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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!
Short cut I used for the chicken was air frying some “just bare chicken nuggets”, it made my orange chicken picture perfect! For me- it may have been the orange juice I used, but it was a little bitter after adding all the ingredients. However, after adding a lil agave and honey it was great!
So delicious!! I made the orange chicken exactly to what the recipe ask. I always go to panda express to buy the orange chicken and the sesame chicken now I don’t have to go there I can make it all by myself. Best recipe ever.
Hi, can’t wait to make this! How many people does 1 recipe serve?
I think it roughly makes 6 servings. I’m not sure though, since I halved the recipe and made three servings
I made this more like a stir fry. I used cooked cubed chicken, and once the sauce started thickening, just stirred it in. I also took some pre-cooked stir fry veggies (leftover from last night’s dinner ????) and stirred those in with the chicken. Let it all cook for a few minutes to make sure it was all heated through, and served over the rice. I’m not a huge fan of hot oil, and I feel like avoiding the frying makes it a little healthier (all things considered) so win-win! ????
I also didn’t have red pepper flakes, so I used like an ⅛t each of paprika and Cayenne pepper (you could definitely use more of each, but not everyone in the house can handle spice very well.)
Either way, it tasted great and everyone loved it!
This was so delicious, easy and quick to make. You can go from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. I used gluten-free flour with the cornstarch and cut the sugar in half so more tangy then sweet. Next time I will add more heat as a personal preference. I substituted chicken thigh meat and used fresh ginger. May make the sauce ahead of time next try so that the flavors have more time to meld. We ate every bite and licked the bowl.
This was so good! I cheated and only made the sauce and used frozen popcorn chicken for a quick soccer night meal but my kids gobbled it up!! Definitely a keeper!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have made it probably 50 times over the past few years (no joke!) It is amazing. I always cheat though and use frozen breaded chicken pieces and just saute them in a pan with a little butter until crispy. The sauce is wonderful. Thank you!!
Probably because the recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts.
Super good, even my wife who doesn’t like Chinese food enjoyed it.
Question: I used bottled orange juice, is it supposed to be fresh squeezed? I did cut down on the sugar though since the bottled OJ has quite a bit of it in there already.
I too cut down on the sugar since I used bottled OJ. Definitely recommend adding HALF the sugar then add more to your tast.
It’s ok I add more seasoning to it all just to make it a little tastier but it’s a good base recipe.