Description
Flame-kissed, sticky and saucy, grilled orange chicken skewers with a rich, citrus-based marinade are delicious, juicy and so tender. The best summer weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1.5-inch thick cubes
- 1/4 cup Maggi sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon white pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine Maggi sauce (or soy sauce), orange juice, orange zest, vegetable oil, garlic, white pepper (optional), and black pepper. Stir well until combined. Add chicken breast and stir to coat. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). You can also store the marinated chicken breasts in a sealable ziploc bag.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, and reserve the marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers, adding about 6-7 pieces of cubed chicken breasts for each skewer. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before you thread the chicken on and grill to stop them from burning.
- Lightly brush olive oil over grill or grill pan. Preheat the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes until the oil starts sizzling and shimmering. Place the skewers spaced evenly apart on the grill and grill for 8-10 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature for the chicken reaches 165 F. Do not overlap the skewers at any time to ensure even cooking for all the skewers.
- Place the reserved marinade into a small cooking pot and heat over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it starts to boil. Add cornstarch and stir continuously with a spoon to dissolve, until the sauce starts to thicken and forms a smooth and thick sauce. You don’t need much sauce, a tablespoon is plenty for coating the chicken.
- Transfer the skewers onto a plate and drizzle with the orange sauce.
Notes
Equipment used: skewers, tongs for grilling, an indoor grill pan, and a digital meat thermometer.
Marinate the chicken. It is so important to allow the chicken marinate at least for an hour. This will let the flavours to really infuse into the chicken and make it juicier. I would recommend letting it marinate for as long as you can, up to overnight.
Use a digital thermometer. A digital meat thermometer is very useful when grilling chicken skewers to check for doneness, so that you never end up with undercooked or overcooked meat. Simply insert halfway inside the meat to get a quick reading.
Double up the recipe. This recipe that makes about 6-8 skewers. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd (or if you just want to make sure you have leftovers for lunch the next day).
How to cook in the oven: To cook the orange chicken in the oven, place them on a baking tray and roast at 480 F for 12-13 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. You can add some charring by then placing under the broiler on high for 1 minute. Keep a close eye on them, because they can burn quickly.
How to cook in the air fryer: You can cook orange chicken in the air fryer as well. Do not thread them and place about 10 cubed chicken pieces in the air fryer basket at a time. Cook at 350 F for 25 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. You won't get the charred grill marks but they taste amazing and so tender.
How to store: Unthread the orange chicken from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (+1 hour to marinate)
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Asian