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–+ servings
Tender, juicy Baked Orange Chicken Tenders are marinated and smothered in the most tantalizing sweet heat orange sauce you can't even imagine! You will crave this over your favorite Chinese orange takeout!
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Sweet and Spicy Baked Orange Chicken Tenders

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Orange Marinade/Glaze

  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup orange marmalade (regular, not sweet)*
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons quality hoisin sauce (like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon Sriracha/Asian hot red chili sauce
  • 1/2 tsp EACH salt, garlic pwdr, ginger pwdr,onion pwdr
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Chicken Breading

Garnish (optional)

  • green onions
  • orange zest

Instructions

  • Whisk the Orange Marinade/Glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add 1/3 cup to a large freezer bag with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chicken and marinate 60 minutes up to overnight in the refrigerator. Refrigerate reserved Glaze separately.
  • Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in panko and continue to cook and stir until browned. Remove from heat. (You can do this while your chicken marinates or days before and store in an airtight container.)
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil then top with a wire baking rack. Spray rack with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Line up your breading station: Add flour to a large freezer bag. Whisk milk and eggs together in a bowl or shallow dish. Mix panko, ground cornflakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a large bowl.
  • Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Add chicken to flour and toss until evenly coated. Working with one chicken tender at a time, remove from flour, shake off any excess then coat in milk/egg mixture and drain off any excess. Roll chicken in panko/cornflakes, pressing to adhere. Shake off any excess and place on wire rack. Repeat until all chicken tenders are breaded.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 425 F degrees or until chicken is cooked through. Broil until golden. Let cool for 10 minutes while you prepare your Glaze.
  • Add reserved Glaze to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Using tongs, dip chicken in Glaze to coat then return to baking rack or individual plates. Garnish with orange and green onions if desired.

Notes

  • Cooking time:  Total cooking time does not include marinating as that will vary upon individual.
  • *Orange marmalade: Bitter or Seville marmalade is traditional and won't have a special label, sweet orange marmalade made using Valencia, navel, or similar oranges can also be found, but it will be called out as "SWEET Orange Marmalade." If you can only can only find sweet orange marmalade then reduce the sugar in the recipe by 1-2 tablespoons. 
  • **Cornflakes:  You measure out 3 cups cornflakes before you grind them I use my food processor and pulse until the size of panko crumbs. You can place cornflakes in a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin. You can substitute cornflakes with additional panko for a total of 1 1/4 cups panko and brown panko with 1 tablespoon butter.
  • Crispy factor:  The less time you wait between coating the chicken in the glaze and eating, the crispier it will be. That being said, the chicken has a wonderful texture but is not overly crispy.