chopped carrots and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange the chicken thighs (skin side up) on top.

    4 raw chicken thighs covered with orange segments and gravy in a light blue roasting pan.

    Pour the sauce over the chicken and arrange the orange segments on top.

    4 cooked chicken thighs covered with orange segments and gravy in a light blue roasting pan.

    Cover the dish with a tightly fitting lid and bake at 200C/400F for 40 minutes.

    If your baking dish doesn't have a lid you can cover the dish with tin foil. If your tin foil is very thin, use a double layer.

    4 browned chicken thighs with gravy in a light blue roasting pan.

    Remove the lid from the baking dish and turn the oven up to grill (or broil). Place the chicken back into the oven and leave for another 5 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden. Don't place the dish too close to the element or the chicken will burn.

    Close up of 4 browned chicken thighs in a glass serving dish.

    Transfer the chicken and carrots to a serving dish and keep warm.

    Cooking juices in a saucepan.

    Pour the cooking juices (including the carrots and oranges) into a saucepan.

    A spoonful of thickened gravy held over a saucepan.

    Blend the juices with a stick blender to thicken. If the gravy isn't thick enough, make a slurry with a tablespoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water and stir it slowly into the gravy over low heat. You may not need all the cornflour mixture.

    Serve the chicken with rice or mashed potatoes, and cover with plenty of gravy. In addition to the carrots you may like to add additional vegetables of your choice.

    Overhead shot of a plate of chicken thighs on a bed of rice with vegetables and gravy.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Save for later

    Why not pin this recipe for orange chicken to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    🥗Serving suggestions

    Visit my vegetable recipes page for other delicious vegetable side dishes. Here are a few you might like to serve with the orange chicken:

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      Roasted stuffed butternut
    • A dish of baked gem squash on a blue tablecloth next to 2 whole raw gem squash.
      Cheesy gem squash
    • Close up of crispy roast baby potatoes showing the golden brown underside.
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    • Closeup of the top of a dish of browned cauliflower cheese.
      Cauliflower cheese

    📋The recipe

    A sauce boat of orange sauce being poured over a plate of chicken thighs and vegetables.

    Orange Chicken with a tangy sauce

    Turn a tin of orange segments and a few chicken thighs into a delicious meal of orange chicken thighs in a tangy sauce.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    Any
    Calories 365
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Cook 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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    5 from 3 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board
    • Saucepan for the sauce
    • Dutch oven for the chicken

    Ingredients

    • 8 large chicken thighs allow 2 thighs per person or 3 if the thighs are small.
    • 1 large onion
    • 4 medium carrots If not serving the carrots as a side dish then use less.
    • 11 ounces / 312 grams tin mandarin oranges including the juice
    • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
    • ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
    • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon chilli paste or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch mixed to a thin paste with a little water. optional

    Instructions

    Preparation

    • Peel and chop the carrots and onions into large pieces.
      1 large onion, 4 medium carrots
    • Trim any excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs.
      8 large chicken thighs
    • Drain the orange juice into a jug and add the crushed garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chilli paste, honey and salt. Stir to combine.
      1 teaspoon crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon crushed ginger, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, ½ teaspoon chilli paste, ½ teaspoon salt

    Assemble and bake

    • Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
    • Place the chopped carrots and onions in the bottom of a roasting dish and arrange the chicken thighs (skin side up) on top.
    • Pour the prepared orange juice over the chicken then arrange the orange segments on top
      11 ounces / 312 grams tin mandarin oranges
    • Cover with a lid or a sheet of tinfoil and bake in a preheated oven (200°C/400°F) for 40 minutes.
    • Remove the lid from the baking dish and turn the oven up to grill (or broil). Place the chicken back into the oven and leave for another 5 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden. Don't place the dish too close to the element or the chicken will burn.
    • Transfer the chicken and carrots to a serving dish and keep warm.
    • Pour the cooking juices (including the carrots and oranges) into a saucepan.
    • Blend the juices with a stick blender to thicken. If the gravy isn't thick enough, make a slurry with a tablespoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water and stir it slowly into the gravy over low heat. You may not need all the cornflour mixture.
      1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch mixed to a thin paste with a little water.
    • Serve the chicken with rice or mashed potatoes, and cover with plenty of gravy. In addition to the carrots, you may like to add additional vegetables of your choice.

    Notes

    Nutrition excludes any side dishes that you may serve.
    To freeze - the cooked chicken and gravy can be frozen for up to 3 months.  Do note however that the chicken skin will not be crispy once defrosted and reheated.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories - 365kcal | Carbohydrates - 25.1g | Protein - 31.1g | Fat - 15.4g | Saturated Fat - 4.2g | Cholesterol - 105mg | Sodium - 1207mg | Potassium - 617mg | Fiber - 2.9g | Sugar - 19.1g | Calcium - 54mg | Iron - 2mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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