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!
Naomi
Very tasty and easy to make!! I also added more seasoning to the orange chicken sauce and it was amazing!! 😀
Modern Honey
Thanks so much, Naomi! Great idea to add more seasonings to the orange sauce. I bet it tasted amazing!
Dad Chef
Very good but I had to triple the breading and double the sauce to make enough for the 4 chicken breasts that I used. Either I cut the into too many pieces or I just had extra large chicken breasts. Either way, this was a huge hit with the whole family.
Modern Honey
I am so glad it was a hit with your family! I agree...it does depend on how large the chicken breasts are so you were smart to triple the breading. Thank you so much for your kind words and for trying my orange chicken recipe!
Rinda
It’s incredibly delicious!! My friend said much better than a Chinese restaurant, and my husband said this is one of the meals he would like to eat before he dies! Thank you so so much for sharing this recipe!
Modern Honey
Wow! Those are some high compliments. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I am happy you all loved the Chinese Orange Chicken!
alexa
Super yummy! I used thighs instead of breast and it was amazing. it tastes better than take out 🙂
Modern Honey
Hi Alexa! Great idea to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for the orange chicken. I bet it made extra tender. Thank you for trying it out!
Bruce T
Had to fly by the seat of my pants to cut this down to one serving but it is excellent! Every bit as good as the frozen kind from Trader Joe's where the price has gone through the roof. (inflation, I'm sure.) Next time, I may see if I can make the full recipe and freeze it.
Bruce T
I made this a second time using almost the full orginal recipe (I was running out of chicken breast) and it was even better. I deep fried all of the chicken then put enough for a serving in the wok with a little oil, heated it up, and added some sauce. The extra went in the refrigerator. I had planned on freezing some but it was gone the next day. I had leftover rice as well and dinner the second day was done in ten minutes.
Paula
We loved this orange chicken! I thought I had a box of orange chicken in the freezer, but I just had plain chicken breasts so I tried your recipe. My family loved it!
Bonnie
This was delicious, it's definitely a keeper!
Modern Honey
Hi Bruce! I loved that you made this for one serving and it turned out great. Such a smart idea. Thank you for giving my orange chicken recipe a shot!
Yvonne Capriglione
I have made this at least 5 times!!! The only difference is I batter and deep-fry the chicken. GREAT RECIPE!!
Zazo
I'm very excited to try this recipe but I'm not sure what you do to the ginger for the sauce? Is it ground, crushed, chopped?
Thomas
Ginger powder works great
David
Omg!!! This was the first time i attempted to make orange chicken. I usually buy it from the Panda, unfortunately do to inflation enough said! It was better tasting, fresh ingredients helps! And we had enough to get second serving. It's absolutely delicious!
Thank you for the recipe. My family and i love it
Peggy Elliott
Take out may be easier, BUT this is far better than any takeout I have had. My family is thrilled when this is on the menu. Good way to get them all together! This has been adopted to our favorite recipes -- and is the favorite recipe there. Thank you, Melissa!
Modern Honey
Hi Peggy! This is the goal -- better than take-out Chinese orange chicken. Thank you so much for trying it and I am so happy you loved it!
Baila
Made it today and it was awesome! Used avocado oil for frying and dialed down on the flour and cornstarch and eggs as I had less chicken. This is a keeper!
Modern Honey
Hi Baila! That's an awesome idea to use avocado oil for frying the orange chicken. Thank you for sharing!
Gee Gee
VERY good recipe! It definitely took longer than 35 minutes. I dredged the chicken in flour and rice flour mix as I was running too low on cornstarch and I needed it to thicken the sauce. It worked fine. I like the recipe because the chicken had a nice crunch without ending up like chunks of fried batter like it sometimes does with takeout. I wish the recipe had specified the number of servings and also the approximate weight of the chicken because the size of chicken breasts can be anywhere from small, medium, large, or very large. Flavor was excellent and I can't wait to make it again! I might take the suggestion of another reviewer and use quality frozen chicken breast nuggets instead of cutting and frying my own nuggets. It would definitely bring this recipe in under 30 minutes, and really, the sauce is the star of this recipe. It would be good on any protein, vegetables, or tofu. Thanks for a very good and easy recipe!
