37 Best Orange Chicken Sides - Greedy Girl Gourmet

The best side dishes for orange chicken that are better than takeout, with a variety of flavors and textures to complete that sweet and sour orange sauce!

A plate of Chinese lo mein spaghetti noodles with green veggies.

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Noodles
Fish
Rice
Bread
Pork
Snacks
Veggies
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Orange chicken is a perfect Chicken Recipe for Date Night, but needs a couple of easy sides to make it a complete meal! Since there's already protein in the chicken, I've focused mostly on veg and carb sides below.

Noodles

Chow Mein

If it's Lo Mein you prefer, I have a recipe for that below too!

15 Min Chow Mein Recipe with Spaghetti

On the dinner table in 15 minutes, this easy Chow Mein recipe with spaghetti noodles with vegetables is a family favorite! The noodles are coated in a deliciously savoury sauce, and ever so moreish- healthier and better than takeout!

Click here for the veggie chow mein recipe.

Close-up of a forkful of chow mein spaghetti noodles.

Ginger Scallion Noodles

This traditional Chinese noodle recipe is very simple in taste but still so flavourful. The simplicity of the sauce makes it a great complement for the complex orange chicken sauce.

Ginger Scallion Noodles (15 minutes)

This yummy Easy Ginger Scallion Noodles (葱油拌面/ 葱油面) only needs 6 ingredients, such as soy sauce, for the Chinese Ginger Scallion Oil Sauce! You can use Ramen Noodles, Udon, Rice Paper Noodles etc. (Under 30 minutes meal that is better than takeout. Fried Egg optional. With a Vegan Option.)

Click here for the classic Chinese noodles recipe.

Stir-fried Rice Noodles

A pair of chopsticks grabbing some fried vermicelli noodles with sliced carrots.

Singapore Fried Vermicelli (Bihun Goreng)

Singapore Fried Vermicelli, also known as Bihun Goreng, is delicious, easy to cook and quick to make in under 30 minutes. Using only simple ingredients (no chicken broth needed), it's a complete meal in itself. It's also cheap enough that some hawker centres (street food stalls) in Singapore sell it for only S$2/ US$1.50!

Click here for the Economic Noodles Recipe.

A plate of Singaporean fried vermicelli noodles with egg, carrot and fish cake.

Singapore Noodles

Close-up of chopsticks picking up a shrimp from a plate of shrimp Mei Fun.

This actually isn't a Singaporean recipe, despite the name- for real Singaporean recipes, click here.

Shrimp Mei Fun (Fried Rice Noodles)

Shrimp Mei Fun is an easy Stir Fried Thin Rice Noodles Dish. Packed with shrimp and vegetables, it's a complete meal with fibre and protein that cam be made in under 30 minutes!

Click here for the classic Chinese takeaway recipe.

Sesame Noodles

Sesame noodles is a 15-minute tasty side dish that is typically served cold. Coated in a savory, sometimes spicy, sesame sauce, it's a great make-ahead side for a Chinese feast! (Just add red pepper flakes if you want more heat!)

Note: if you want to go more multi-culture, Korean cold noodles is another good meal prep side dish.

Spicy Garlic Noodles

A plate of spicy chili oil garlic noodles on a blue and white plate.

If you're short on time, here are 16 more delicious Asian recipes ready in under 15 minutes.

Spicy Garlic Noodles (10 min)

This easy Spicy Garlic Noodles recipe tastes even better than instant chicken ramen Budak noodles or lo mein! Serve it plain or with an egg. So quick to make, it's on the dinner table in 10 minutes- the prefect Asian comfort food.

Click here for the quick and easy noodle recipe.

A plate of spicy Chinese noodles with chili oil.

Thai Noodles Salad

A plate of Thai vermicelli noodles amongst Chinese New Year decorations.

Thai Vermicelli Noodle Salad with Abalone

Tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory, this light Thai Vermicelli with Abalone Salad is a great make-ahead recipe for your Chinese New Year 2023 celebration dinner. It can even be a no-cook recipe, and is the perfect dish for beginner home chefs!

Click here for the Thai cold noodle recipe.

Vermicelli glass noodles mixed with sliced abalone, coriander, peanuts and dried shrimp on a leaf-shaped plate.

Spaghetti Kee Mao

Close-up of a plate of spicy Thai basil spaghetti.

