Low Carb Recipes: Orange Chicken (2024)

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Oven baked chicken recipes are very popular, probably because most are fairly simple. You season the chicken, place it in the oven, and forget about it for about an hour. Easy, right? As with many things, the devil is in the details. A recipe for baked chicken has many variables. Do you bake chicken with or without the skin? Do you cook an entire chicken, chicken halves, chicken quarters, or individual pieces? Do you use boneless chicken or bone-in chicken parts? What types of seasonings do you use for oven baked chicken recipes?

How to bake chicken also includes the question of moisture versus crispness. I like my baked chicken to be tender and juicy on the inside, with just a little crunch on the outside. Sometimes it’s a real balancing act to get this right. In my opinion, skinless breasts often get too dry in the oven, and skinless thighs are almost as bad. That’s why I like to use skin-on chicken for my baked chicken recipes. The skin holds in the fat and moisture. This is also the case with my orange chicken recipe.

What temperature to bake chicken? I like to use two different oven settings for most of my baked chicken recipes. Chicken can dry out pretty easily, so I like to cover the chicken with foil for the first thirty minutes of baking. For this step, I think 350 degrees is best for chicken parts. This gives the chicken a chance to cook without becoming too dry.

Once the parts have cooked for about thirty minutes, I like to turn the heat up and bake chicken at around 400 degrees, uncovered. This higher setting gives the chicken a chance to brown. Cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the pieces. Breasts need to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, and thighs need to reach 170 degrees.

Okay, finally – here’s my recipe for orange chicken. I used Smucker’s sugar-free orange marmalade, but any sugar-free brand would probably work. If you’re not concerned about carbs and sugar, you can use regular marmalade. For the cooking spray, I used butter flavored. I prefer Lawry’s garlic salt because it contains parsley flakes. Also, the second stage of cooking for your orange chicken might take a little longer than it did for my orange chicken recipe. I suggest testing after 50 minutes total time.

3.5 stars from 13 ratings of Orange Chicken

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 50 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: 8 pieces

• 1 cut-up fryer, 4-5 pounds
• cooking spray
• Lawry's garlic salt
• paprika
• black pepper
• 2/3 cup sugar-free orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Splenda
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Rinse chicken parts and pat dry. Place about 1/2 inch apart, skin side up, on baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with garlic salt, paprika, and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
3. While the chicken is baking, make the orange glaze. Combine the orange marmalade, vinegar, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a glass or plastic bowl. Microwave for one minute, or until marmalade is soft. Stir ingredients to mix well.
4. After 30 minutes of baking, remove chicken from oven and pour off liquid. Increase oven heat to 400. Brush pieces with orange glaze.
5. Return chicken to oven and bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 more minutes.