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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 am trying to meal freezer prep for my daughter and her husband for after baby in born.. Would I be able to freeze the cooked and sauced chicken?
Just curious when I do 2 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of corn starch for the sauce it doesn’t come out pasty. It’s still watery just curious what you recommend
I added a another heaping teaspoon of cornstarch into the mix. Add the extra cornstarch into the sauce and chicken into the pan, then, turn up the heat. The sauce needs extra cornstarch and heat to thicken up.
Hi Dina! Try to slowly add more cornstarch, stirring well each time. Over the heat it should get pasty! Good luck!
I recommend doubling the cornstarch/water slurry (2:4 ratio). I did this and sauce turned out thicker.
Yes Regina! You should be able to freeze this. I would freeze the chicken separate from the sauce so that it isn’t soggy when reheated. Hope that helps!
The recipe doesn’t state if we use ginger powder or fresh grated ginger. Which would be preferred here?
Great question Rebecca! I usually use powdered ginger rather than fresh, but if you prefer fresh ginger that would work too. Hope you love it!
Okay I NEVER comment on recipes but seriously this is SO GOOD.
The only (very slight) change I made was upping rice vinegar and soy just a touch for a bit more acid and salt as the OJ I used was on the sweeter side.
Saving this one and will make it again and again.
What a compliment Caitlyn! Thank you so much for using my recipe. I am so glad that you loved it enough to continue using it!
Absolutely amazing and the previous comments are absolutely correct! Definitely worth the effort and I also used Cara Cara Oranges.
Loved it!
I love orange chicken and this was the first time that I made it.
I used cayenne as I didn’t have pepper flakes. It was the little
bit of heat that was needed.
DEEEELLLIIICCIIOUSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
The sauce was perfect! My family and I loved it! Easy to make and way better than take out! Thank you!
Patty this is the best compliment! I am so happy that you guys love my recipe. I completely agree, better than takeout!
This was the first time making orange chicken ever and it was delicious and a hit! Did take me longer than the stated time. I tried a shortcut on the chicken and it worked out great and was crispy and brown as expected. I combined the dry ingredients and coated the chicken then put the whisked egg in and coated in same bag. Put pieces in frying oil and was delicious! A little less mess. Thanks for this recipe. Will be making again!
SO DELICIOUS!! My husband and I both loved it! I can confirm that it really is better than takeout. My husband already asked me to make it again. Thank you for this great recipe!
I am so thrilled that you both loved it! Hope that it can become a staple in the recipe rotation. Thanks for trying it out!
Can I use shrimp instead of chicken for this recipe
Made this recipe on 3/20/23. It took me much longer than the stated prep and cook time, but was my first time doing. I also cooked my chicken in batches as directed but I changed out fresh oil midway through. Maybe I don’t need to do that. My family loved it. Said full of flavor! I’ve made several variations of orange chicken in the past and I’ll be sticking with this recipe! I didn’t think I would have enough orange sauce so I did add about half a jar of store bought…next time I will double the recipe. We served it over rice and stir fry veggies (Sam’s Club). Thanks for sharing!!
Holly I am so glad that you loved this recipe! I’m sure it was delicious with those stir fried veggies. Thanks for trying it out, I hope it can become a staple in your family!