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Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.
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Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- To make orange sauce:
- In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
- To make chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
- Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
- Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!
Made this dish last night but with talapia and shrimp as I’m pescatarian. It was absolutely delicious!!!! My sister said it was the best dish I’ve ever made for her and she cleaned her plate!
Did you just put the sauce over the talapia and shrimp?? Did you deep fry the talapia and shrimp??
I did this today for sunday dinner was awesome I love it
Superb! Decades ago when I lived in Los Angeles I would order takeout orange peel chicken from the iconic restaurant Genghis Cohen. I’ve craved it recently and this recipe did not disappoint. Absolutely delicious!
Didn’t have the zest or the ginger but it was still delicious.
This is the second time I make this Orange Chicken. Let me just say mmm, mmm, mmmmmmm????????????, Deeelicious. The sauce totally makes it. I followed the recipe exactly, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s tangy, a little spicy and a little sweet, so good. My teens prefer the chicken without sauce, but my husband and I loved it. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for posting it.
The Orange chicken recipe is out of this world good. It is better than any restaurant chicken. Loved it will make this my favorite recipe.
Hi,
how many people does this recipe serve? also, how much orange zest should I add? Please answer. thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it for the first time and it worked. Easy and delicious- definitely my kind of recipe.
Truly remarkable. I only used 2 1/2 large chicken breasts, and it seemed to be the right amount for the sauce and four/corn starch dredge. This gave enough sauce to coat all the pieces well, and to drip onto the rice. Winner recipe. Thank you for sharing it. We served it with sliced roasted broccoli.
Excellent recipe! Absolutely delicious!!! Tehe orange sauce is amazing!
did you use store bought oj or fresh squeeze
Hello. When this question comes up for anything (fresh vs not fresh), Always choose fresh when possible.
Where ya gonna get the zest from?
Zest your orange before you squeeze the juice out.
I had a bag of mandarin “cuties” so used the zest and added several peeled slices into the mixture.
I used simply orange
I also made this recipe and used Tropicana orange juice instead of taking my chances on a store orange not being great.
I know! it amazing!
Out of a lot of recipes I’ve used this one is the best!????????????