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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!
I have already prepared my ingredients. I have a couple of errands to run and then come back home and make this. Thank you so much Melissa. I love this idea, and what a great dinner. My boys love Orange Chicken.
You’re The Best, and Thank you so much.
I love how you can really taste the orange in the sauce. This is my new favorite chicken recipe of all time.
I was looking for the serving #. It doesn’t say on the recipe. Since there are 4 chicken breast would that be 8 servings?
The thing I want.
Did anyone answer the servings question ?
I have a family of 6 and it fed us all with some left-overs!
Depends on the amount of rice that you serve with it, one or two scops!!!
What’s the serving size? thanks
This recipe is AMAZING! The sauce has a really nice, bright orange flavor and isn’t overpoweringly sweet.
I usually don’t leave reviews on recipes, but this recipe is a highly requested family favorite so I had to! 10/10!!!
Delicious. This orange chicken recipe is better than any frozen, homemade, chain or Chinese takeout I have eaten. For personal preferences, I doubled the pepper flakes and fresh ginger and increased the orange zest by half. Used peanut oil for its heating characteristics. The family loved it. A definite keeper. Thank you Melissa!
How much orange zest
This was delicious! I liked that the sauce wasn’t overpowering. I loved how crispy the chicken was after cooking – I am guessing it was the cornstarch? Thanks for a very easy to follow – AND YUMMY – recipe!
Yup, cornstarch will get some crispyness. If you love more crisp consider double frying. Fry half the time, remove and cool. Then fry one more time for the other half of the time. OHHH LALA
it’s not bad but that orange really comes through,, idk if it’s the juice or zest or combination but you can rlly taste the orange
We all have different tastes, next time try not using the zest. Others have found that to reduce the over orange taste.
This is one of our favorites. The best…big hit with guest. We add egg rolls and rice or stir fry veggies.
This is what I always wanted orange chicken to taste like! So fresh, crisp and flavorful! I subbed about a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger for more flavor. I only cooked 3 chicken breasts and it made a lot! 6 servings maybe a little more.
I don’t usually leave comments on recipes but I just had to say this is one of the best chicken I have ever tasted in my life. Will definitely do it more times!
This was absolutely mouth watering. My boyfriend and I really liked this. The sauce makes just enough to cover the chicken perfectly. Next time I make this I will double the sauce so it covers my stir fry and rice too.
I don’t know how to cook but by just following this recipe my orange chicken tasted so good!! Thank you very much!