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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!
This is one of the most delicious orange chicken recipes I’ve ever made. Thank you!
As to the time required to make it, it’s an hour and a half *at best*. As an experienced cook who was diving chicken, stirring sauce, and zesting oranges simultaneously, I can firmly say the prep and cook time is vastly understated on this recipe. The frying of the chicken alone in batches takes at least 30-40 minutes.
Hi Jon! Thank you so much for making my orange chicken and I am so glad you loved it. I agree…the prep time can vary especially depending on the size of the skillet. If you use a very large skillet, you will need less time. If you use a smaller skillet, you will need more time. I will adjust the time. Thank you for the feedback!
What type of sugar did you use?
I used white sugar but I cut down a little. I used 3/4 cup..
I am so glad I am not the only one that it took much longer to make! I’ve been trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong for it to take me 4x longer than the recipe said it would. I still make it on occasion because it’s so delicious but half the time I skip the breading and deep frying part and just stir fry the chicken. It’s not the same but it’s still pretty tasty and much faster for me.
I made this recipe and my family and I loved it.
Hi Melissa! I am so happy your family loved it. I appreciate you making it!
This looks to be an easy recipe to try. Here is my question, can you air fry the chicken instead of deep frying; trying to cut back on the fried food.
Thank you!
I’d like to know this too. Could you bake the chicken also?
Thanks
Hi Sylvia! Yes, you can make this air fry orange chicken. I haven’t tried it but several of my readers have made it and it turned out great.
This was definitely better than take out! I was able to modify the sugar with Splenda and it worked perfectly. We even had it over riced hearts of palm…mmmm! Thank you so much.
Hi Janet! I love that you used Splenda and it turned out amazing. Thank you for the nice comment.
Delicious, only change was adding the juice from the orange i zested. 10/10
Thanks so much, Anna! I appreciate the 10/10 score and for you making my recipe!
Has anyone air fried the chicken or would that just be a mess? If you have air fried what temp and how long?
Hi. I am a mother of three, a seasoned home cook, and work for a catering service that prepares food for films and television shows. I can make a wide variety of food but admit I love to experiment in new cuisines so it doesn’t get boring. I especially make Italian dishes. Always felt drawn to their foods. Just found out recently I have a close person in my family tree from Northern Italy. So glad to know it wasn’t just curiosity that drew me to their flavors. Thanks for the Orange Chicken recipe and the Lemon Blueberry Cake. I just had them for dinner and got a proposal for real. I did not go to a culinary program but read and take classes to expand my cooking. My gardening and cooking go together. I enjoyed your approach. It would prove especially helpful for a new cook. My first serious cookbook was the Joy of Cooking. The ladies used your approach. Explaining tips like adding zest instead of more juice was how I learned to make a very lemony Lemon Meringue Pie that didn’t weep. I approve of your approach as you can tell. These tips make for perfect kitchen experiences. I always have people stopping by and they eat. They seem to think I have a restaurant. I grew up in the South so that influences my cooking still. I would like to share a couple of recipes done in the 1700s that people had me research. Again, thank you so much. I have sent a link to several friends and my kids so they can try some of your recipes, That Lemon Blueberry Cake might be my entry at the State Fair this year. Take care.
I made this for my daughter and myself Loved it, will definitely be making it again 😋❤️
Family requested for 2nd night in a row. We added broccoli and carrots. Did encrease sauce 50%… and assumed 4 breasts was really 4 half breasts for 2lb. Family very critically on food but gave this 5 stars.
I LOVE this recipe! I have been cooking Chinese dishes for over 40 years but I never tried Orange Chicken for some reason. This recipe looked so yummy I just had to try it. I used fresh oranges that I juiced and the sauce was out of this world. My husband absolutely loved it and even had seconds. We plan to make it a regular rotation in our vast list of homemade Chinese dishes. Thank you for such a beautiful recipe.