Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky

If you’ve been following our camping adventures over on 2 Nerds in a Truck, you’ve probably seen that I’ve been having WAY too much fun with our new food dehydrator and jerky gun.

As soon as I realized that making a batch of homemade jerky only takes about 15 minutes of work, and making SMALL batches of jerky meant never having to commit to just one flavour... I went a bit wild with it.

So, in an effort to not turn my camping blog into a full out jerky making blog, I figure I should start distributing new jerky recipes to my other food blogs.

Spread the love around, and all!

After the first 8 or so recipe ideas - mostly fairly traditional jerky profiles - we started getting a bit more wild with it, incorporating the flavours of our favourite chicken dishes into a jerky format.

In this case, we took inspiration from the flavours from my Gluten-Free Orange Chicken.

Is it a weird idea for a jerky flavour? Probably.

Is it one of the best chicken jerkies I’ve ever had in my life - homemade OR purchased?

Absolutely!

We’ve only had our new food dehydrator for less than a year, and it’s already paid for itself many times over.

It’s been pretty fabulous to being able 15 minutes away from putting a new batch of gourmet jerky in the dehydrator, whenever an idea hits!

Anyway, let’s get to what you’ll need to know...

Equipment

There are two pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky. Well, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups, anyway. They are:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make homemade chicken jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had a couple other food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls. I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them, to be honest. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and I LOVE it.

It was something like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!.

A Jerky Gun

AKA a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a food grade caulking gun that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto some parchment paper.

The one I use is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . It’s regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon code for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

It’s been worth every penny, even if I HAD paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

With only 2 exceptions, the ingredients in this spicy orange jerky recipe are super simple - you probably even have them on hand!

As for those last two, they may be specialty, but I use them in pretty much all of my jerky recipes. They’ll definitely get used, if you’re a jerky fan!

Some notes for you:

Lean Ground Chicken

Use the highest quality ground chicken you can when making chicken jerky.

While fresh or frozen will usually work in my jerky recipes, I recommend using fresh, when possible.

Thawed, previously-frozen ground chicken can end up a bit more “watery”, and dry down to a thinner jerky than fresh ground chicken does, in my experience!

If you want to make your own ground chicken, trim some boneless skinless chicken breasts - plain chicken - and run them through a food processor or meat grinder until well broken down.

Lean chicken breast meat will have a better shelf life than higher fat dark meat will - fat can go rancid.

Finally, if you want to make turkey jerky, feel free to use the same amount of lean ground turkey. For that matter, you can swap the meat our for whatever kind of ground meat you prefer!

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

As with most of my jerky recipes, I developed this Orange Chicken Jerky recipe using Coconut Aminos, which is what I use for myself - it’s gluten free and paleo/AIP friendly.

Tamari is another gluten free option (USUALLY GF, anyway!), or you could use plain old Soy Sauce, if gluten isn’t an issue for you.

Regular soy sauce tends to be saltier than Coconut Aminos, though. For best results, I recommend using low sodium soy sauce, if possible - otherwise, you might want to cut back the salt (regular, NOT the curing salt) amount.

Whichever you use, it brings some umami - savory flavor - to the orange chicken jerky.

Liquid Smoke

As with all of my jerky recipes, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke

I only use a small amount in this recipe, to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour. It’s not at all overpowering, just an accent - a little goes a lot way!.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market. It’s not something you’ll normally cook with, but it’ll last a long time - a little goes a long way!

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier spicy orange chicken jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Zest of 2 Oranges
Honey
Rice Vinegar
Ground Ginger
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Powder
Salt

... as always, I don’t really have anything to add, when it comes to these last few ingredients!

How to Make Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - for best results, it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it.

Use a spoon to load the mixture into a jerky gun, taking care to avoid creating air bubbles.

Line your dehydrator racks with the cut parchment paper, then pipe your jerky strips out onto them, leaving some space in between each.

Return to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken strips.)

To test for doneness, remove a piece of Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky Storage

Allow jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Spicy Orange Chicken jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of chicken jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Homemade Jerky Recipes

Are you a fan of jerky, whether for road tripping, camping, or just as a high protein snack? I have SO much fun making it - here are some of my go-to recipes for homemade jerkies!

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Blueberry Bison Jerky
Buffalo Wing Chicken Jerky
Chipotle Chicken Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Ground Venison Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Honey Garlic Chicken Jerky
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Maple Bacon Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Rosemary & Blueberry Beef Jerky
Shawarma Chicken Jerky
Spicy Garlic Chicken Jerky
Sriracha Chicken Jerky
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky

... But wait, there's more! We've been having so much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!