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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!
Best recipe ever! 2nd time making this deliciously easy orange chicken!
Th first recipe of yours I ever made was the Orange Chicken, and it was wonderful! Next came you Italian Beef Sandwiches and they were beyond great/ perfection. Now I have no doubt your recipes will be good, my only problem is what recipe do I make next! Once again, thank you for sharing.
Can I use light brown sugar and how much would I use?
I had four chicken breasts that required three times the amount of flour/corn starch and two times the amount of orange sauce. Perhaps an approximate weight for the chicken breasts would be helpful. Further, although the instructions are easy to follow cutting the chicken, dipping, flouring, then frying causes a bit of clutter in the kitchen. This was so good I’d make it for guests, but I would like to make it ahead and either freeze or just reheat it to avoid the chaos with all the required prep. Perhaps you might advise the best way to reheat from both a frozen and a refrigerated state. Thank you. My family gobbled it up including some picky grandkids!
I cheat. I use frozen chicken nuggets, when in a hurry. I actually use an easier coating method when doing. From scratch similar to Japanese Karage. Season the chicken with garlic, ginger, tumeric, paprika, salt and pepper. The paprika and turmeric is purely for color. After marinating for 30 minutes to overnight I coat with corn starch. Just corn starch then fry in 350° F oil until golden. The turmeric turns it golden otherwise it will just be white. Crispier outside that stands up to the sauce no soggy breading. I use a meat thermometer and temp the thickest pieces in the fry batch. When the thermometer reaches 165° F, they are done. I also like to stir fry bell peppers and onions in the sauce, before tossing in the chicken. I easily triple the sauce recipe even for small batches. I do wonder if the sauce could be bottled or canned, to be shelf stable.
You can flash fry the cooked chicken and put the prepared sauce in a freezer bag. Then, when wanting to heat it up from the frozen state, just put it in the oven at 375° for about 25 minutes, or until heated through. Put the sauce in some warm water, to defrost.
I agree with you Linda! A better measurement of chicken would be helpful. And it always takes me longer to prep the food.
Love this recipe. Didn’t want to change up because it’s so good but is it possible to use honey instead of sugar?
This is easy to make & very good! I left out the garlic or red chili flakes.
Outstanding orange chicken. Looking forward to the next recipe of yours I will make.
This is better than any restaurant orange chicken I’ve ever had. My husband loves it too. I didn’t make any changes to it. Will definitely be putting this into the rotation.
I absolutely loved it! I made this for my family and they all agreed it was delicious. Making this again today! (P.S. this recipe roughly makes 6 servings).
Can you please tell me how many servings there are in the Chinese Orange Chicken