This Blood Orange Chicken recipe is a tasty take on classic Chinese Orange Chicken but leveled up a few notches! The chicken is marinated in a sweet, sticky glaze using succulent blood oranges, coconut aminos, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and honey! It is the perfect blend of rich, dynamic, savory, and sweet flavor. Plus, It’s completely gluten-free!

If you love flavorful chicken recipes, you’ll definitely want to check out our Grilled BBQ Spatchcock Chicken, Barbecue Wings, or Crispy Buffalo Wings next!

blood orange chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet with rosemary

When you’re craving the flavors of takeout, but want something a bit healthier and affordable, this blood orange chicken is the perfect dish! It’s super affordable as it’s made with chicken thighs (one of the most affordable cuts of chicken), blood oranges, and a few pantry staples!

This Blood Orange Chicken dish is a twist on your typical orange chicken dish, elevated with robust aromatics and luscious blood oranges. The best part is that as complex as the flavors are, this blood orange chicken dish is so easy to make! With a little extra time and effort, you can EASILY make this impressive meal. It is perfect for serving a crowd or for meal prep to enjoy throughout the week.

orange chicken on a plate with butternut squash puree and glazed eggplant garnished with black salt and green onions

The secret to all the flavor is in the sauce!

The secret to making this juicy, flavorful chicken is simple: marinate the chicken. For this recipe, two hours is enough time for the flavors of the marinade to penetrate the chicken. However, the longer you marinate the chicken the better! Save time by marinating the chicken overnight and preparing it the next day when you’re ready for a good meal!

Ingredients You Will Need For the Blood Orange Chicken Marinade:

Blood oranges: Blood oranges are the key here to get that nice, citrus, tangy flavor. The nice thing about blood oranges is that they are in season from November to May—so for quite some time. Remember to have an orange or 2 on standby for garnish. The thinly sliced, caramelized onions accentuate the dish perfectly and make it picture-perfect!
Coconut aminos: Coconut Aminos are a healthy alternative to soy sauce and it is soy and gluten-free. Feel free to use regular soy sauce if you prefer.
Apple cider vinegar: AVC is great for tenderizing meat. This helps to break down the meat and help it absorb all the delicious flavors.
Honey: Honey is used to give the chicken the sweet kick that we want!
Garlic, Onion, Ginger: Garlic adds so much flavor and depth to a dish. Ginger brightens up the dish and adds zest. I like to add onion to the marinade and also line the cast iron with onion before adding the marinated chicken to cook.
Fresh rosemary: Here is where we add some depth to the sauce. Rosemary is a deeply pungent, aromatic herb. It is described as having a lemon-pine flavor. I love adding it to marinades, especially ones for chicken, as it adds a savory complexity to the dish.
Brown sugar: Helps to sweeten the sauce and create a stick coating on the chicken. Feel free to use coconut sugar instead in you would like to keep this recipe refined sugar-free.
Red pepper flakes: The red pepper flakes give the recipe a bit of heat. Feel free to skip the red pepper flakes

What Kind of Oranges To Use If You Don’t Have Blood Oranges?

If you cannot find blood oranges, there are many different options that you can use that would still give you the same great flavor! Try using navel oranges, Cara Cara oranges, or Valencia oranges.

How To Make Blood Orange Chicken

Prepare the marinade. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for later.
Add the chicken to the marinade. Stick orange slices under the skin for even more flavor. (This marinade goes well with chicken breast, legs, thighs, wings, or whatever you prefer!)
Cover and refrigerate the chicken for up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature before cooking. (This helps the chicken cook evenly.)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Transfer the chicken and chopped onion into a cast iron or large baking dish. Be sure to pour some of the marinade onto each piece of chicken. Take a few blood orange slices and gently wedge them under the skin of the chicken. Season the dish with salt and pepper, throw in a few sprigs of rosemary, and transfer it to the oven.
After 25 minutes, baste the chicken with the sauce. If there is excess sauce and juices at the bottom of the cast iron or baking dish, pour half of it out. Return the chicken to the oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until it is fully cooked and has a golden crust.
To finish the dish, saute the orange slices with the extra sauce (that was kept aside). Simply pour 1 tbsp of the sauce into a pan over medium heat, add the orange slices, and cook them for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Then garnish the dish with oranges. If you like your chicken extra saucy, add the remaining sauce to the pan and allow it to simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then pour it over the chicken.
Serve chicken over rice, or your favorite sides. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!

Tips To Nail The Recipe

Marinade the chicken up to 24 hours before cooking. This also helps so that you have an easy meal to simply roast in the oven when you are ready.
Don’t forget to reserve some of the sauce for basting and sauteing the orange slices.

How To Store Any Left Over Orange Chicken?

Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy, warm in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.

What To Eat With Blood Orange Chicken

This is a dynamic dish and can be enjoyed with simple side dishes such as brown rice, cauliflower rice, salad, or creamy mashed potatoes. You can also prolong the adventure in the kitchen and make it with Glazed Eggplant and Butternut Squash Puree. I served my chicken with these sides and it felt like I was eating a gourmet meal!

More Side Dish Options:

blood orange chicken in a cast iron skillet

I hope you enjoy this Blood Orange Chicken recipe!

If you try the recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments. Leave a quick review & star rating ★ below! Take pictures, tag #goodfoodbaddie, and share them with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchen.

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