Easy Drunken Noodles Recipe (Spaghetti)

This easy Drunken Noodles recipe, also known as Drunkard Noodles recipe (Pad Kee Mao), uses readily available ingredients, such as spaghetti and canned tuna, but also shares the steps and ingredients to make an authentic version. It's a deliciously quick weeknight dinner, on the dinner table in under 30 minutes! (Despite the name, there is no alcohol in the recipe- the spicy noodles do taste amazing with a cold beer though!)

Click here for the Drunken Spaghetti recipe.

Lo Mein

Vegetable or Shrimp Lo Mein is an easy 20-minute noodle takeout recipe.

Lo Mein Spaghetti Noodles (Veggies)

On the dinner table in 15 minutes, this quick and easy Lo Mein recipe with spaghetti noodles & vegetables is better than takeout! The noodles are coated in a deliciously savoury sauce, and you won't get enough. (No wok needed- I use a large skillet!)

Click here for the veggie noodle recipe.

Fish

Baked Salmon

Asian Honey Garlic Salmon

This easy baked Honey Garlic Salmon is a delicious Asian Glazed Salmon with a soy sauce and ginger marinade. A sheet pan dinner baked in the oven, with a scrumptious sauce, and perfect served as an Asian salmon rice bowl or with a side of salad. (Non Spicy)

Click here for the Asian baked fish recipe.

Asian glazed salmon with honey garlic soy sauce.

Steamed Salmon

Chinese Steamed Salmon (25 min)

Chinese Steamed Fish with ginger and scallions and soy sauce is an easy, delicious, healthy fish recipe. I use salmon fillet- after a very quick marinade, the fish is steamed and drizzled with a flavourful sauce that is delicious with rice. This Chinese style steamed fish fillet is ready in only 20 minutes, making it one of my weeknight staple dishes.

Click here for the Asian steamed fish recipe.

Side shot of Chinese steamed salmon fish in a soy based sauce with spring onions.

Rice

The crispy chicken in a sweet and tangy sauce makes Orange chicken taste great with even just a simple bowl of white rice, brown rice or even cauliflower rice!

However, if you want something fancier, try 1 of these Asian rice recipes!

Tuna Fried Rice

This tuna fried rice is tasty but quite simple in flavor, making it perfect for absorbing that delicious orange chicken sauce!

EASY Canned Tuna Fried rice (30 min)

This easy Canned Tuna Fried Rice recipe is simple, nutritious, and delicious. Done in 30 minutes, it's a great pantry meal for a quick weeknight dinner. (I also show you how to make it spicy, or non-spicy.)

Click here for the Thai fried rice recipe.

Claypot Rice

This is a classic Cantonese recipe that is a palaver to make in the traditional way- luckily I have a rice cooker hack for you below! (More rice cooker recipes here.)

Chinese Claypot Rice (Rice Cooker)

This easy Chinese Claypot Rice is a restaurant quality Hong Kong dish made in a Rice Cooker with Chinese mushrooms and Chinese sausage- better than takeout! (For lazy days when you want to cook last-minute, I've included a no chicken version.)

Click here for the traditional Cantonese rice recipe.

Chinese claypot rice with Chinese sausage and mushrooms in a bowl.

Pumpkin Seafood Rice

Chinese Pumpkin Rice

This Chinese Pumpkin rice is a super easy and flavorful rice cooker recipe: the soft pumpkin cubes melt in your mouth, contrasting with the firm bite of the white rice grains. Moreover, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and the rest of the work is up to your rice cooker!

Click here for the rice cooker recipe.

Close-up of a bowl of brown coloured rice with pumpkin cubes, red chili, coriander and dried prawns.

Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice

A skillet full of Thai basil fried rice with carrots, garlic, shallots and chilies around it.

Surprised to see a Thai recipe on this list?

It's actually MUCH easier to fry rice Thai style than to do it the Chinese way, as the Thai seasoning is so flavorful, it'll mask bad stir-frying skills! (Chinese fried rice has to be done over HIGH heat to taste good.)

Thai Basil Fried Rice (Vegetarian) (20 min)

This Vegan/ Vegetarian Thai Basil Fried Rice is a deliciously easy dish on the dinner table in under 20 minutes. It's the ultimate Asian comfort food: sweet, salty, savory, and budget-friendly! (Not including rice cooking time, if not using leftover rice.)

Click here for the spicy Thai fried rice recipe.

A spoonful of vegetarian Thai fried rice with Thai basil, peas, carrots and chilies.

