6 Frozen Orange Chicken Meals, Ranked Worst To Best

As a professional chef, I admit I despise the frozen meal section at the grocery store. It's not because I think everything should be made from scratch since I'm some fancy chef — it's honestly because every time in the past when I've gotten a decent-looking frozen meal, I've been incredibly disappointed. It's either too artificial or the texture is completely off; however, I do have a soft spot in my heart for one frozen meal option: orange chicken. I know, while other people might choose one of the premium ice cream brands or pizza, I'm sticking with orange chicken. I don't know if it brings a wave of nostalgia from college or if I'm just addicted to the citrusy, tangy flavor, but I'm completely and utterly obsessed.

Either way, it's one of my favorite freezer section meals. After years of trying different brands, I've realized that not all frozen orange chickens are created equal. Some brands strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor, while I've noticed others fall flat with a sugary sauce and soggy, sponge-like coating. Taking one for the team, I tried six frozen orange chicken meals to find which ones are actually worth buying — and of course, which ones you should avoid. So if you're craving some crispy, juicy orange chicken just as much as I am, use this list as a guide for finding the best frozen orange chicken meal on the market!

While very fast and super easy to prepare, Kevin's Natural Foods Paleo Orange Chicken meal was by far my least favorite out of all six contenders. It's definitely a good option if you're looking for a freezer meal that's soy-free, gluten-free, low in sugar, and dairy-free. But if you don't have any dietary restrictions, it's best to pass on this one the next time you're looking around for a quick freezer meal and instead consider choosing from among nine popular frozen meal brands.

This frozen meal from Kevin's Natural Foods consists of sous vide chicken breast strips with sweet, tangy orange sauce. The only redeeming quality was that the chicken was already fully cooked, and the instructions were easy to follow. All you have to do is dump the sous vide chicken into a heated pan, let it slightly brown, then pour in the citrus sauce and cook it until thickened. While I had hoped that slightly browning the chicken in the pan would give it more flavor, I was definitely wrong. The citrus sauce has an overwhelming, vinegary taste that makes your mouth and nose pucker, and it's accompanied by a subtle bitterness that's hard to wash away. Sadly, the chicken didn't have a crispy coating, and its texture didn't make up for it — it was stringy, chewy, and overall unappetizing. I definitely recommend skipping this one at the grocery store and calling up your local Chinese takeout spot for an order instead. 

To my surprise, Sprouts Mandarin Orange Chicken meal was also one of my least favorites. While the grocery store will always be my No. 1 choice — even when comparing Sprouts to Trader Joe's — its frozen orange chicken meal, consisting of white breast meat coated in a tempura-like batter, was quite a disappointment. I assumed since the ingredient list included potato and tapioca starch in the breading that the chicken would be super crispy and hold up well against the sauce, but I was deeply wrong.

What was supposed to be a crispy, crunchy exterior acted more like a sponge that soaked up the overwhelmingly sugary sauce. Each piece of chicken I bit into filled my mouth with the sauce and had an underlying frostbite flavor. Beyond the breading, the chicken itself had a pretty meaty texture that somewhat reminded me of McDonald's iconic chicken nuggets, which lean on their batter for success. However, the texture of the chicken from Sprouts was definitely the only upside of this meal since its sauce was extremely sweet and was riddled with an artificial orange flavoring. If my local Chinese spot and Sprouts Mandarin Orange Chicken went head-to-head, I'm emptying my wallet for my hometown favorite without question.

Oftentimes, when I get a frozen dinner meal, I expect a few things: the sauce or seasoning to be overpowering, the dish to lack any natural flavor, and the product itself to have an underlying frostbite taste — and that's exactly what InnovAsian's frozen orange chicken delivered. While everything is super easy to prepare and comes together within minutes, this frozen orange chicken meal made me realize that just because it was fast, efficient, and convenient doesn't mean it's worth eating.

