Mandarin Orange Ginger Chicken
Easy Flavorful Dinner
This Mandarin Orange Ginger Chicken is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and savory, with a zesty kick of fresh ginger and juicy mandarin oranges in every bite. This is the recipe I used when our children lived at home. However, now that it’s just the two of us, I often add a little peppery heat.
Whether you’re looking to shake up your weeknight dinner routine or impress guests with something a little different, this recipe brings vibrant Asian-inspired flavors to your table without a lot of fuss.
Ingredients
This dish is super easy to make. You can also add more of any of the ingredients if you want. However, I always recommend making it according to these instructions the first time.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken breast cut into small pieces
- Can of mandarin oranges with syrup
- Zucchini, cut up
- Onion, cut up
- Chopped bell peppers, cut up
- Ginger paste, ground ginger, or grated fresh ginger
- Your favorite spice blend
- Chicken broth
- Cornstarch
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
I’ve used both chicken breasts and thighs, and they both come out delicious. For a sweeter flavor, add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. For more savory flavor, add low sodium soy sauce.
Feel free to garnish with orange zest, parsley, chives, sesame seeds, or any other toppings you like.
Prep the Ingredients
First, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle them with the Jax Gar-Lick spice blend.
Carefully put all of the chicken pieces in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for an hour or two. This gives the seasoning a chance to work its way into the chicken.
While you’re waiting, cut all of the vegetables into bite-size pieces.
Super Easy Cooking Directions
Now it’s time to cook. Pour half of the olive oil into the bottom of a large nonstick skillet. Turn the heat on medium.
After the skillet is hot, put the chicken in the skillet and brown it on all sides over medium heat. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Pour the rest of the olive oil into the skillet. Now pour all of the vegetables (zucchini, onions, and peppers) into the skillet and sauté until the onions are translucent.
Remove the vegetables from the pan and set them aside. Pour the juice from the can of mandarin oranges into the pan to deglaze it. Turn the burner down to medium-low heat.
Make a slurry of cornstarch and half of the chicken broth. You can either whisk it together or put it in a shaker bottle and shake it until the cornstarch dissolves.
Slowly pour the slurry into the mandarin orange juice, stirring as you go. Now stir in the remaining chicken broth.
Add the ginger to the mixture and stir it well. You can add salt and black pepper if you like, but I recommend tasting it first. The spice rub has quite a bit of salt, so you might not need more.
Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and mix it into the ginger-orange-chicken broth gravy.
Cover the pan and simmer on low heat until the chicken is done. Remove the lid and add the mandarin orange slices. Cover and heat for a couple more minutes or until the oranges are hot enough.
I don’t recommend cooking the oranges very long because they’ll fade and get mushy.
Serve this delicious and healthy dish over rice. I prefer white rice, but it’s good over brown rice or noodles.
Optional Ingredients
Feel free to add more flavor with any of these ingredients:
- Ground cayenne
- Tabasco
- Red pepper flakes
- Honey or Molasses
Delicious Sides to Serve with Mandarin Orange Ginger Chicken
Although you don’t have to offer any side dishes with this meal, it’s always fun to have something else. This Broccoli Slaw delivers crunch and extra nutrition. Or serve a side of Creamy Coleslaw that basically goes with any meal.
If you like bread with dinner, give this light and fluffy Cloud Bread a try. Or make some Southern Style Cornbread with a pat of melted butter!
Mandarin Orange Ginger Chicken Recipe
Packed with lots of delicious flavors, this colorful and nutritious dish is the perfect family dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- One 15-ounce can of mandarin oranges in light syrup
- 2 medium zucchini cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 medium onion cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 cup of chopped bell peppers (any color)
- 2 teaspoons of ginger (ginger paste or ground ginger)
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Jax Gar-Lick spice blend (more if you want it extra spicy)
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bitesize pieces and sprinkle with the Jax Gar-Lick spice blend. Put the coated chicken in a plastic bag, seal it, and refrigerate for an hour or two.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, drizzle half of the olive oil in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet. Turn the heat on medium.
- Put the chicken in the skillet and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken for now.
- Drizzle the other half of the olive oil in the same skillet.
- Combine cut zucchini, onion, and bell peppers in the skillet and brown. Remove the vegetables.
- Deglaze the pan with the juice from the can of mandarin oranges.
- Make a slurry of cornstarch and half of the chicken broth. Slowly stir the slurry into the mandarin orange juice. See the notes below for how to make a slurry.
- Add the ginger and stir. If you want to add salt and pepper, do it now. But taste it first. Some of the seasonings have salt.
- Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and stir into the orange gravy.
- Cover and simmer until the chicken is done, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and add the orange slices to the top of the mixture just for a minute or two. Return the lid so the oranges can heat up. Don’t overcook the oranges, or they will fade.
Notes
In this case, a slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and broth. Either whisk the cornstarch into the broth or put it in a shaker bottle. Mix until all of the cornstarch has dissolved. If you add the cornstarch without making a slurry, it will be clumpy.
You can season the chicken the night before if you want to save time while cooking dinner.
For a sweeter version of this dish, add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. If you want it more savory, add some low sodium soy sauce
If you cook the mandarin oranges too long they will fade. That’s why I add them last and only leave them on the heat long enough to reach the desired temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 254Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 65mgSodium 333mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 3gSugar 14gProtein 26g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
