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.
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- ⅓ cup Flour
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- ½ 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 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
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!
Tracey McAlister
This was so good! I used my large cast iron skillet and fried the cubed, breaded chicken breasts in batches in about 3 cups of oil. I made the sauce using a different skillet, let it thicken up a bit and then added the chicken. I followed the recipe as written and doubled it so I’d have leftovers. Perfection!
Deb
I'm not sure what I did wrong 😭 I heated the oil to 350 F, I cooked the chicken in batches, some parts of it would turn slightly golden brown but a lot of it stayed white/light colour...I stuck a thermometer into the pieces of chicken to make sure they were cooked through, but the coating stayed pretty white and the sauce didn't REALLY stick that well....did I just not coat it properly 😭 5 stars still because I can tell this is a good recipe and I am just a disaster
Cara
The breading can be a little difficult starting out I swapped out the breading for just a light coating of plain cornstarch if you season the chicken with turmeric it colors really well and is easier to see the doneness of the breading. When I made it the first time the breading was too thick and didn't color well.
Deb
Sorry I’m a little daft and super new to cooking! The “breading” is the egg + flour/cornstarch mixture? So when you were starting out, you would instead 1) season with turmeric and then 2) coat light cornstarch WITHOUT egg? (Or starch first then turmeric, but no egg?)
I probably did do it too thick! Thank you for the reply because I thought I didn’t coat it enough because there seemed to be sections missing flour/starch and was going to double coat next time LOL
Cara
The breading is the egg flour/cornstarch mixture. It can be difficult to do. I seasoned my chicken with garlic salt, onion powder, ground ginger, paprika, and turmeric. Then after letting the seasonings sit for a few hours, I coat the chicken in a coating of corn starch. The trick I use is the shake and bake method, add corn starch and the chicken into a bag or a bowl with a lid you can reliably shake without the lid coming off. Add cornstarch until the chicken looks white. When frying the color ends up a golden brown from the turmeric and the chicken itself has flavor and can be eaten plain. If you want you can still temp the chicken with a meat thermometer temp needs to reach 165°F.
Deb
Thank you so much, I hope your dinner tonight is delicious 😭
Anne
I made this last night and we loved it! I modified by using Truvia brown sugar instead of white sugar and I cooked the chicken in the air fryer. I also added some sweet red pepper to get a little veggie in there. Delicious!!
dmhg
I was thinking about air frying 👀 did it turn out crispy? Mind if I ask you how long you put it in there?
Amanda
How did the air fryer go? How long did you put it in for and at what temperature?
Ruth
I was hoping to find in the comments someone that used the air fryer! What temperature setting did you use and for how long? Did the coating stick well? Thank you.
Amber
What temp did you use for the air fryer and did you pre heat the air fryer?
Carol Allis
I am making this fabulous recipe for the 3rd time tonight, it is truly the best Orange Chicken we have had! The recipe is simple and cooks fast.
Thank you for sharing!
Ramona
It's such a delicious meal and great recipe! It's worth to take the time to creat such a great meal! Thank you!
kristen wilder
The sauce was really sweet. Im not sure if I did something wrong or it is supposed to be that sweet.
Cara
How much rice vinegar did you use? It is supposed to be sweet but also tart and tangy from the orange juice and vinegar. I find just a splash extra on each table spoon making sure the tablespoon is full helps the sugar same with the soy sauce.