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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!
Absolutely delicious!!! My family and I looooved it! My mouthwatered while I was cooking 🤣 10/10! Thank you.
Hey what type of ginger? I have both minced and ground and I’m not sure what to use.
I am also wondering if it is fresh or ground ginger? And does it change the taste much if I omit the ginger? Thank you!!
I typically use ground ginger since it is stronger! But either would work. Good luck, I hope you like it!
The sauce was did not thicken but other than that it tasted good!
Have made this Orange chicken many times , my wife and I love this recipe turns out excellent every time , thank you so much.
My favorite orange chicken recipe! I add the juice of one large lemon to the sauce to make it extra tangy. Also, I cut the sugar down to a teaspoon or two. Always delicious!
Thoughts on cooking the chicken in an air fryer and eliminating the oil?
Hi Deb! I haven’t recipe tested in the air fryer yet, but I am sure that it would work. My guess would be to cook at about 375-400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let me know how that goes! Hope you like it!
The sauce was really sweet. Im not sure if I did something wrong or it is supposed to be that sweet.
How much rice vinegar did you use? It is supposed to be sweet but also tart and tangy from the orange juice and vinegar. I find just a splash extra on each table spoon making sure the tablespoon is full helps the sugar same with the soy sauce.
It’s such a delicious meal and great recipe! It’s worth to take the time to creat such a great meal! Thank you!
I am making this fabulous recipe for the 3rd time tonight, it is truly the best Orange Chicken we have had! The recipe is simple and cooks fast.
Thank you for sharing!
I made this last night and we loved it! I modified by using Truvia brown sugar instead of white sugar and I cooked the chicken in the air fryer. I also added some sweet red pepper to get a little veggie in there. Delicious!!
I was thinking about air frying 👀 did it turn out crispy? Mind if I ask you how long you put it in there?
How did the air fryer go? How long did you put it in for and at what temperature?
I was hoping to find in the comments someone that used the air fryer! What temperature setting did you use and for how long? Did the coating stick well? Thank you.
Ruth, I have made this orange sauce and it’s SOoo Delicious! I’ve not yet made the “Fried Chicken Pieces” to complete the meal but plan to in the future. I’ve cheated and used already frozen orange chicken from Samsclub though they never provide enough sauce in the package, so this is how I stumbled onto this recipe. I cook it up as a double batch and freeze it into dinner size portions (for 2 people) to augment the Samsclub orange chicken (Frozen). NOTE: I’ve not yet had much luck with achieving good battered coated chicken in my air fryer. I will be making this recipe in a pan and then freezing it for a later quick “Go To Meal”. I hope you find someone that can better guide you, but I wanted to share, this sauce in this recipe is AMAZING!!!! Noting Better!!! I’ve even considered “Naked Chicken” with this coating as I’m sure it would be delicious as well!
What temp did you use for the air fryer and did you pre heat the air fryer?