Mama Mothy

Mama’s Warm Orange Chicken

Warm • Citrusy • Sweet • Savory • Home

This one hits home.

My mom made this for me growing up, and it became my favorite. I asked for it every year for my birthday.

My mom isn’t here anymore, but I still make it for myself. I’ve made it so many times that I don’t really measure anything anymore. I just know what it’s supposed to look, smell, and taste like.

And I’ve experimented with it—a lot.

I’ve tried different cuts of chicken. I’ve tried different orange juices. I’ve tried leaving out the raisins. I’ve tried making just the sauce because, honestly, sometimes all I really want is that sauce poured all over rice. I’ve even tried replacing the chicken with chicken stock.

After all those experiments, I’ve learned something:

Some parts of this recipe are flexible. Some absolutely are not.

I’ll give you starting measurements where I can, but I’ll also tell you what I actually look for when I’m cooking it.

The Three Rules

1. It Has to Be SunnyD Tangy Original

This is one of the few ingredients I’m going to tell you not to substitute.

Use SunnyD Tangy Original.

Not regular orange juice.

Not another orange drink.

And not SunnyD Smooth.

I’ve tried changing it, and the flavor isn’t right.

For this recipe, Tangy Original is part of what makes the sauce taste like the sauce.

2. The Sauce Has to Cook With Chicken

This is important.

You can’t make the sauce separately with chicken stock and get the same result. I’ve tried.

The chicken needs to actually simmer in the SunnyD, butter, raisins, and spices. As the chicken cooks, it adds flavor and richness to the sauce.

That doesn’t mean every piece of chicken you eventually eat has to cook for the entire hour.

The rule is:

The sauce needs chicken cooking in it.

Once the sauce has developed properly, you can absolutely add more cooked chicken afterward.

3. Don’t Skip the Raisins

And this is coming from somebody who doesn’t actually like eating raisins.

They still go in.

The raisins simmer in the sauce and contribute sweetness and flavor. If you don’t want them in the finished dish, strain them out later like I do.

They don’t have to stay.

But they do have to show up for work.

What You’ll Need

  • Chicken of your choice
    • Thighs and drumsticks are my favorite because they stay moist during the long simmer
    • Chicken breasts work too
  • Butter, for browning
  • SunnyD Tangy Original
    • Enough for the chicken to be mostly submerged
    • For a giant batch with lots of leftovers, I’ve used anywhere from about ⅔ of a gallon to the whole gallon
  • Raisins
    • About ⅓ of a large container is a good starting point
  • Cinnamon
    • Start around 1½ tablespoons, but expect to use more
  • Nutmeg
    • Start around 1½ teaspoons
  • Ground cloves
    • Start around 1 teaspoon
  • Salt, to taste
  • Cornstarch + cold water, optional for thickening
  • Chicken Rice-a-Roni, for serving

Optional for Stretching the Batch

  • Additional cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken

A Note About the Spices

The measurements above are starting points, especially if you’re making a smaller batch.

I don’t actually measure the final seasoning anymore.

The balance matters more to me than the exact number of teaspoons:

Cinnamon > Nutmeg > Cloves

Cinnamon should be the dominant warm spice.

Use less nutmeg.

Use even less cloves because cloves can take over quickly.

If you don’t have nutmeg or cloves, you can use allspice in a pinch, but cinnamon should still be the dominant flavor.

The Cozy Part

1. Prep & Season the Chicken

If you’re using chicken with skin, remove the skin.

Season the chicken itself with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a little salt.

This isn’t the big spice layer yet. You’re just getting some seasoning directly onto the meat before browning.

2. Brown the Chicken in Butter

Melt butter in a large, deep pan or pot over medium heat.

Add the seasoned chicken and brown it well on both sides.

You aren’t trying to cook the chicken completely at this point.

You are trying to create browned chicken and all those delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan.

Once the chicken is nicely browned, remove it and set it aside.

3. Get All the Good Brown Stuff

Add another little bit of butter to the same pan.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to loosen all those browned bits left behind from the chicken.

Don’t clean the pan.

That’s flavor.

We want it.

4. Bring the Chicken Back & Add the SunnyD

Return the browned chicken to the pan.

Now pour in your SunnyD Tangy Original.

You want enough that the chicken is mostly submerged.

It may look like an absolutely ridiculous amount of liquid.

That’s okay.

For one of my big batches, I might use ⅔ of a gallon or even the whole gallon, especially when I want lots of sauce and leftovers.

This isn’t supposed to start as a little glaze.

We’re making a lake.

5. Add the Raisins

Add roughly ⅓ of a large container of raisins.

If you love raisins, wonderful.

