This golden Cilantro Orange Chicken is so flavorful, crisped to golden brown perfection, and just very finger-licking good! Served with rice, beans, and a quick homemade pineapple salsa.

This is a brand new recipe that’s part of our Spring 2023 SOS Series – in other words, EASY recipes! View our full collection of SOS recipes here.

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In This Post: Everything You Need For Cilantro Orange Chicken

JUICINESS alert! This golden Cilantro Orange Chicken is so flavorful, crisped to golden brown perfection, and just very finger-licking good. You’re going to need some napkins.

When I’m being normal, I usually serve it with rice, beans, and quick homemade pineapple salsa – which all just works together so well, you know? It has a Cuban feel to it: a mojo-like sauce with rice and beans and some tropical fruit on the plate for good measure. Yum. Yum yum yum.

But the beautiful thing is that if you don’t have time or patience for the extras, or you’re your most hungry and desperate self, the chicken can very much stand on its own.

It’s rare for me to really love a “plain chicken” recipe, but this chicken is eat-directly-off-the-pan delicious. Just brush that burnished chicken with some extra sauce straight out of the oven, pass me a couple skewers, and I am done. It’s all I need! Just a snack-turned-dinner standing over the stove.

Source Notes: I got the idea for this recipe from this Milkstreet cookbook. I played around with it a lot with things I thought I wanted: added limes, added spices, etc. but ended up just loving the original version plus vinegar for more punch! It’s delicious.

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Description

This golden Cilantro Orange Chicken is so flavorful, crisped to golden brown perfection, and just very finger-licking good! Served with rice, beans, and a quick homemade pineapple salsa.

Cilantro Orange Sauce:

Chicken:

Optional / For Serving:

  1. If you’re using wood skewers, start soaking them!
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Turn on the broiler, and make sure one of the oven racks is way up at the top, about 6 inches from the heating element.
  3. Place chicken in a large mixing bowl. 
  4. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
  5. Pour only half of the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat; reserve the other half of the sauce for later. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, or you can just let the excess sauce drip off and add the chicken directly to your sheet pan! If you want (I do!) season the chicken with a little pinch of extra salt.
  6. Broil for 12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and has a burnished and golden exterior.
  7. Optional – mix a little bit of the reserved sauce with the diced pineapple/mango/avocado to make a little “salsa.”
  8. Brush the golden brown chicken with reserved sauce. Serve chicken with rice, beans, and your fruit salsa! Fresh, juicy and savory, so good.

Notes

My oven has high / low broil settings – I use the high broil for this recipe.

Related
Try This Next Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame

If you’re using wood skewers, make sure you soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before threading the chicken on and baking.

When using parchment paper, mine usually gets a bit brittle around the edges but stays intact throughout the middle of the pan due to the moisture from the sauce and the chicken. This article says you can use parchment for a broil, and it has always worked for me! But if you’re feeling unsure about it you can use aluminum foil.

The sauce has a lot of salt, and that is on purpose – you’re only putting half of the sauce on the chicken, and even then, not all of it will actually bake into the chicken. If you’re worried about it, you can start with 1 teaspoon in the sauce and just add extra salt to taste the chicken itself during or after baking.

I like this yellow rice, and this precooked yellow rice. For beans, I like these refried beans, or these ready-to-serve black beans.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Cuban-Inspired

Keywords: cilantro chicken, garlic chicken, cilantro garlic chicken, rice bowl, chicken skewers

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Do I Have To Use Skewers?

Nope. You can place the chicken directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and position the pan 4-6 inches below the broiler. You’ll get the same juicy-delicious burnishing on the outside of the chicken without the work of the skewers! (But… if you have time, the skewers are definitely fun.) You can use these simple wood skewers* or metal skewers* to use over and over again!

What If I Don’t Like Cilantro?

I would recommend another herb like parsley, basil, or maybe some oregano. Green onion could be good, too.

Do I Need To Marinate The Chicken?

I didn’t marinate the chicken – it was still great, especially because the sauce has a lot of flavor and you’re going to brush that over the chicken again before eating it. This is an SOS recipe (aka easy recipe) so we’re trying to keep the whole process simple and streamlined!

But if you had time and you wanted to marinate the chicken, I think that would be delicious! Just be sure to save some of your sauce in a separate container so you can use it for brushing after it’s done.

What About Grilling?

Yes! This would be so great on the grill. Here in Minnesota, we are not in grill season quite yet, so at the moment I prefer to just pop them in the oven. But if you’ve got your grill up and running, by all means!

What’s a Good Vegetarian Substitution?

I think you could do something similar with roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms! For a protein option, I’d try coating crispy baked tofu in this sauce and then roasting it for a few extra minutes to get it caramelized.