To start, the chicken was quite dense, and it seemed a bit dry. It definitely lacked texture, with the sauce completely drowning out its crispy breading — it basically tastes like subpar chicken nuggets tossed in sweet syrup. The sauce did have a decent citrus flavor; however, it also had that super sugary and artificial taste with that infamous neon orange hue. Overall, this frozen orange chicken meal lacked in texture and flavor, with the only saving grace being its strong citrus flavor. In comparison to takeout, InnovAsian wouldn't stand a chance.

Coming in at third overall on the list is Foster Farms' orange chicken. Honestly, the Foster Farms and P.F. Chang's orange chicken (my No. 2 pick) were quite similar; they both had a pretty decent sauce with strong notes of citrus and a fairly thick, silky consistency. Although the Foster Farms sauce was a little bit more sugary than its competitors, a splash of vinegar or soy sauce could easily balance out the dish.

However, what stood out to me the most was the texture of the Foster Farms chicken — it felt a little bit gummy and almost like the brand pureed the chicken meat rather than leaving it in whole chunks. The coating of breading adhered well to the sauce, and it did have a pretty crispy, crunchy texture even after I poured on the sauce. I believe that if the chicken didn't have such a gummy texture and the sauce wasn't so sweet, then this one would've been a top contender. If you're craving orange chicken, then I would definitely order it from your local Chinese takeout spot because nothing will beat a well-balanced sauce and a piece of chicken that doesn't taste like it comes from a freezer bag.

Without any surprise, P.F. Chang's frozen orange chicken meal was one of my favorites. When I was buying it at the store, I did have some doubts, though. When large restaurant chains create freezer food section products, it's oftentimes not always the best. However, P.F. Chang's frozen version of this classic Chinese-American dish is one of the rare exceptions.

What stood out to me the most was the sauce — it was a good balance of sweet and savory flavor with subtle notes of fresh ginger and chili flakes. The chicken has a slightly rubbery, chewy texture, but its crispy, crunchy coating definitely makes up for that. In addition to the chicken, it also has a medley of veggies, including sliced carrots, water chestnuts, and edamame beans. While I'm not a fan of most frozen veggies, these actually improve the dish, giving it a bit more substance and a fresher flavor. Overall, the texture of the chicken can improve, but if you put this side by side with a takeout orange chicken, it would be pretty hard for me to tell the difference.

I will be the first to admit that when I started to do the research and make a list of different frozen orange chicken to try, I thought that the Trader Joe's version would rank toward the bottom. Shocking, I know — the store has quite a devoted following when it comes to some of the hidden gems in its freezer aisle. But I'll be honest. I've never been a convert. That all quickly changed when I tried its take on frozen orange chicken. Consisting of breaded, crispy chicken served with a side of a sweet and savory citrus sauce that's made with real California citrus, garlic, ginger, and scallions — this frozen orange chicken is like no other.

The sauce has a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors with a profound zesty, citrusy kick. Unlike some other frozen orange chicken meals I tried, the Trader Joe's version was the only one that had an audible crunch when biting into the chicken. Its crunchy, deep-fried coating beat all of the other contenders out of the park, with the cragged, crispy bits of chicken skin soaked up in that delicious sauce being my favorite part of the whole dish. Surprisingly, the chicken was super tender — plump, juicy, and fresh — nothing you'd expect from the freezer section. Overall, the Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken was the closest in flavor and texture to takeout on the list and should definitely be on your radar the next time you're perusing its freezer section.

For this ranking, I purchased four of the frozen orange chicken meals at Target — the P.F. Chang's, InnovAsian, Foster Farms, and Kevin's Natural Foods — and picked up the Trader Joe's and Sprouts orange chicken meals at their respective stores. Each frozen orange chicken meal was prepared according to its packaging instructions, ensuring all of the brands had an equal opportunity for their best result.

I evaluated each brand on four criteria: the chicken meat quality (texture and flavor), the sauce (balance of sweet, savory, and citrusy flavor), the breading (crispness and texture), and an overall impression of how close it came to real Chinese food takeout. Based on my taste test, the frozen orange chicken meals that were overly sweet or soggy or tasted artificial ranked lower on the list, while those that closely resembled takeout orange chicken and had the best overall flavor ranked toward the top of the list.