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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!
I made this for a book club event and everyone loved it! I will definitely make it again.
Thanks so much for using my recipe Eileen!
Made sauce as written w/ 1 exception: used 1/3 cup monkfruit sweetener + 1 tbsp. Demerara sugar to replace 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Used fresh pressed garlic & fresh ginger instead of granulated. The sweet level was perfect! I had roasted chicken breast in my freezer & used that instead of the chicken portion of this recipe. This will be my ‘go-go’ orange chicken recipe!
Thank you!!
Holy smokes, this is so delicious, absolutely amazing. I live in a town with no good Chinese food anywhere near by and this is better than anything I have ever had. Will definitely be making this only in the future. My dad even raved about it and he is always complaining about what could be better but his mouth was shut on this one.
Also, I followed the recipe pretty closely. Didn’t use a ton of orange zest and just a little ginger.
Thanks so much for making this recipe Dawn! I’m so glad it was a hit.
If you don’t want a bunch of kick with spice, add a little less pepper flakes. Definitely the best homemade orange chicken recipe I’ve found yet!
Thanks so much for making this recipe!
I only have seasoned rice vinegar, should I just use regular white vinegar?
Hi Cathy! You can definitely use rice vinegar in this recipe. I hope you love it!
I thought the sauce was going to be too thin and that I should have increased the cornstarch, but after my first bite I was pleasantly surprised! We will be making this again, met our expectations!
This one definitely scores high on list of favorite dishes.. tasty chicken and a nice bite to the sauce..
Thanks so much for making this recipe!
Nice bite to the sauce…will make it again! I used double the corn starch/flour mix for coating the chicken. I only needed two eggs for the other dip.
Thanks so much for making this recipe Pat!
First time making orange chicken. It turned out really well. Only thing I couldn’t get was the chili flakes but the ginger added just enough heat! Thank you and will do this one again.
Fab recipe, I have saved it to my bookmarks! I was pleasantly surprised that I could make this with what I already had lying around in the cupboard, it helped me make a delicious meal to use up two chicken breasts that were nearing expiry. Thank you!