Mandarin Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Mandarin Chicken Stir Fry — An EASY Asian stir fry with tender chicken, juicy oranges, and veggies!! Skip takeout and make this ONE skillet recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights!!

One Skillet Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry

When I was a kid I used to love mandarin oranges. I haven’t eaten many since childhood, but this easy orange chicken stir-fry recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes brings back great memories.

The orange chicken is cooked in sesame oil before adding a bag of coleslaw mix, which is just shredded cabbage and carrots. I love the convenience of the mix because it really helps get this Asian-inspired dish on the table in no time.

Garlic, ginger, soy and hoisin sauces (available in your regular grocery store in the Asian aisle) are added before adding sugar snap peas, juicy mandarin oranges, and garnishing with green onions. The sweet mandarin oranges perfectly counterbalance the savory flavors of the soy and hoisin, and I love the crisp-tender crunch of the sugar snap peas. It reminds me of an orange version of this Sesame Mango Chicken.

The easy orange chicken stir-fry is healthy, naturally gluten-free, and all the veggies keep you satisfied for a long time. The beauty of a stir fry is that you can toss in extra veggies that you have on hand.

You can skip takeout and make this family-friendly dish that both kids and adults will love. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you’ve got to get dinner on the table in no time.

How to Make Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry

To make this healthy orange chicken stir-fry, cook the chicken in a well oiled skillet until cooked through. Add garlic and dried ginger and continue cooking until the mixture is fragrant. 

Add the coleslaw mix to the skillet and drizzle the soy sauce over top before adding in the hoisin sauce and pepper. Stir to combine, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted. Add the sugar snap peas near the end of the cook time and cook until crisp-tender.

Remove from the heat, add the mandarin oranges and stir to combine. I topped my healthy chicken stir-fry with green onions and enjoyed it over a bed of rice, but you could also eat this with quinoa or cauliflower rice. 

Tips for the Best Chicken Stir-Fry

If you can’t get your hands on a bag of coleslaw mix, you can grate cabbage and carrots yourself. You want about a pound (16 oz) of cabbage and carrots, and the mixture should be primarily cabbage. Any color cabbage will work, so use whatever you have on hand! 

To keep this orange chicken stir-fry from being too sweet, I used mandarin oranges in juice. The mandarin oranges in syrup are far too sweet for my taste, but again, you can use whatever you have on hand. 

If you like saucy stir-fries, I recommend adding 2/3 cup soy sauce instead of the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for. Just keep in mind that I used reduced-sodium soy sauce in this recipe; if you add 2/3 cup regular soy sauce this mandarin chicken stir-fry may be too salty for you. 

Lastly, give this healthy chicken stir-fry a taste after you’ve added in the mandarin oranges and add a drizzle of honey, if desired. The honey won’t make the stir-fry taste sweet, it’ll just balance out the flavors of the hoisin and soy sauce. 

More Chinese Chicken Recipes: 

• Chicken Egg Roll Bowls — Deconstructed egg roll bowls reduce the calories, fat, and carbs of traditional egg rolls without sacrificing flavor! Easy, ready in 15 minutes, and way better than takeout!
• Slow Cooker Orange Chicken — The easiest orange chicken ever because your slow cooker does all the work!! Super juicy, tender, and coated with a sweet-yet-tangy orange glaze that’s irresistible!!
• One-Skillet Orange Chicken with Vegetables — Easy, ready in 15 minutes, healthy (no breading, no frying), and the orange flavor just pops! Perfect for busy weeknights, a family favorite, and you’ll make this over and over!
• Easy 15-Minute Sweet and Sour Chicken – Faster, easier, healthier, and tastes better than takeout or a restaurant! Perfect balance of sweet yet sour Asian flavors that the whole family will love!
• Cashew Chicken — Juicy chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and crunchy cashews coated with the best garlicky soy sauce!

Save Saved Review Print

4.29 from 14 votes

Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry

By Averie Sunshine

An EASY Mandarin chicken stir fry with juicy oranges and veggies! Skip takeout and make this ONE skillet recipe that's ready in 15 minutes!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Save this recipe to your email

Enter your email and we’ll send it to you!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Send It!

Ingredients  

0.5x2x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ about 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into small pieces
• ▢ 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ one 14 to 16-ounce bag coleslaw mix, shredded green cabbage and carrots
• ▢ ½ cup to 2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ about 1.5 to 2 cups sugar snap peas, snow pea pods may be substituted
• ▢ two 10.5-ounce cans mandarin oranges, drained (I use the ones in juice rather than in light syrup)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey, optional and to taste
• ▢ about 2 to 3 green onions sliced into thin rounds, for garnishing

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• To a large skillet add the oils, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat until done, about 5 minutes; flip chicken intermittently to ensure even cooking.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add the coleslaw mix (looks like a lot but wilts quickly), evenly drizzle the soy sauce (if you like your dishes on the ‘saucy’ side use 2/3 cup), hoisin sauce, add the pepper, stir to combine, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted and tender; stir intermittently. In the final two minutes of cooking the cabbage, add the sugar snap peas and cook until crisp-tender.
• Remove from the heat, add the oranges and stir to combine. Taste and optionally add the honey if desired.
• Evenly sprinkle with the green onions and serve immediately. Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• 
  

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Sesame Mango Chicken and Chicken Egg Roll Bowls

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 3090kcal, Carbohydrates: 240g, Protein: 68g, Fat: 207g, Saturated Fat: 34g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 165g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 248mg, Sodium: 5391mg, Fiber: 37g, Sugar: 181g

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

©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

↓ Click the Stars to Rate This Recipe ↓

Tried this recipe? Leave a review!

Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you've made and loved one of my recipes!

Even More Asian Recipes: 

You can check out my favorite ASIAN RECIPES HERE and my go-to CHICKEN RECIPES HERE.

P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Copycat Recipe} – Skip the restaurant version and make at home in 20 minutes! Easy, healthier because you’re controlling the ingredients, and they taste way better!

Chicken Fried Rice – One-skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never want takeout again after tasting how good homemade is! Way more flavor, not greasy, and loads of juicy chicken!

Easy Better-Than-Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice – One-skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never takeout again! Homemade tastes way better! Tons more flavor, not greasy, and loaded with tender shrimp!