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!
Elizabeth Tomory
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. I made it exactly as written. I am definitely going to make this again. It is a little time consuming but totally worth it. Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
Brenda
I want to make this for potluck Sunday dinner after church. How would it do staying warm in the oven for a couple hours waiting till church is over? I could keep my rice warm in the instant pot and then put in big platter with the oven kept chicken served over it at meal time. Would it be better to just do this dish at home to eat immediately? Should I keep the sauce separate too? Or mix with the chicken & keep in the oven?
Cara
Keep the sauce separate if you use the breading part of this recipe it will get soggy and can fall off the chicken. As long as the chicken has dripped off any excess oil it should be okay in an oven set to 170. I actually make a ton at a time cause I would eat half this recipe by myself. If you can get a rice cooker it has a keep warm function that will keep the rice more moist than a crock pot.
Liza
I used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar. This recipe is delicious! Thank you!
Joy
WOW. It was so good my family loved it.
Nerissa
This was really good. The only thing I don't like about it is the batch cooking. I wish I could just put it all in at once. If you have the time and patience, it is really worth making it rather than ordering. We have so many oranges in our tree, I don't know why I didn't think about freshly squeezing it. Next time, I will.
Thank you for such a good recipe!
Linda
I made this tonight. Everyone loved it.
I recommend this recipe to everybody. It is worth the little extra time it takes to make! Better than takeout.
Nancy
Love the sound of this. But what kind of oil should I use. I always cook with extra virgin olive oil.
Modern Honey
Hi Nancy! I love EVOO as well. You can fry this orange chicken is less expensive oils like canola or vegetable. I hope you love it!
Nancy
Thank you!
Cara
Olive oil can burn at the temps needed to fry chicken to fully cooked. Use a neutral oil like canola, corn, vegetable or peanut oil, they can survive high temp frying.
Nancy
Sooo THAT’s been my problem! I always burn things! I’ll try a different oil. Thank you!
Bell
Avocado oil is a great healthier frying option that can’t take very high temps. 😃
John Schulz
I have made this in the past and it has become one of my wife's favorites. She requested it for her birthday dinner this year, but I didn't have eggs. A half cup of cream worked just as well, maybe even slightly better. Still awesome, and made my wife very happy, and very full.
Modern Honey
Hi John! I love that you improvised and it turned out amazing. Thank you for sharing the great tip and for trying my recipe. Hope your wife had a wonderful birthday!
Ari
Made this with pork for my kids lunchboxes as I thawed the wrong meat (oops). Was a hit and enough leftovers for another lunch for them later in the week.
Bella
How many does this feed?
Bessie
Wouldn’t that depend on the serving size per person 😳😳😳
Nature
Very flavorful sauce! Chicken was easy to make. My family loved it! The sauce wasn't the thickest, though. I couldn't get the proper amount on my chicken.
Cara
The longer the sauce cooks and cools the thicker it gets.
Ck
OMG! I loved this. 10/10 would recommend!
Modern Honey
We love a 10/10 rating on the orange chicken recipe! It is a family favorite too. Thank you for trying it!
Auntie
Are you using fresh ginger?
Modern Honey
I use dried ginger because that is usually what I have readily available but fresh ginger would be even better! You usually need double the amount as dried.
Carly
This recipe was amazing! My boyfriend said he would’ve been very happy if he had ordered this out at a restaurant (which is a big deal for him too say). If you’re craving orange chicken, don’t hesitate - make this!
Jaylynn
In the recipe do you use actual orange juice from a bottle or the juice fresh squeezed from an orange?
Mila Sulivan
Either you can use
John Schulz
I made this using both and the fresh squeezed orange juice and zest is far superior.
Modern Honey
I agree 10000000%! The fresh squeezed orange juice and zest is the difference maker!
Erika
Hi,
I am going to be a new mother and I am trying to find easy freezer meals for after the baby is born. I really love this recipe and I was wondering if it would be possible to freeze any of this?
Pat
I make this almost every Friday for my hubby and I. I double the sauce recipe and put half in the freezer. It tastes just as good (or better because it’s thicker). A lot of the time I will air fry Perdue chicken strips.
We LOVE this! And, it couldn’t be easier
Kyara
This was great! Unfortunately I didn't have cornstarch but it still worked out! I also added bell peppers and pineapple chucnks.
Monique
We had this last night and my goodness! It was so good. Everyone enjoyed it. It smelled wonderful while cooking. It's not too spicy, so my son could enjoy it.
I didn't have green onions or orange zest. I really liked the batter for the chicken. It comes out nice and crispy. I may use something like it for other recipes.
Cara
Pretty good batter for sweet and sour chicken. Any recipe that has battered meat and sauce works with the batter in this recipe.
Josie
This recipe is great! However, here's a couple tips to really elevate the flavor! If you are short on time, simply buy a frozen bag of chicken nuggets, tenders, or popcorn style. I think popcorn works great, but anything is fine, as long as it's plain. I've used the recipe to bread and fry the chicken. Either is fine!🙂
Next, don't be afraid to really allow the flavors to simmer, when you are making the orange sauce. I let mine simmer for probably 3/4 of an hour, on very low heat. Allowing the sa9uce to sit overnight really married the flavors together! 😋
Also, I added fish sauce (about 1 tsp per recipe, I've quadrupled the recipe, and did 4 tsp fish sauce) also, a dash of Chinese 5 spice is great. Now my BIGGEST recommendation, above all, is to find some sun dried chilies! Your local health store, Hispanic or Asian market will carry these. That adds the most flavor. You will need to experiment based on your taste. Start with 2 chili, or work your way to 3. 3 is spicy!
Scott
Hi, looks delicious can't wait to try this recipe. One question, do you use light or dark soy sauce? Thanks.
Cara
I use a darker one balances out the sugar better.
Tj
Hello , what a delicious looking meal , have not made it yet, I will soon . Had a question tho, what kind of orange juice is it, regular orange juice or frozen orange juice concentrate ?
Cara
Regular or fresh squeezed.
Susan
I made it last night and it was delicious
Kevin
I’ve now made this recipe twice. The first time, I followed the recipe to the letter. While absolutely delicious, it lacked the kick that I like in my foods. The second time, I added about 1/8 tsp of cayenne and about 1/4 tsp of Chinese five spice. Loved it. Next time I’ll bump the quantities of both spices up a little more.