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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!
Was excellent. A grandson 15 years made and it was quick and easy wq
I have made this twice and it came out great each time. My son and I couldn’t believe it was better than the Chinese restaurant we go to. I like the blend of sweet with heat so I use a touch extra red chili pepper.
I will be making this meal. I love orange chicken.
Surpassed takeout!I made double orange sauce and used tenderloins (chicken).
I made this for dinner and the flavor was INCREDIBLE and tasted better than any restaurant I’ve ever had. The only problem was the sauce was a bit runny. I think when you do the 1 part corn starch to 2 parts water, it is too runny. Maybe do 1:1 corn starch to water? If anyone has any tested recommendations, please let me know! 🙂
Has anyone tried baking the chicken pieces rather than frying? If so, what were the results?
I have actually used the Barely chicken nuggets from Costco in the air fryer and it came out great.
How many people will this feed! I know it varies, but they are all adults. We all love orange chicken!
I made it today. It is delicious. Much better than restaurant orange chicken. Thank you.
Thanks for your reply. I was wondering if the Bare nuggets would work. Thanks for commenting on it.
Very good, followed the recipe, thanks for sharing.
If you mix a corn starch tempura batter, or just dust the chicken in corn starch it will be gluten free. You can also use a potato flake chicken recipe with corn starch before the egg wash.
Hope this helps. I am lazy so I just shake the chicken in a bag of seasonings and then add corn starch. Pick colorful seasonings because the chicken will be pale from cornstarch frying unless you make the tempura cornstarch batter.
For tempura batter with just corn starch mix corn starch and water in a 1:1 ratio let it settle then drain the excess water. Add eggs until slightly runny and coat the chicken pieces. I have a hard time with that batter but mama noi and he daughter Marion have a great recipe for it that they use for coconut shrimp and said you could use it on any protein