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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!
Great
Hi I want to make this but would like to air fry it. What temp and how long would I do that for and do I still batter the chicken?
I’ve made this twice – easy to make and delicious. Had company over Thanksgiving and got rave reviews even from the children.
Definitely delicious!
Next time I’ll add water chestnuts to it.
I made this recipe with 4 very large chicken breasts and it was too much for this recipe obviously. I reccomend measuring chicken breast by weight rather than quantity for accuracy. Also this recipe took me about 3 hours to make with all the preparation and cooking the large batch size. This really isn’t an easy recipe at all and I was under no illusion that it would be, but this is a relatively simple fried chicken recipe, just not compared to American style or Kara-age. My batch came out almost perfectly and this recipe is definitely delicious. Use fresh garlic and ginger.
I don’t know how on earth this would take you 3 hours. Here are some short cuts. Slice some chicken tenders into 3/4 inch pieces. Beat your eggs and pour over in a bowl. Put your cornstarch and flour and salt in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag and shake vigorously. Mix all of your sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. Fry your chicken and pour your sauce in an iron skillet to simmer. Drain the chicken and toss with sauce. Use a slurry to thicken if desired. Prep should take about 10 minutes. Plus 20 minutes to cook.
Please add nutrition information. I do not see that anywhere with this recipe.
I made this for dinner today. It’s an excellent recipe. I made a change, and used the Chinese double fry technique on the chicken. I also used fresh ginger and fresh garlic in the sauce. This recipe is fantastic. Thank you.
Super easy and tasted great.
love the recipe could you add yields and portion sizes please
Only made the sauce, but it was easy and delicious. I needed to use up some broccoli and oranges, and the sauce was perfect. I subbed 3Tbs Splenda granular for the sugar and used tofu instead of chicken.