10-Minute Orange Chili Shrimp

10-Minute Sweet Chili Shrimp — The sweet-and-tangy Asian-inspired orange chili sauce is PERFECT on these big juicy shrimp!! An EASY, healthy recipe that’s sure to IMPRESS and ready in 10 minutes!!

Tangy Sweet Chili Shrimp Recipe

The sweet chili garlic shrimp are tender, juicy, and the sauce sweet and tangy orange chili sauce perfectly complements the natural sweetness in the shrimp.

I could eat this all the time and I love shrimp, but admittedly don’t have too many shrimp recipes on my site. A couple reasons are that my daughter doesn’t like shrimp at all, not at all, and she won’t even humor me. She will eat kale salads but no go on shrimp.

And truthfully, shrimp can be expensive so I treat them as more of a splurge item for myself. 

This is a fast, easy, 10-minute dinner that’s perfect for date nights. It’s elegant-tasting and impressive. Serve it with a side of veggies or a salad for a full meal. Or, make as a weeknight dinner when you don’t want to turn on your oven and want something ready in no time.

Another nice bonus is that shrimp are very low in calories, high in protein, and naturally gluten-free.

What’s in the Sweet Chili Shrimp? 

The star of this recipe is the sweet chili garlic sauce. 

The sweet chili sauce is essentially the same sauce that I used for this 15-Minute Orange Chili Chicken and Broccoli.

It’s made with orange juice, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and rice vinegar for a quintessentially Asian flavor profile. A little spicy, a little tangy, a little savory, and a little sweet all in one.

It packs some heat because of the 1/3 cup chili garlic sauce. And then I used nearly 1/3 cup brown sugar to add some sweet to that heat, so good.

How to Make Sweet Chili Shrimp

The sweet chili garlic sauce shrimp is so simple to make!

You’ll first mix together the sauce in a saucepan. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes to thicken, then remove it from the heat. 

Then, cook the shrimp most of the way in a hot skillet. Depending on the size of the shrimp, you may only need to cook them for 45 to 60 seconds per side; don’t overcook.

Dollop a spoonful of sauce over each shrimp and continue cooking for another minute. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the shrimp, then dig in! 

What Size Shrimp Should I Use? 

I also buy large shrimp. I used U15 in this recipe. That means there are 15 shrimp to 1 pound. U20 shrimp means there are 20 shrimp in 1 pound so they are smaller than U15 shrimp.

Or shrimp may be described as 12-16 count, meaning there are approximately 12 to 16 shrimp to 1 pound. When you see things like 26-30 count shrimp, that means there are 26 to 30 shrimp to a pound, aka those suckers are very small. The smaller the shrimp, the cheaper they are.

I like big, juicy, meaty shrimp and am willing to pay a premium for them. I buy deveined shrimp with the shells off, except the tails are still on. In a recipe like this, I think that is the best presentation.

I could save a little money and buy intact shrimp and clean them myself, saving just the tail, rather than having the butcher at the grocery store do it, but time is money. And I don’t love my hands and fingernails smelling like shrimp for 2 days, which is another reason I save the cleaning for the butcher.

What Type of Shrimp Should I Use? 

The reason the shrimp I buy are more expensive than other kinds of shrimp is that they are fresh, never frozen.

Can I Use Frozen Shrimp? 

I have not tested this recipe with frozen shrimp and while it would probably be ‘okay’, it wouldn’t be my preference for flavor and not something I would do.

Tips for Making Shrimp with Chili Sauce

You can use less chili garlic sauce than I did if you’re sensitive to heat, but the sauce is not excessively hot after it cooks with the chicken and the natural water from the broccoli waters it down a bit.

You will also only use about half the batch of it. It keeps very well in the fridge for at least a week. It would be great on grilled chicken as either a marinade or as something you brush on during grilling.

Or make this Orange Chili Chicken which is the recipe that inspired this shrimp recipe.

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4.75 from 8 votes

10-Minute Orange Chili Shrimp

By Averie Sunshine

The sweet-and-tangy Asian-inspired orange chili sauce is PERFECT on these big juicy shrimp!! An EASY, healthy recipe that's sure to IMPRESS and ready in 10 minutes!!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 3

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Ingredients 

Orange Chili Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup or slightly more freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 large very juicy orange)
• ▢ ⅓ cup chili garlic sauce, or to taste
• ▢ ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed; plus more if desired
• ▢ 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons corn starch
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cold water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar may be substituted

Shrimp

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined (I use U15 shrimp, with tails still on; you can use smaller shrimp or shrimp without tails on if desired)
• ▢ 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
• ▢ fresh parsley, optional for garnishing

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Instructions 

Orange Chili Sauce:

• To a small saucepan, add the orange juice, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; stir frequently. Allow mixture to boil for about 2 minutes.
• To a small bowl, add the corn starch, water, and stir to combine to make a slurry.
• Add the slurry to the boiling mixture, and stir continuously for about 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens up some.
• Remove pan from the heat, add the vinegar, stir to combine, and taste for seasoning balance. I prefer to add additional brown sugar but I like my sauces on the sweeter side. Set sauce aside off the heat.

Shrimp:

• To a large skillet, add the oil, shrimp, and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until light pink and nearly done. Depending on the size of the shrimp, you may only need to cook them for 45 to 60 seconds per side; don't overcook.
• When the shrimp are nearly done, add a generous dollop of sauce to the top of each shrimp (for me this is about 1 tablespoon per shrimp). Note - You will not use all the sauce and will have about half leftover; you can make this Orange Chili Chicken with it or use it as a chicken marinade.
• Allow shrimp to simmer in the sauce over medium-low heat for another 1 minute or so, or until cooked through completely; don't overcook.
• Squeeze lemon juice over the top of the shrimp and/or add lemons to the skillet for either flavor or presentation, optionally garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

Notes

Tip – If your oranges are cold from being refrigerated, put the whole orange in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until it feels slightly warm to the touch. A warm orange will release much more juice than a cold one.

Storage: Shrimp are best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days; extra sauce will keep airtight in the fridge for at least 7 to 10 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 436kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 286mg, Sodium: 942mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 19g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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