This orange marmalade chicken stir fry recipe is a quick and tasty impromptu 20-minute meal the family will enjoy. Using marmalade as the base of the sauce makes preparation a breeze and results pretty much foolproof.
The Orange chicken features a scrumptious combination of sweet and savory flavors. This easy orange chicken recipe brings together the zesty bright taste of orange marmalade and the umami depth of soy sauce to create a simple dish that’s both comforting and tasty. Perfect for busy weeknights, this chicken recipe is a fantastic alternative to takeout, delivering a flavorful meal in less than 30 minutes. Whether you’re looking for a quick dinner solution or a new family favorite, this orange marmalade chicken is sure to satisfy your craving for something sweet, tangy, and utterly delicious.
Marmalade Chicken Stir Fry
Marmalade makes an excellent base for a stir fry sauce or glaze. It adds both sweetness and citrus flavor in one fell swoop. Due to it's consistency, you also need a little less cornstarch to thicken to sauce too. When using marmalade in a chicken stir fry, I prefer good old fashioned orange marmalade, but if you prefer a pineapple or lemon marmalade would also make a good stir fry sauce. I tend to go for them when making seafood myself.
Marmalade Chicken Stir Fry is certainly quick and easy enough for a week night family meal, but would also pass as fare for a special dinner with your significant other. In the summer, I made a thicker version of the sauce, for glazing grilled meats. My daughter goes crazy for it.
Variations on the Recipe
As this is a rather simple recipe, it is also easy to make it your own with adjustments or add-ins.
- Toss in some pecans or other chopped nuts while stir frying to add a rich nutty flavor, and boost your omeg-3s for the day.
- Add some vegetables, such as thinly sliced carrots, broccoli florets or sweet red peppers into the pan and lightly sauté before adding the sliced chicken into the pan. (If you add a lot of veggies double up on the sauce).
- Feel free to use sliced boneless chicken thighs in the recipe if you prefer darker meat.
- Try swapping in pineapple or lemon marmalade in the recipe. Either will also create a delicious chicken dish.
- Wild shrimp or chunks of salmon are also well suited to the cooking method and sauce.
- If you need to extend the sauce, a splash of chicken bone broth or a little sweet smokey BBQ sauce would be well suited.
If you like easy stir fry recipes, you may also like my Mongolian Beef, Spicy Tuna Stir Fry or Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry.
Orange Marmalade Chicken (Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon corn starch
- ½ tablespoon oil Any high heat oil will do (such as avocado oil, canola oil or peanut oil)
- ½ cup sweet onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast sliced into bite sized strips
Instructions
- Whisk together the marmalade, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger & corn starch. Set the mixture aside.
- Heat oil in skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Stir fry for approximately two minutes until garlic is soft and onions are nearly cooked.
- Add the chicken, and just stir fry until cooked.
- Add the sauce mix, stir for a couple minutes until sauce thickens a bit and cornstarch is cooked.
- Serve over white or brown rice. Noodles would also be a great choice. (It is shown served over an heirloom grain mixture). Drizzle any remaining sauce over the top for extra flavor and presentation.
Nutrition
More Quick Chicken Stir Fry Dinners
Kelsey Apley says
This looks SO good!!! I am a huge stir fry lover, and I love the twist on this one!! Adding it to my Pinterest board so I can make later!!
Penelope Guzman (NYC Blogger) says
Oh my gosh, this looks so good! I'm craving marmelade now, I can't wait to try this.
Mickey says
I bet the orange marmalade makes it taste wonderful. Great recipe!
TerriAnn @ Cookies & Clogs says
The chicken looks so moist and flavorful. Nice idea to add the marmalade and soy sauce together.
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com says
I love your photos. The dish really looks good, too.
Sheila says
I love stirfry and this one was great!
April Decheine says
Writing this down for a recipe for this week, sounds and looks good!
Terry F says
My daughter loved this orange marmalade chicken. I'll make it again.
Olivia says
Well I actually made this (perhaps I'm missing something, but I really don't get endless streams of comments on how good something LOOKS) and it's great. Short of ingesting piles of toast, I had no idea how to use up a massive jar of marmalade I'd been gifted, so this was perfect. After making this verbatim the first time (still yummy!), I did cut down a bit on the soy, added fresh ginger instead of ground, the zest of a small orange, a teeny bloop of honey, and used sesame for the oil. Have used with beef, chicken (and tonight, tofu) stir fry and it's fantastic - thank you for the inspiration!
ZZCooks says
This is definitely tasty, but I think chicken (even in stir-fry) is better when it is marinated. So I'm thinking it might be better to marinate the chicken first ? Cook onions, then add garlic, in oil... then add the chicken (marinated) in the sauce and add the cornstarch at that point? My marmalade was not sweet enough, either, so I would add brown sugar or maybe honey? And perhaps some real oranges to garnish.
Robin Gagnon says
The original recipe was geared toward quick impromptu preparation. These suggestions are nice, for those with a little extra time. Thanks 🙂
Ann Hamilton says
I would love to have the recipe for your thickened sauce that you use for a glaze also please.
Robin Gagnon says
The sauce is part of the recipe. It thickens as it cooks.