If you don’t?

Add them anyway.

We’ll evict them later.

6. Make the Spice Blanket

This is where I mostly stop measuring.

Start by sprinkling cinnamon generously over the entire surface.

Follow that with a lighter layer of nutmeg.

Then add an even lighter layer of cloves.

Keep seasoning until the entire visible surface is covered in warm brown spices.

The visual rule:

You shouldn’t really be able to see the SunnyD anymore.

That’s what I mean when I say there’s enough spice.

Then stir everything together.

The amount you need will naturally change depending on the size of your pan and how much SunnyD you’re using.

That’s why the visual cue matters more than an exact tablespoon measurement.

7. Cover & Simmer

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low to low.

Let the chicken gently simmer in the sauce for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is completely cooked and tender.

The exact time will depend on the cut and size of chicken you’re using.

Don’t rush this part.

The long simmer isn’t only cooking the chicken.

It’s making the sauce.

8. Remove the Chicken

Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove it from the sauce and set it aside.

Now it’s time to finish the sauce.

9. Keep or Evict the Raisins

If you like eating raisins, leave them right where they are.

If you’re like me and don’t want raisins in the finished dish, strain them out.

They’ve already simmered with everything and contributed their flavor.

Their work here is done.

10. Thicken the Sauce

You have two options.

The Patient Way

Leave the sauce uncovered and let it gently simmer.

Allow the excess liquid to evaporate until the sauce reaches the thickness you want.

This takes longer, but it works beautifully.

The “People Need Dinner” Way

Mix cornstarch with cold water to make a slurry.

Slowly stir the slurry into the simmering sauce until it reaches your preferred consistency.

Both methods work.

Choose based on how much patience you have that day.

11. Return the Chicken

Put the cooked chicken back into the finished sauce.

Turn the pieces gently so they’re coated and warmed through.

And you’re done.

Made More Sauce Than Chicken?

Perfect.

I’ve absolutely gotten enthusiastic with the SunnyD and ended up with way more sauce than chicken.

That’s not a problem.

Once your sauce has spent that long simmering with chicken in it, the important part has already happened.

At that point, you can add additional cooked chicken to stretch the batch.

I’ve used rotisserie chicken, added it directly to the finished sauce, and let it sit there soaking everything up.

It works beautifully.

So remember:

The sauce has to cook with chicken. Every piece of chicken you eventually serve does not.

This is especially handy when you have a ton of sauce left and want to turn it into several more full chicken-and-rice meals.

Serve It

Make Chicken Rice-a-Roni according to the package directions.

Pile the rice onto your plate.

Add your chicken.

Then spoon plenty of that warm orange sauce over everything.

And sometimes?

I don’t particularly care about the chicken anymore.

I just want Rice-a-Roni absolutely covered in sauce.

The chicken already did its job.

Mama’s Leftover Orange Chicken Sandwich

The leftover chicken has another very good purpose.

Grab a hard roll and add:

  • Leftover orange chicken
  • Avocado
  • Plenty of the orange sauce

The creamy avocado with the warm, sweet-and-tangy spiced chicken and sauce makes an amazing sandwich.

Sometimes I make enough chicken specifically knowing there are going to be leftovers.

Mama’s Sweet Spot

This isn’t a recipe where I want you worried about whether your tablespoon of cinnamon was perfectly level.

I don’t cook it that way.

Use the measurements to get yourself started, especially the first time.

Then use your senses.

Look at it. Smell it. Taste it.

The chicken should be mostly surrounded by SunnyD.

The spices should cover the surface before you stir them in.

Cinnamon should lead.

Nutmeg should follow.

Cloves should stay in the background.

And give the chicken time to simmer.

I’ve tried changing the variables because sometimes all I wanted was an easier way to make that sauce.

Some substitutions worked.

Some absolutely did not.

That’s how I learned which parts of this recipe are preferences and which parts are actually part of what makes the sauce taste like home.

The SunnyD matters.

The chicken matters.

The raisins matter—even though I strain the little suckers right back out.

The exact amount of cinnamon?

That’s where you get to cook.

This was the meal I asked my mom to make for my birthday every year.

My mom isn’t here anymore, but I still make it for myself.

And after all these years, it still hits home.

Estimated Nutrition

~625 Calories Per Serving

Estimated range: 550–700 calories

Based on one serving of chicken, plenty of orange sauce, and about 1 cup of prepared Chicken Rice-a-Roni.

Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the cut of chicken, amount of butter and SunnyD used, portion of rice, and—most importantly—how aggressively you drown your rice in sauce.

Mama Mothy Measurement Accuracy:
✨ Close enough. Taste your food. ✨