Dinner · asian

Orange Chicken with Microwave Rice and Edamame

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken is one of the best freezer shortcuts you can buy, and pairing it with microwave rice and edamame turns it into a balanced dinner in 15 minutes flat.

Orange Chicken with Microwave Rice and Edamame
Make ahead: Orange chicken reheats well in an air fryer at 375F for 3 minutes.

How to make it

  1. Preheat oven to 400F or heat a skillet over medium-high per package directions.

  2. Cook orange chicken per package and warm the included sauce separately in a small bowl or pot.

  3. Microwave rice pouches per package, about 90 seconds each.

  4. Microwave edamame per package, about 3 minutes, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

  5. Serve chicken over rice with sauce drizzled over and edamame on the side.

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken is the gold standard here, consistently rated better than most restaurant versions. Ben's Original or Seeds of Change microwave rice pouches work perfectly and require no pots. Frozen shelled edamame is available at Trader Joe's, Target, and most grocery stores. The sauce packet that comes with the orange chicken is good, but a drizzle of extra soy sauce on the rice is a nice touch.

Add sliced green onion and sesame seeds on top for adults. Toss in a handful of frozen broccoli on the baking sheet in the last 8 minutes of cooking. Frozen potstickers can cook alongside on a separate sheet pan if you need more food for the table.

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Times are approximate. Adjust to your stove and your kids.