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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!
Super yummy! I used thighs instead of breast and it was amazing. it tastes better than take out 🙂
Hi Alexa! Great idea to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for the orange chicken. I bet it made extra tender. Thank you for trying it out!
Had to fly by the seat of my pants to cut this down to one serving but it is excellent! Every bit as good as the frozen kind from Trader Joe’s where the price has gone through the roof. (inflation, I’m sure.) Next time, I may see if I can make the full recipe and freeze it.
I made this a second time using almost the full orginal recipe (I was running out of chicken breast) and it was even better. I deep fried all of the chicken then put enough for a serving in the wok with a little oil, heated it up, and added some sauce. The extra went in the refrigerator. I had planned on freezing some but it was gone the next day. I had leftover rice as well and dinner the second day was done in ten minutes.
We loved this orange chicken! I thought I had a box of orange chicken in the freezer, but I just had plain chicken breasts so I tried your recipe. My family loved it!
This was delicious, it’s definitely a keeper!
Hi Bruce! I loved that you made this for one serving and it turned out great. Such a smart idea. Thank you for giving my orange chicken recipe a shot!
I have made this at least 5 times!!! The only difference is I batter and deep-fry the chicken. GREAT RECIPE!!
I’m very excited to try this recipe but I’m not sure what you do to the ginger for the sauce? Is it ground, crushed, chopped?
Ginger powder works great
Omg!!! This was the first time i attempted to make orange chicken. I usually buy it from the Panda, unfortunately do to inflation enough said! It was better tasting, fresh ingredients helps! And we had enough to get second serving. It’s absolutely delicious!
Thank you for the recipe. My family and i love it
Take out may be easier, BUT this is far better than any takeout I have had. My family is thrilled when this is on the menu. Good way to get them all together! This has been adopted to our favorite recipes — and is the favorite recipe there. Thank you, Melissa!
Hi Peggy! This is the goal — better than take-out Chinese orange chicken. Thank you so much for trying it and I am so happy you loved it!
Made it today and it was awesome! Used avocado oil for frying and dialed down on the flour and cornstarch and eggs as I had less chicken. This is a keeper!
Hi Baila! That’s an awesome idea to use avocado oil for frying the orange chicken. Thank you for sharing!
VERY good recipe! It definitely took longer than 35 minutes. I dredged the chicken in flour and rice flour mix as I was running too low on cornstarch and I needed it to thicken the sauce. It worked fine. I like the recipe because the chicken had a nice crunch without ending up like chunks of fried batter like it sometimes does with takeout. I wish the recipe had specified the number of servings and also the approximate weight of the chicken because the size of chicken breasts can be anywhere from small, medium, large, or very large. Flavor was excellent and I can’t wait to make it again! I might take the suggestion of another reviewer and use quality frozen chicken breast nuggets instead of cutting and frying my own nuggets. It would definitely bring this recipe in under 30 minutes, and really, the sauce is the star of this recipe. It would be good on any protein, vegetables, or tofu. Thanks for a very good and easy recipe!
Those are some great tips! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome ideas.
Omg made this for a meat for sushi and once the chicken got to the sushi before I ate it all omg next level was amazing before the sushi after omg food coma
Hi Nathan! How cool you made it for meat for sushi. Such a great idea! Thank you so much for trying out my orange chicken recipe.
I heard about this dish from youtube as I’m not American and so decided to try it since I recently got an Air Fryer. It was a little daunting at first because I’ve never made fried chicken before at all, but at the end of the day, the dish was extremely good. I’ll definitely make it again, especially now I have a better idea of what I’m doing.
I am so glad you gave it a shot and you loved the recipe. I appreciate it!
This was the literal best orange chicken remake!!! I made a few adjustments to make it lower in calories and there was no sacrifice in taste! I substituted the sugar for a zero sugar substitute. I air fried my chicken pieces with just salt/pepper and spray oil at 375deg for 8-10 min. They came out perfect. Tossed in the fabulous sauce and added roasted broccoli. My husband said this was a keeper!!
Hi Alli! I think air-frying the chicken is so smart. It is such a calorie saver. Thank you so much for sharing the idea!
This recipe is delicious I used pineapple juice because I didn’t have orange
Love the creativity, Mary! What a great idea.
I made this tonight it it was delicious!! The orange zest is a brilliant addition to the sauce!!
I agree…the orange zest makes the sauce! Thank you so much for trying out my orange chicken recipe.