Modern Honey
Those are some great tips! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome ideas.
Nathan
Omg made this for a meat for sushi and once the chicken got to the sushi before I ate it all omg next level was amazing before the sushi after omg food coma
Modern Honey
Hi Nathan! How cool you made it for meat for sushi. Such a great idea! Thank you so much for trying out my orange chicken recipe.
C-Puff
I heard about this dish from youtube as I'm not American and so decided to try it since I recently got an Air Fryer. It was a little daunting at first because I've never made fried chicken before at all, but at the end of the day, the dish was extremely good. I'll definitely make it again, especially now I have a better idea of what I'm doing.
Modern Honey
I am so glad you gave it a shot and you loved the recipe. I appreciate it!
Alli S
This was the literal best orange chicken remake!!! I made a few adjustments to make it lower in calories and there was no sacrifice in taste! I substituted the sugar for a zero sugar substitute. I air fried my chicken pieces with just salt/pepper and spray oil at 375deg for 8-10 min. They came out perfect. Tossed in the fabulous sauce and added roasted broccoli. My husband said this was a keeper!!
Modern Honey
Hi Alli! I think air-frying the chicken is so smart. It is such a calorie saver. Thank you so much for sharing the idea!
Mary
This recipe is delicious I used pineapple juice because I didn't have orange
Modern Honey
Love the creativity, Mary! What a great idea.
GBUrke
I made this tonight it it was delicious!! The orange zest is a brilliant addition to the sauce!!
Modern Honey
I agree...the orange zest makes the sauce! Thank you so much for trying out my orange chicken recipe.
Chuck Pittman
Delicious. Never knew I could make such, but I’m getting to be a PRO. We’ll never order take out again. Thanks for the recipe, Melissa Stadler.
Modern Honey
Hi Chuck! I love that you are PRO...awesome job! Thank you so much for trusting my orange chicken recipe. I appreciate the kind comment!
Shelby
I love this recipe!! We have many it so many times and making it again tonight. Everyone loves it!
Modern Honey
Love to hear that, Shelby! Thank you so much for trying out my recipe.
Sharon
I used this sauce recipe over duck and slow cooked in oven in a covered pan @ 310°for 3 hours. It was the best duck I've ever made.
Modern Honey
That's genius, Sharon! I never thought of using duck in place of chicken but I bet it tasted amazing!
Lauren
Are you using ground or fresh ginger?autrn
Cynthia B
I’m not sure what Melissa uses, but I just used fresh grated ginger and it was so good. It seems to me that dry ground ginger wouldn’t be as yummy. 😊.
Modern Honey
Hi Lauren! Cynthia is right -- I love to use fresh ginger for the fresh burst of tang and flavor. You can use dried ginger powder, if you don't have fresh ginger on hand.
Pat
Hi! Thanks for this recipe-we all love it! I am wondering if you think it would be OK to freeze the sauce. I would like to double the sauce recipe & freeze half of it for the next time.
Thanks in advance!
Pat
Molly
The sauce should have no problem being frozen. I'm going to do that as well!
Modern Honey
Hi Pat! Yes, Molly is right and you can freeze the sauce for the orange chicken. It can be frozen for up to 2 months in a freezer bag. I hope you love it!
Hannah
This sauce recipe is perfect. I've made it four times already. I use it with air-fried tofu to make it vegan and it totally satisfies the American Chinese takeout craving.
Modern Honey
Hi Hannah! That's a great idea to use air-fried tofu to make it vegan. Super smart! I am so glad you liked it. Thank you!
Chris
Absolutely amazing! So flavorful.
My son asked me to keep the recipe on repeat.
Miranda
This is the best orange chicken I have ever made or had, however it takes a lot longer than 35 minutes. Thanks!
Lelah K.
This is the best recipe ever! My only change is that I use 2 chicken breast instead of 4. This is plenty for my husband and I and there's lots of sauce which is fantastic!
Sheryl Trickel
I made this & was so good!! My husband ate the leftovers the next day for lunch & ate it cold. Yuk for me, I don’t eat leftovers cold, but he said it was still so delicious!!
Modern Honey
Hi Chris! It is always great when you get a thumbs up from kids. Thank you so much for trying the orange chicken recipe.