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
- Salt
- 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 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
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!
Ashley
This recipe is AMAZING!! I have been using this recipe for YEARS and it has not disappointed. It is so delicious and so easy to make. In fact I'm making it for dinner tonight!!! Thank you for this incredibly easy and delicious recipe.
nata
Could the chicken be cooked in an air fryer instead of hot oil on the stove?
Jean
Loved the sauce. I tried 2 different recipes and they don't compare. Yours is the best. I'm going to be making a double batch. I used mine like your chicken & I also made chkn tenders and used your sauce recipe. It's hard to stop bragging about your recipe, if I could I would give you 100+ stars for it. Thank you for sharing.
Heidi
Yes, we don’t fry much in our house hold and the air fryer definitely works for frying chicken pieces. Depending on the size of your air fryer it can take a little bit of time to cook all of it. So if more than one person is eating it, keep it warm in the oven.
Nicole Scholten
Had another recipe for orange chicken cooking in crockpot, when done the sauce tasted like nothing. So in a pinch I googled orange chicken and this was the first recipe I found. I had everything on hand, was easy enough to throw together and poured it on top of my already Cooked orange chicken and yummy! Served over rice topped with green onions! Delicious will make again!
Kim
Is it possible to air fry the chicken for a healthier option?
Rod Schelin
This fantastic orange sauce can be poured over any chicken that's been fried, baked or grilled seasoned with only salt and pepper. If the chicken is breaded, all the better but not necessary. It's the sauce! It's amazing!
Tammy
This dish is great! Followed exactly except added a pinch more of red pepper flakes. It fed 2 with left over for lunch next day.
Rachel
This was delicious! I had 5 chicken thighs and did need to mix a bit extra flour and cornstarch to coat. I left out half the red pepper because I didn’t want it to be too spicy for my daughter (she didn’t like it anyway but she’s 4 so I’m not super surprised) but next time I would add it all. I will definitely be making this again.
Angie
This is my family's favorite dish and I make it a few times a month. And they are super picky about food. I always have to make extra because everyone always want seconds. 🙂
Chef jean kounouvi
Thank you chefs that's a wonderful food
Natalie
This recipe was easy to follow and the end result was delicious . I will definitely be making this again.
Jessica
How many does this recipe serve?
Fran
Jessica. I think 4-6 maybe? I made it with 2 chicken breasts. And the sauce was not enough. So I made a stir fry of broccoli and onions and garlic in my wok with a thickened sauce of broth and cornstarch and combined it all with the chicken and sauce. It was enough for 4 people when you add broccoli and more sauce.
Jeff
My friends LOVED this! A couple of tips: Sauce is totally do-ahead, just gently reheat when you're getting ready to serve (and add the zest then). Also, I used a combination of boneless, skinless thighs and breasts, total was maybe 2.3 lbs (for 6 people), definitely needed more flour-cornstarch (easy enough to just add more to the dredging dish). Finally, I fried in my deep fryer in batches and just kept the done pieces on a paper towel-lined baking sheet in the oven at 250. Throw all into the simmering sauce and you're done. This recipe is a keeper!
Kate!
So I'm a vegetarian that will sometimes on occasion make chicken dishes for my meat eating family because I can never seem to get them all excited about a meal at the same time. Someone always refuses to eat at any given meal. Every single one of them in a picky eater, including my husband. This was the first time I got rave reviews from the majority of the family, sans the four year old but she readily ate the chicken without the orange sauce. THANK YOU!! I'm going to experiment with fake meats making this dish so I can enjoy it too.
Chris
Try battered firm tofu. Did a mix of tofu and chicken today and it was excellent regardless of whether one got tofu or chicken. I am sure it could be done without the chicken and that you would love it.
Sharon
This is soooo good.. My selective eater son love it????.. New favourite in our home.. Thank you..
Julie
My 16 year old asked for Orange Chicken for his birthday dinner. I was feeling a bit daunted and didn't think I could successfully make it. Thanks to this recipe, it came out better than any orange chicken I've had. Thank you so much for the recipe!
I used 3 lbs of chicken breast and doubled the sauce and it was perfect. Had some extra sauce to drizzle over after plated and on leftovers. Cooked the chicken in a deep fryer using avocado oil. Served with a side dish of roasted broccoli tossed with soy sauce & sesame oil.
DARLA
Short cut I used for the chicken was air frying some "just bare chicken nuggets", it made my orange chicken picture perfect! For me- it may have been the orange juice I used, but it was a little bitter after adding all the ingredients. However, after adding a lil agave and honey it was great!
Barbara says
So delicious!! I made the orange chicken exactly to what the recipe ask. I always go to panda express to buy the orange chicken and the sesame chicken now I don’t have to go there I can make it all by myself. Best recipe ever.
Danielle
Hi, can't wait to make this! How many people does 1 recipe serve?
Sarah D
I made this more like a stir fry. I used cooked cubed chicken, and once the sauce started thickening, just stirred it in. I also took some pre-cooked stir fry veggies (leftover from last night's dinner ????) and stirred those in with the chicken. Let it all cook for a few minutes to make sure it was all heated through, and served over the rice. I'm not a huge fan of hot oil, and I feel like avoiding the frying makes it a little healthier (all things considered) so win-win! ????
I also didn't have red pepper flakes, so I used like an ⅛t each of paprika and Cayenne pepper (you could definitely use more of each, but not everyone in the house can handle spice very well.)
Either way, it tasted great and everyone loved it!
Trisha
This was so delicious, easy and quick to make. You can go from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. I used gluten-free flour with the cornstarch and cut the sugar in half so more tangy then sweet. Next time I will add more heat as a personal preference. I substituted chicken thigh meat and used fresh ginger. May make the sauce ahead of time next try so that the flavors have more time to meld. We ate every bite and licked the bowl.
Michelle R
This was so good! I cheated and only made the sauce and used frozen popcorn chicken for a quick soccer night meal but my kids gobbled it up!! Definitely a keeper!
Emily
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have made it probably 50 times over the past few years (no joke!) It is amazing. I always cheat though and use frozen breaded chicken pieces and just saute them in a pan with a little butter until crispy. The sauce is wonderful. Thank you!!