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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 made this tonight with my picky eater kids. They inhaled it and practically licked the plates! I made boiled broccoli with it to help sop up the extra sauce, which played very well with the overall flavor pallet. I think next time, I might add a bit more vinegar, as I found it a touch sweeter than I would have preferred, but very, very good, regardless.
I made this for my family and it was amazingly good. The chicken wasn’t as crispy as I thought it was going to be, but it was still good. The orange sauce is amazing! This is better than take out for sure!
Thank you, Samantha, for trying out the orange chicken recipe! So happy your family loved it. I agree…the homemade orange sauce is the best!
Made this using frozen popcorn chicken, and it was delicious. I cooked the frozen popcorn chicken according to the instructions. Then I followed everything else in the recipe. It’s better than take-out orange chicken. It’s a repeat recipe at my home. Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
Hi Tempest! I love the idea of using frozen popcorn chicken. It makes such an quick and easy orange chicken. Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
This is my go-to recipe for orange chicken. It’s incredible, thank you so much for sharing it!
When I want to make it a bit healthier, I sub honey for the sugar and it works great. Also, the recipe as-is also tastes amazing with baked tofu instead of chicken if you’re vegan!
Hi Jennie! I love all of your suggestions. This orange chicken recipe is super adaptable so thank you for sharing your tips. I agree — honey can easily be used and I hear that baked tofu tastes great too!
Absolutely delicious!!! Everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again. Takes some time to fry all the chicken but worth it.
I am so happy to hear that everyone loved the orange chicken! Thank you for taking the time to try my recipe.
Has anyone tried this with an air fryer? If so, were there any mods to make? Thank You!
I was skeptical about all the positive reviews but wow….just made this recipe. I regretted making it mid way because it was a lot of cooking and I worked all day but boy am I glad I did, and so are my fam. All of us loved it including picky husband and two kids (age 3 and 6). It was absolutely delicious. I followed everything except got lazy with the zest, so didn’t use zest. Very delicious orange chicken. Thank you!
What a great endorsement! Thank you so much for taking the time to try the orange chicken recipe and I am so glad it was worth the effort. I appreciate the kind words!
I just remembered I actually used thigh instead and it was still great. Thank you for a great recipe!
Very tasty and easy to make!! I also added more seasoning to the orange chicken sauce and it was amazing!! 😀
Thanks so much, Naomi! Great idea to add more seasonings to the orange sauce. I bet it tasted amazing!
Very good but I had to triple the breading and double the sauce to make enough for the 4 chicken breasts that I used. Either I cut the into too many pieces or I just had extra large chicken breasts. Either way, this was a huge hit with the whole family.
I am so glad it was a hit with your family! I agree…it does depend on how large the chicken breasts are so you were smart to triple the breading. Thank you so much for your kind words and for trying my orange chicken recipe!
It’s incredibly delicious!! My friend said much better than a Chinese restaurant, and my husband said this is one of the meals he would like to eat before he dies! Thank you so so much for sharing this recipe!
Wow! Those are some high compliments. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I am happy you all loved the Chinese Orange Chicken!