Pandan Rice

2 easy Pandan Rice recipes: I show you how to cook a fragrant white rice or a pandan-flavored, olive-green, creamy rice using 2-3 simple ingredients.

Click here for the southeast asian rice recipe.

A Singporean meal with 2 types of pandan rice, fried egg, eggplant and sambal kangkong.

Shrimp Fried Rice

A plate of Spicy Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp and Egg.

Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong)

This Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong) is quick easy and delicious: it's on the table in under 30 minutes if you have leftover rice. Plus making it at home means you can save money and custmise it to your desired spice level!

Click here for the prawn fried rice recipe.

Chicken Rice Soup

A bowl of chicken soup with rice, made with leftover roast chicken meat.

One of my favourite ways to finish up leftover roast chicken, you can reduce the amount of chicken in the rice soup if serving with orange chicken.

Chinese Chicken Rice Soup (One Pot)

This easy Chinese Chicken Rice Soup is made in one-pot. Nourishing and warming, it's the perfect Asian comfort food for the colder weather of fall or winter that the whole family will love! I show you how to make it from scratch using fresh ingredients, as well as a quicker 15-minute hack using leftovers.

Click here for the leftover chicken recipe.

A bowl of chicken rice soup with chicken thigh fillet.

Fried Rice

Personally, I wouldn't go with something as strongly flavoured as Kimchi Fried rice but a more neutral Egg Fried Rice with Soy Sauce or Yang Zhou Fried Rice (扬州炒饭), paired with these easy rice side dishes, would go really well with orange chicken!

The savory fried rice with the sweet and sour chicken is the perfect balance of flavors and textures!

Bread

If you're tired of the typical rice or noodle side dish, mantou bao buns are a great carb when serving orange chicken- they're delicious dipped into the sticky sauce!

Alternatively, try some of these classic Asian bread recipes.

1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

If you want a neutral flavor, just omit the matcha powder!

Easy Matcha Buns (1-rise Mantou)

An easy matcha bun (Chinese mantou bao) recipe which only requires 1 proof (1 rise), along with a mantou FAQ section on how to use a metal steamer (instead of the traditional bamboo steamer) and why your naturally vegan matcha buns aren't smooth.

Click here for the mantou bao recipe.

6 green & white mantou buns on a serving board.

Spiral Pandan Mantou (Steamed Chinese Buns)

Click here for the spiral bao buns.

A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.

Wonton Soup

Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

If you're vegan, I have a vegan version of Orange Chicken and more Chinese vegan recipes here! Delicious with fried garlic slices on top!

Tip: wonton goes superbly with home pickled green chilies!

Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds

Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!

Click here for the vegan Chinese soup recipe.

Cabbage Soup

Chinese Da Ba Cai Tang with wolf berries in a Dutch oven.

Easy Chinese Cabbage Soup Recipe (20 minutes)

This easy and quick Chinese Cabbage Soup is a nutritious dish on the dinner table in 20 minutes (unlike other Asian soups which typically take forever to cook!) Moreover, you can get the ingredients at your regular store without having to go to the Asian market (just substitute the goji berries with carrots.) I also show you how to make a light version for a family dinner in summer and a heartier one for winter.

Click here for the Napa Cabbage Soup recipe.

Scooping up some homemade Chinese Cabbage Soup with wolfberries.

Egg Drop Soup

2 bowls of egg drop corn soup, 1 with turmeric and 1 without. — Want to know the secret of why 1 is pale and the other is vibrantly yellow? Click through to the recipe!

Corn Egg Drop Soup (10-min)

This authentic Corn Egg Drop Soup recipe is a quick and easy but delicious healthy Chinese soup that only takes 10 minutes to cook on the stovetop! Made with only simple ingredients that you can find in a regular grocery store, but so much better than takeout! You can also add tofu, noodles, chicken and dumplings.

Click here for the classic Chinese takeout soup recipe.

Holding up a bowl of egg drop soup with corn.

Easy Authentic Egg Drop Soup

This easy authentic egg drop soup is a healthy Chinese soup recipe that can be easily made for dinner for one, for two, or a meal for a crowd. You can even add tofu, chicken, noodles, or dumplings to bulk it up. It's a fakeaway recipe better than takeout! (10 minute recipe)

Click here for the classic soup recipe.

Scooping up Chinese egg drop soup from a bowl.

Chinese Pumpkin Soup

Close-up of a bowl of Chinese steamed soup in a pumpkin bowl.

