Orange Chicken & Rice (Aldi Takeout Fake-Out)

If your family loves orange chicken but you don’t love the takeout bill, this easy Orange Chicken and Rice is such a fun budget dinner to make at home. It’s crispy, sweet, sticky, and ridiculously easy because we’re starting with frozen popcorn chicken instead of breading and frying chicken from scratch.

This is one of my favorite kinds of budget meals because it doesn’t necessarily feel like you’re trying to save money. Put crispy orange chicken over a big scoop of fluffy white rice, add broccoli or green beans, and you’ve got a full dinner that feels like a little weeknight takeout treat.

And everything can be picked up at Aldi with a very short ingredient list.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Orange Chicken

This isn’t traditional homemade orange chicken, and I’m not pretending it is. 😂 This is my busy-weeknight, budget-friendly shortcut version, and that’s exactly why I love it.

• It’s incredibly easy. Frozen popcorn chicken does most of the work.
• No frying required. Just bake the chicken until crispy.
• The sauce uses only a few ingredients.
• It’s budget friendly. Rice and frozen vegetables help stretch one bag of chicken into a family meal.
• It’s kid friendly. The sauce is sweet, sticky, and not spicy.
• It satisfies the takeout craving without actually ordering takeout.
• You can get everything at Aldi.

Ingredients You’ll Need

One of the best parts of this orange chicken recipe is that you don’t need a long list of ingredients.

Frozen popcorn chicken: This is our biggest shortcut. I use one 25.5-ounce bag and bake it according to the package directions until nice and crispy.

Orange marmalade: This is the base of our easy orange sauce. You get sweetness and orange flavor from one ingredient instead of making a complicated sauce from scratch.

BBQ sauce: A couple tablespoons add sweetness, tanginess, and a little extra depth to the sauce.

Soy sauce: This balances the sweetness of the marmalade and BBQ sauce with some salty, savory flavor.

Garlic powder: Optional, but I like adding a little for extra flavor.

White rice: Rice is inexpensive, filling, and perfect for soaking up any extra orange sauce.

Frozen broccoli or green beans: Either one makes an easy side without adding much prep work.

The Shortcut That Makes This So Easy

The secret here is frozen popcorn chicken.

Could you bread and fry chicken from scratch? Absolutely.

Am I doing that on a random Tuesday when everybody needs dinner? Probably not. 😂

Using frozen popcorn chicken gives you that crispy chicken texture without dealing with raw chicken, breading stations, hot oil, or a sink full of dishes.

Bake it according to the package directions until it’s really crispy. You want some crunch before adding the sauce because the chicken will soften slightly once it’s coated.

How to Make Easy Orange Chicken

Start by baking the frozen popcorn chicken according to the package directions. I recommend letting it get nice and crispy before adding the sauce.

While the chicken cooks, prepare your white rice and steam your broccoli or green beans.

Then make the easy orange sauce.

In a small saucepan, combine the orange marmalade, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and garlic powder.

Heat the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is combined, warmed through, and slightly thickened.

Once your popcorn chicken is crispy, transfer it to a large bowl and pour the warm orange sauce over the top.

Toss until every piece is coated.

Serve immediately over warm white rice with broccoli or green beans on the side.

That’s it!

Why Orange Marmalade Works So Well

Orange marmalade is one of those ingredients that does multiple jobs at once.

Instead of needing orange juice, orange zest, and a separate sweetener, marmalade gives the sauce sweetness and concentrated orange flavor in one inexpensive ingredient.

Once it’s heated with the soy sauce and BBQ sauce, it turns into an easy sticky glaze that coats the crispy chicken.

And yes, it’s a shortcut.

That’s kind of the point. 😉

How to Keep the Chicken Crispy

If you like your orange chicken crispy, there are a few easy things you can do.

First, don’t undercook the popcorn chicken. Let it get properly crispy in the oven or air fryer before adding your sauce.

Second, don’t sauce it until you’re ready to eat.

The longer breaded chicken sits in sauce, the softer the coating becomes.

If you know you’ll have leftovers, you can even keep some of the cooked chicken and orange sauce separate and combine them when you’re ready to reheat everything.

Can I Make This Orange Chicken in the Air Fryer?

Yes!

If the package of popcorn chicken includes air-fryer directions, you can absolutely use them. An air fryer is especially helpful if you like the breading extra crispy.

Prepare the sauce separately, then toss it with the hot chicken right before serving.

Easy Substitutions

You don’t have to make a special grocery trip if you’re missing one part of this meal.

No broccoli? Use frozen green beans, mixed vegetables, peas, or whatever vegetable your family will actually eat.

No white rice? Brown rice works too.

Want more vegetables? Add extra broccoli and serve a little less rice.

Don’t want garlic powder? Leave it out. The sauce will still work.

Want extra sauce? You can increase the sauce ingredients while keeping the same basic proportions.

This is supposed to be an easy dinner, so use what makes sense for your family and your grocery budget.

What to Serve With Orange Chicken

We usually keep this really simple.

My favorite combination is:

Orange chicken + white rice + steamed broccoli

You could also serve it with:

• Green beans
• Mixed vegetables
• Fried rice
• Roasted broccoli
• Steamed carrots
• Cucumber slices

You definitely don’t need a bunch of sides. The chicken, rice, and one vegetable make a filling dinner on their own.

Can I Use a Different Frozen Chicken?

Absolutely.

You don’t specifically need popcorn chicken as long as you’re using a crispy breaded chicken product that can be cut or served in bite-sized pieces.

Chicken nuggets or breaded chicken chunks could work too. Just cook them according to their package directions before tossing them with the orange sauce.

Is This the Same as Panda Express Orange Chicken?

No. This is a shortcut orange chicken inspired by the sweet, sticky takeout-style orange chicken my family loves.

We’re using frozen popcorn chicken and an easy marmalade-based sauce specifically to keep the recipe inexpensive and weeknight-friendly.

If you’re looking for a from-scratch copycat recipe with battered chicken and a traditional homemade orange sauce, this isn’t that.

If you’re looking for something you can throw together without destroying your kitchen on a Tuesday night, you’re in the right place. 😂

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Keep in mind that breaded chicken will soften after it’s coated in sauce and refrigerated. It’ll still taste good, but you won’t have quite the same crispy texture.

For the best leftovers, store the chicken and sauce separately if you know ahead of time that you won’t be eating the entire batch.

Store leftover rice and vegetables in separate airtight containers as well.

A Budget-Friendly Alternative to Takeout

One thing I always want to show with budget-friendly cooking is that saving money doesn’t mean every dinner has to feel like a sacrifice.

Sometimes it’s about figuring out what your family is craving and finding an easier, less expensive way to make something similar at home.

This orange chicken is exactly that.

We’re taking a bag of frozen chicken, a few inexpensive sauce ingredients, rice, and frozen vegetables and turning them into a dinner that feels a whole lot more exciting than the ingredient list suggests.

And if it keeps me from opening a delivery app at 5:30? I’m calling that a win.