More Delicious Chicken and Rice Recipes

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Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame

I love summer salads like this Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame that has an amazing cumin-lime vinaigrette! And did you know that edamame is low in net carbs and high in protein!

PIN Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame to try it later!

This tasty Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame is something I’d love to make over and over in the summer when fresh tomatoes are so good. And both edamame and avocado are healthy foods that always feel like a treat!

I first made this recipe years ago when frozen edamame was only available in the shell, at least at the stores where I shopped. But now I can get shelled edamame at Kroger near me, and they make it much easier to get this on the table. And recently I came across this recipe back in the archives and got inspired to make it again, and I think the new photos really show off the deliciousness of this combination!

If you’ve enjoyed edamame as an appetizer in a sushi restaurant, I bet you’ll enjoy them in this salad. And if you’re lucky enough to have fresh garden tomatoes, that will only make the salad better!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What is Edamame?

Edamame is the name for immature soybeans that are shelled out of the pod and then eaten, and they’re a favorite appetizer with Asian food. You can probably find shelled edamame, which I do highly recommend, and they are often sold frozen, near the frozen vegetables.

Is Edamame high in carbs?

Edamame does have some carbs, but it’s also very high in fiber. One cup of shelled edamame has about 13.8 carbs, but 8 grams of fiber, and edamame is also high in protein. Check out the nutritional information for edamame and you might be surprised.

How to store avocado so it stays good longer:

I used to look longingly at those big bags of avocados at Costco but never buy them because I couldn’t use that many avocados before they went bad. Then I learned that once avocados are ripe, if you keep them in the fridge they last for days and days without getting any softer. I wish I remembered who told me about this, because that bit of avocado storage information has changed my life.

How to Make Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Dice the avocados, put in a bowl, then add fresh lime juice and stir until avocado pieces are all coated with lime.
  2. Drain thawed edamame into a colander placed in the sink. Pat dry with paper towels if needed.
  3. I took a photo of the edamame in a measuring cup to show you that a 12 oz. bag of frozen shelled edamame made almost exactly two cups of shelled edamame.
  4. Cut tomatoes in half so you have 2 cups of tomatoes.
  5. Slice green onions, more or less to taste.
  6. For an easy dressing I whisked together lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal (links are affiliate links).
  7. I love this dressing with lots of lime, but taste after you mix the dressing and see if you want to add a bit more olive oil.
  8. Mix together tomato and edamame and toss with the dressing. (You might not need all the dressing.)
  9. Then mix in avocado.
  10. Serve salad right away.
  11. This was surprisingly good when it had been in the fridge overnight, although I don’t think it would last more than one day.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

I would definitely eat this Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame as just a whole-meal salad for a light lunch, but it would make a geat side dish for something like Grilled Fish with Lemon and Capers, Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables, or Marinated Grilled Flank Steak.

More Salads with Avocados

If you’re an avocado fan like I am, check out 26 Amazing Salads with Avocado.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 2 small avocados
  • 1 T fresh lime juice
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 12 oz. frozen shelled edamame (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion

Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

  • 4 T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (or salt)
  • 3 T extra-virgin olive oil (more or less to taste)

Instructions

  1. Dice the avocados into a bowl, then add fresh lime juice and stir until avocado pieces are all coated with lime. (This keeps the avocado from turning brown
  2. Thaw frozen edamame overnight in the fridge, then drain into a colander placed in the sink. I would pat them dry with paper towels after they dry,
  3. Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half until you have enough to make 2 cups of tomatoes. (Or use diced fresh garden tomatoes if you have some!
  4. Slice about 1/2 cup of green onion, more or less to taste
  5. Whisked together lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal (or a slightly smaller amount of salt) to make the dressing.\
  6. I loved this dressing with lots of lime, but taste after you mix the dressing and see if you want to add a bit more olive oil
  7. Mix together tomato and edamame and toss with the desired amount of dressing
  8. Then gently mix in the chopped pieces of avocado
  9. Serve salad right away, although this was surprisingly still quite good when it had been in the fridge overnight.

Notes

Twelve ounces of frozen shelled edamame is about 2 cups.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 198Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 263mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 6gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame is a great option for low-carb or Keto diets with only 5 net carbs per serving! All the ingredients here do have some carbs, but they’re also loaded with nutritional benefits, and edamame has lots of fiber so it’s low in net carbs. This is also good or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although it might be a bit of a splurge on fat for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This favorite salad with tomato, avocado, and edamame was first posted in 2009, probably with a photo that would make me shudder now. The recipe was last updated in 2023, with greatly improved photos and more information.

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Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving

  • Calories N/A
  • Total Fat N/A
  • Saturated Fat N/A
  • Cholesterol N/A
  • Sodium N/A
  • Total Carbohydrates N/A
  • Protein N/A
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Hi, I'm Alex!

I love sharing easy, healthy, and family-friendly recipes that anyone can make at home.