Chinese Pumpkin Soup with Carrots

A deliciously savory dish, this Chinese Pumpkin Soup with carrots is also very nutritious and really easy to make in a few simple steps! (Basically, cut + steam!)

Click here for the Chinese Soup recipe.

A hand holding Chinese pumpkin soup served in a small pumpkin and white bowl.

Hot and Sour Soup

This easy, vegan version of hot and sour soup (酸辣汤) requires only a few ingredients!

Pork

If you want more protein, try some of these easy Chinese pork recipes. My favorite is this 5-ingredient spare ribs recipe that is fingerlicking good!

EASY 12345 Chinese Ribs (5-ingredients)

These Chinese Spare Ribs are delicious, finger-licking Asian-style pork spare ribs that are as simple to cook as 12345 (a mnemonic device that will also help you recall the recipe.) Using only the Asian pantry staples of wine, dark soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to braise the meat, with only a few minutes of active cooking, this is the best easy sticky Chinese Spare Ribs for a lazy food lover.

Click here for the braised pork recipe.

Braised Pork Shoulder

A spoonful of homemade soy sauce braised pork.

Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

A super easy recipe to make for a weekday dinner after work, this braised pork dish is a delicious comfort food that doesn't require much prep time.

Click here for the soy sauce pork recipe.

Close-up of a spoonful of braised pork shoulder with carrot and coriander.

Snacks

Scallion Pancakes

Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)

Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.

Click here for the Chinese spring onion pancake recipe.

Egg Rolls

These Shrimp Egg Rolls are a freezer-friendly, tasty side dish with a crispy exterior and flavorful filling. It's the perfect no-hassle side as you can make them in advance!

Spring Rolls

A lighter alternative to egg rolls, Springs Rolls or 春卷 are filled with fresh vegetables such as carrots and radish, and also pair well with orange chicken. Dip them in the orange chicken sauce!

Veggies

Pickled Cucumbers

Sliced cucumbers and red chilies in a glass jar.

A burst of acid helps to brighten many Chinese dishes, and is a great palate cleanser!

Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers (5-min)

These easy and delicious Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers are ready in 5 minutes, and make a great cooling side dish in summer! (I show you how to make 2 versions: 1 that can be immediately after tossing in the brine (the 5-min recipe) and a 2nd that has a milder flavor and needs to pickle for 15- 30 minutes.)

Click here for the Asian pickled vegetables recipe.

A jar of homemade pickled cucumbers with chilies and an onion next to it.

Soy Marinated Avocado

Using a wooden spoon to scoop avocado chunks into soy sauce brine.

Mayak Avocado

Mayak Avocado is an addictively good Soy Sauce Avocado Recipe that only takes minutes to make and is great for meal prep! Paired with a plain bowl of white rice, this easy Korean side dish tastes incredible. As it's a no-cook recipe, it's the perfect summer recipe to stay cool and on the table in under 20 minutes.

Click here for the soy sauce avocado side dish.

A wooden spoon scooping up some Mayak Avocado.

Mango Tomato Salad

Using a spoon to mix tomato halves, mango cubes and cucumbers.

Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian)

This Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian recipe) is a light and refreshing side dish full of tropical flavor. Quick and easy, it's a sweet, savory and crunchy recipe perfect for camping or a summer barbecue. Plus, unlike many salads, there is no sour cream or olive oil used, so it's healthier and less heavy!

Click here for the mango salad recipe.

Cucumber Salad

Cut cucumbers with chilli oil, soy sauce and vinegar heaped on top of them.

Cold cucumber salad recipe

The easy Chinese cold cucumber salad recipe is delicious and full of spicy flavor. Best of all, it only requires 4-ingredients and takes 5-10 minutes to make.

Click here for the Chinese Cucumber salad recipe.

Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

Steamed Vegetables

Steamed veggies are a classic side dish that can go with just about anything! Think steamed broccoli, green beans, snow peas, carrots, and bok choy to add color, texture, and flavor to the meal.

Soy Mushrooms

A plate of seared mushrooms tossed in a butter soy sauce.

Ok, mushrooms are technically not a veg, but you know what I mean- they're good for you. So good, you should check out this list of easy Asian mushroom side dishes!

Quick Eryngii Mushrooms (3-ingredients)

A 25-minute, easy to make and delicious eryngii mushroom recipe. These have a nice meaty texture which make them great meat substitutes for vegan meals.

Click here for the easy soy butter mushroom recipe.

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