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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 truly is an amazing recipe! Way better than any restaurant!
I am go glad to hear you loved my Orange Chicken recipe! I agree…it is better than take-out!
Delicious and easy to make!! Breading is perfect – gives the chicken a crunch but not overwhelming! Just the perfect orange flavor!! I have loved all of Modern Honey’s recipes!
I’m not sure how this works with 4 chicken breasts and obviously there is some wiggle room on all recipes for adjusting sizes etc, but I had barely enough sauce for two breasts. In any event, my stepson, who usually “disagrees with” my cooking lol, said this was really good. Then he said it was better than restaurant. Y’all don’t know him or us, but that’s high praise. Wonderful recipe that went straight to my favorites bookmark. Thank you for sharing! Delicious!
Oh man! Nailed it!!!!!
Sauce recipe is a good, but tastes more like orange marmalade than an Asian sauce. Recommend doubling the soy sauce and vinegar and tripling the seasonings. But thanks for the starting place!
I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve made this. I typically double the sauce. Even though I still only use 1/2 cup sugar when I double the sauce recipe. Last night I used dark brown sugar instead of white sugar. I’ll alternate and sometimes do all real oranges but last night I used 1 cup real orange juice and one cup of simply orange juice. I’ll also add in the onion part of the green onion (I’ll use the green part for when it’s done) and about a teaspoon of sesame oil in the sauce recipe. The orange zest is something I leave out just because my husband thinks it’s too much orange flavor. So I thank you for this recipe. It’s delicious and I couldn’t wait to wake up and eat some for breakfast.
For people like me with a soy allergy, there is a soy-free option to soy sauce:
San-J soy-free Tamari sauce, made with fermented peas. Tastes just like soy sauce!
First time trying this recipe. We all love it and will be making it again. All chicken was ate even down to the rice and sauce. We all give you ten thumbs up.
I am so glad the recipe was family approved. Thank you for making it Holden family!
Really good recipe. One thing, am I just slow? Prep time and cook time always takes me twice as long. Worth the time and effort. Thank you.
Most definitely, better than take-out. I used white wine vinegar, because it’s what I had available. I followed everything else exactly as written and it came out delicious! The family was very pleased 😊A tip that always works for me: after coating the chicken, place them in a flat baking sheet tray and stick them in the freezer for a half hour or while you make the sauce. This helps the coating stay on when you fry them. Thank you for this recipe!
That is a great tip! Thank you so much for making the recipe, Victoria!