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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 was amazing. Will definitely be making again. Thank you
I was not able to get the coating as crispy as I wanted, maybe my oil was not hot enough, but the sauce is over the top delicious and I recommend doubling it and the coating ingredients. I will make this again for sure!!
Thank you so much for using my recipe!
We have decided we are going to try it with mango instead of pineapple, I’m going to put it in a food processor and mix it with some mango nectar. Hopefully it turns out good!
I would love to hear how this turns out for you!
Just wanted to let you know, we have been making this for YEARS. It’s always quite a bit of work but so amazing tasting. I probably make it once or twice a month. I got so into it that I considered what it would taste like with pineapple. I haven’t tried it and probably won’t as my daughter doesn’t like pineapple much, but I hope this recipe stays around forever.
Thank you so much for following along Miranda!
Found your recipe over the weekend and I had to try it. I made it last night, and it was a hit! My son loves this from Panda Express, and he said “Daddy’s orange chicken is better”. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi there, what flour would work best for the chicken that’s gluten free? Thank you
Hi Natalie! I recommend using rice flour or a 1:1 ration gluten free flour. I hope you love this recipe and let me know how it turns out for you!
Good recipe, overall. Excellent reception by family, taste was outstanding. As a cook, I have some things I’d like to see different. The fried chicken pieces never really brown, they “blond,” and it threw me. Second, I had a lot of trouble keeping the oil temp up: a batch of chicken would go in, and the oil temp would drop about 60 degrees, and take a long time to come back to even 320. At that point, the chicken was done (I’m old: I can poke it and tell). I first used a 15 amp induction plate, setting it to the highest temp. It failed and went into error code. I switched to my trusty (but power guzzling) electric stove (not that old: maybe 2010 vintage) and put the burner on HIGH. The stove is on a dedicated 220v line with its own dedicated breaker, per code. It still had trouble getting up to temp and holding it. I don’t have this trouble with the oven, perhaps you can suggest modifications to the recipe to create an oven fried version. I sure hope so!