Orange Juice Chicken Marinade Recipe (2024)

Orange juice chicken marinade tenderizes the chicken and impacts flavor. This orange marinade for chicken is easy and quick to make and the chicken comes out tender, juicy, flavorful, and delicious.

Orange Juice Chicken Marinade Recipe

This orange juice chicken marinade is a simple citrus marinade that will make your chicken restaurant quality or better.

It is easy and quick to make needing just under 5 minutes to put together, and the chicken can be marinated for as little as 30 minutes.

This orange chicken marinade is versatile and can be used on any part of the chicken be it chicken thighs, wings, whole chicken, breast, or legs. You can also cook the marinated chicken however you please be it baked, grilled, pan-fried, or air fried.

Chicken marinade with orange juice is citrusy, sweet, savory, delicious, and flavorful. It smells good and tastes amazing. It is also budget-friendly as the ingredients used are inexpensive and easy to get.

This orange marinade for chicken contains 6 simple ingredients that are pantry staples and all of the ingredients are healthy. Orange juice, herbs, spices, and olive oil. No artificial sweeteners, msg, or coloring!

The simple tools required to make this Orange juice marinade are a measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a small bowl to mix it in. If making ahead and storing it, you can mix it in the airtight container it'll be stored in.

This recipe is enough for 1kg of chicken. You can double the recipe. Now, let me show you how to make the best orange chicken marinade!

Related: Lemon garlic chicken marinade

Ingredients

The full ingredient list, measurements, and directions for making the recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Orange juice - You will need the juice of fresh oranges. Fresh is best, however, you can use bottled orange juice that is 100% orange juice.

Paprika- I like to add paprika for flavor and color.

Parsley- A little bit of parsley goes a long way. This can be substituted with another herb like Rosemary.

Italian Seasoning

Hot sauce- Can be substituted with black pepper or Cayenne pepper- Adjust recommended quantity to suit your taste.

Garlic granules- This can be substituted for garlic powder or minced garlic.

Onion granules- This can be substituted for onion powder.

Oil- Olive oil is the oil of choice but you can use vegetable or sunflower oil.

Salt

Soy sauce - Optional

How To Make Orange Juice Chicken Marinade

Here's a step-by-step on how to make chicken marinade with orange juice:

Add the orange juice into a bowl then add in the paprika, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion granules, parsley, oil, and salt.

Mix till all are well combined.

Use on chicken immediately or store for later use.

How To Marinate Chicken In Orange Juice

Clean and pat the chicken dry with kitchen towels.

Add the chicken to a bowl or a Ziploc then pour the orange marinade on the chicken.

The chicken should be covered in the marinade.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and transfer to the fridge to marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Variation

Orange Ginger chicken Marinade - Add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger to the marinade for that spicy ginger flavor.

Chicken marinade with orange juice and soy sauce- Add ¼ cup of soy sauce to the marinade.

Orange Cumin chicken marinade- Add a ¼ teaspoon of Cumin to the marinade for Cumin orange chicken marinade.

Orange marinade with orange juice and honey- Orange is naturally sweet however if you want the marinade sweeter with a sticky glaze, add a tablespoon of honey to the marinade and stir till well combined. Use on the chicken.

How Long To Marinate Chicken In Orange Juice

Marinate chicken in orange juice for a minimum of 30 minutes up until 12 hours. Because orange juice contains acidic, if chicken is left in it for too long then it can start to break down the proteins in the chicken and make it tough when cooked.

How To Cook

In the Oven- Arrange on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

On the stove- Place a skillet or griddle pan on medium heat, add oil into it, and when heated, add the chicken. Let it cook for 4 minutes then gently turn it to cook the other side for another 4 minutes or till the inside is no longer pink.

How Long To Cook Orange Marinated Chicken

This depends on the cooking method, what part of the chicken, and if it's boneless or bone in chicken. Cooking chicken marinated in orange juice will take any time from 8 - 30 minutes. Pan fried takes 8 minutes, air fryer 12-18 minutes, and oven 25-30 minutes for chicken breast. Boneless chicken thighs and breasts will be on the lower end of the cooking time while bone-in chicken thighs and bone-in chicken breasts will be on the higher end. Chicken legs, chicken wings, and whole chicken will take longer time to cook.

The internal temperature of chicken when checked with an instant thermometer should be at least 165F.

How To Store

Marinade- Transfer to a sealable container, label, and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
When ready to use, bring it out, thaw, and mix till well combined.

Marinated chicken- Label and store in the fridge for 24 hours, or store in the freezer for up to a month.

Cook from frozen in the oven, or air fryer, or thaw it to pan fry.

FAQS

More Chicken Marinade Recipes

Marinated chicken drumsticks

Whole chicken marinade

Marinated Chicken thighs

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