Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

Orange chicken rice bowl has become one of my go-to dinners on busy weeknights, and once you taste the orange honey sauce, I think you’ll understand why. This bowl takes the sweet and tangy flavors of takeout orange chicken and turns them into something you can pull off at home in 40 minutes flat.

I started making this after one too many nights of ordering Chinese food for the kids and watching half of it go cold on the counter while everyone argued about who got the last egg roll. My youngest is a picky eater, but the first time I set this bowl in front of him, he ate every last piece of chicken and asked for seconds of rice. That’s a rare win in my house. Now it’s become a regular in my meal prep rotation because it reheats well and keeps the kids happy through the week, right alongside my teriyaki chicken rice bowl, which gets the same treatment on busier nights. Let’s get into what you’ll need.

Ingredients for Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

Here’s what I use for this bowl, plus a few swaps if you’re missing something in your pantry. If you’re into stickier glazes, this sauce isn’t too far off from my honey garlic version of this same bowl.

Chicken

• 1/3 cup tapioca starch (or potato starch)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 cups or 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon tamari (soy sauce or coconut aminos work too, and I usually keep tamari on hand since it’s a bit less salty)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Veggies

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup sliced bell peppers (about 2 medium peppers)
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bowls

• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 1 medium green onion stalk, chopped, for garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions

In my experience, the key to this bowl is not rushing the chicken. Let it get properly golden before you flip it, and everything else comes together fast.

Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the tapioca starch, garlic powder, ginger, salt, and pepper.

Step 2: Add the cubed chicken and toss until every piece is coated.

Step 3: Heat the avocado oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken.

Step 4: Pan fry for 5-8 minutes, flip, and cook another 5-8 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Stir a bit to break up any pieces that stuck together.

Don’t crowd the pan here. If the chicken pieces touch too much, they’ll steam instead of getting that crisp golden crust.

Step 5: While the chicken cooks, mix the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the sauce for drizzling later.

Step 6: Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to let excess oil drip off.

Step 7: Add the chicken to the large bowl of sauce and toss until fully coated.

Step 8: Add more avocado oil to the same pan and bring it back up to medium-high heat.

Step 9: Add the broccoli, bell peppers, and onion, and cook for about 15 minutes.

Step 10: Add the seasonings and cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies start to soften.

Step 11: While the veggies finish cooking, divide the rice between 4 bowls or meal prep containers.

Step 12: Assemble the bowls by dividing the veggies and chicken evenly, then top with chopped green onion and a drizzle of the reserved sauce.

Rachel Collins

Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

Crispy pan-fried chicken tossed in an orange honey sauce, served over jasmine rice with stir-fried broccoli, bell peppers, and onion.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 portions

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian

Calories: 608

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1/3 cup tapioca starch or potato starch
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed, about 3 cups or 1 1/2 pounds
• 2 tbsp avocado oil for the chicken
• 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, coconut aminos
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground ginger for sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt for sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper for sauce
• 2 tbsp avocado oil for veggies
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup sliced bell peppers about 2 medium peppers
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder for veggies
• 1/2 tsp salt for veggies
• 1/4 tsp pepper for veggies
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 1 green onion stalk chopped, for garnish

Equipment

• Non-stick skillet
• Mixing bowls

Method

 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tapioca starch, garlic powder, ginger, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the cubed chicken and toss until well coated.
3. Heat the avocado oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken.
4. Pan fry for 5-8 minutes, flip, and cook another 5-8 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Stir to break up the pieces. Tip: Don’t crowd the pan here. If the chicken pieces touch too much, they’ll steam instead of getting that crisp golden crust.
5. While the chicken cooks, mix the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside about 1/4 cup for drizzling later.
6. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to let excess oil drip off.
7. Add the chicken to the bowl of sauce and toss until fully coated.
8. Add more avocado oil to the pan and bring back up to medium-high heat.
9. Add the broccoli, bell peppers, and onion, and cook for about 15 minutes.
10. Add the seasonings and cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften.
11. Divide the rice between 4 bowls or meal prep containers while the veggies finish cooking.
12. Assemble the bowls by dividing the veggies and chicken evenly, topping with green onion, and drizzling with the reserved sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 608kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 41gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 1374mgPotassium: 1058mgFiber: 4gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 1616IUVitamin C: 99mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Swap jasmine rice for brown rice or cauliflower rice. Swap chicken for shrimp or tofu. Leftovers keep in the fridge up to 4 days. Contains soy (tamari) and sesame (sesame oil). Use gluten-free tamari to keep this gluten-free.

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What to Serve With Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

A few sides round this bowl out nicely if you want to make it a bigger spread.

Steamed dumplings: Their soft texture is a nice contrast to the crispy chicken, and they’re easy to steam while everything else cooks.

Cucumber salad: A quick, cold cucumber salad with rice vinegar cuts through the sweetness of the sauce and adds some crunch.

Egg drop soup: Light and warm, this is an easy starter if you’re serving a bigger dinner.

Spring rolls: My family loves dipping these in the extra orange sauce instead of a separate dipping sauce.

If you’re turning this into a bigger spread, leftovers pair surprisingly well with round two of bowl night, like my smoky-sweet street corn chicken rice bowl next time you want a change of pace.

Storage & Serving Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This bowl also works well portioned into individual meal prep containers if you’re planning your lunches for the week.

To reheat, add a splash of water or broth before microwaving so the rice doesn’t dry out and the chicken stays tender. I usually give it a stir halfway through.

This bowl is easy to customize. Swap the jasmine rice for brown rice or cauliflower rice, swap the chicken for shrimp or tofu, or wrap the whole thing in a tortilla for an orange chicken wrap the next day.

My Favorite Sauces for Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

If you want to switch things up or add extra flavor on top of the orange honey sauce, a few extra sauces pair especially well with this bowl. I tested a handful of options and these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Sweet chili sauce: The mild heat and sticky sweetness work with the citrus notes in the orange sauce instead of fighting them, and it’s a great way to add acid that brightens up Asian-style dishes.

Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce): This Indonesian condiment is a sweet, aromatic sauce, and I like it as a drizzle over rice bowls when I want something deeper and more molasses-like than regular soy sauce.

Mojo sauce: A bright, garlicky green sauce that’s delicious drizzled over a chicken and rice bowl, and it brings a citrusy freshness that echoes the orange in the chicken.

Sriracha mayo: A quick mix of mayo and sriracha adds creaminess and a bit of heat, which balances out the sweetness of the honey in the sauce.

Toasted sesame seeds with a drizzle of extra sesame oil: Not a sauce exactly, but this simple finishing touch adds nutty depth and a bit of crunch on top of the bowl, the same way it does in my sesame chicken rice bowl.

Conclusion