Orange Chicken Spice Rub with Honey & Garlic Sauce

Orange Chicken with Spice Rub & Honey Garlic Sauce

This Orange Chicken is dressed with a sweet and spicy rub and accessorized with a tangy citrus garlic & honey sauce grilled to perfection.

It is on my Top Ten favorite dinner rotations. Some recipes I can go several months in between making.  Or I can completely walk away from a recipe after making only once.

Life is too short to eat the same thing over and over. Don’t you agree? However, some recipes you just keep coming back to. And this is one of them.

The rub contains brown sugar. Brown sugar gives a great crusty char when grilling.

I know what you’re thinking. We hate you for living in an all year grilling season zone. And also,  it is sub zero temperatures out here for the rest of us and our grills haven’t seen the light of day since Fall!

No worries. Just pull out a counter top grill if you have one, or a cast iron skillet grill will work too. Just be prepared for your house to get a tad smokey. You can help eliminate some of this by turning on your overhead fan.

The rub also boasts a tickle-your-tongue-spicy flavor. The orange honey combined with the tanginess of the apple cider vinegar balances out the sweet and savory. The orange zest really brings out the flavor. It’s the right mix of zest and garlic. So delicious!

You might also like these chicken recipes:

  1. Juicy Chicken Souvlaki 
  2. Incredible Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken
  3. Cashew Crusted Chicken
  4. Pistachio Lemon & Garlic Chicken

I promise you will keep coming back to this as part of your dinner repertoire. It also is a quick fix dinner recipe if you’re pressed for time. And goes great with a side salad. You can get the printable recipe at the end of the post.

Orange Chicken with Spice Rub & Honey Garlic Sauce 1

Orange Chicken with Spice Rub  & Honey Garlic Sauce

ORANGE CHICKEN SPICE RUB INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (* if preferred less spicy add 1/2 teaspoon)

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to blend together. Store the rub in an airtight jar away from heat or light. It will keep for at least 6 months.

Generously sprinkle spice rub on both sides of chicken breasts ( You can use any chicken or pork cut that you want.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Orange Chicken with Spice Rub & Honey Garlic Sauce 2

ORANGE CHICKEN HONEY & GARLIC SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup organic orange honey
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 orange
Mix together all ingredients.

Orange Chicken with Spice Rub & Honey Garlic Sauce 3

Grill chicken and brush on honey sauce the last few minutes of grilling. Reserve some sauce for dippingā€¦or shall I say “soppin’ it up!”

For more recipes like this Orange Chicken please follow me on Instagram and view my latest stories and recipes: 

Recipe Type: Chicken Dish

Author: Sherri @ The Kitchen Prescription

The sweet and savory flavors balance out this dish perfectly. You will keep coming back to this over and over.

Ingredients

  • SPICE RUB INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sweet or smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ORANGE HONEY & GARLIC SAUCE:
  • 3/4 cup organic orange honey
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 orange
  • Mix together all ingredients.

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the spice rub in a mixing bowl and mix well to blend together. Store the rub in an airtight jar away from heat or light. It will keep for at least 6 months.
  2. Generously sprinkle rub on both sides of chicken. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
  3. Grill chicken and brush on honey sauce last few minutes of grilling. Reserve some sauce for dipping. *Double the sauce recipe if cooking more than 3 chicken breasts.

 

5 Comments

  1. Oh heavens, this looks SO wonderful! Just pinned it, and will be trying it for dinner soon!. Thanks for sharing!

     
  2. Jodi at Garlic Girl

    You had me at smoked paprika! I am so going to make this! By the way, I enjoyed learning a little about you on your about page. You look so young to have grown kids. Also, I can understand why you love the weather in South Florida!
    Jodi

     
  3. The orange sauce was so good! I want to use it on everything I eat.
    Second time around I am cutting black pepper to a tablespoon and cayenne by half.

     
    • Hi Kathy, thanks for leaving a comment and review of your experience. I have to agree with your choice of using less pepper. I wrote this recipe several years ago and haven’t made it in quite a while. But the last time I did make it I know I put in less pepper as 3 Tablespoons seemed quite peppery.

      I’m going to make your suggestion adjustments to the rub recipe.

      Thanks again and I hope you try more recipes from the site.

       
  4. Pingback: The Best Hot Wing Sauce : Brown Sugar, Pineapple, & Honey Sauce - The Kitchen Prescription

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