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!
jess lahti
this was really tasty! takes a lot longer than the recipe says though, took me about 45 minutes.
Jessica Reed
Never in a million years have I ever thought to make my own Chinese at home. This recipe was amazing! I used one large chicken breast and coated the chicken with double dipped egg and flour. Yummy is all that I can say. Definitely a staple for me moving forward. I think I will use sauteed shrimp and chicken next time.
Rebekah
Omg omg omg!!! Me and my husband love orange chicken and this is the best we have ever had!!! Wow what a recipe. I extremely recommend 🙂 thank you for this recipe.
Jen
Hello! I am going to make this week. Did you use fresh grated ginger or dried?
pony
I was wondering the same thing. I rarely use ginger so I didn't want to chance using the wrong one and make it unpalatable.
Which did you other cooks use?
Ron McDon
I keep grated ginger (and garlic) in the freezer - that way I always have it on hand for a recipe. Don’t think dried ginger would work well in this recipe.
Gregg
Soy sauce...light or dark?
Anna Caraballo
This is truly one of the best recipes I have come across. I didn’t change anything, used a good quality orange juice and wow....just like the best Chinese restaurant. Thank you!!!
Seasons01
What orange juice brand?
Melissa
This was delicious! I did sub a couple things, one intentional one on accident. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts (oops, but still yummy!) and instead of frying the chicken in oil I fried it in the air fryer! Very tasty and will definitely make again!
Lisette
what temp and how long did you cook in the air fryer?
Terri C
Thinking of buying an air fryer. Did the chicken come out crispy? Is there a brand of air fryers you’d recommend? Thank you!
Renee
This turned into a fun to make family dish that my picky husband and kids love. It was fun having everyone together taking separate parts of the dish like zesting and squeezing the oranges, soy sauce safari- I know I just bought it, where did it go? And the hubby kicked me away from frying the chicken I don’t know how many times so he could sneak pieces. I printed it out and will be making this again!!
Kacey
Fabulous recipe. Easily adapted to coat my vegan chicken from a local deli. I added chili sauce for a bit more of a kick, but all and all this is a great recipe.
Sarah
Fantastic recipe. It was my first time making fried chicken ever and it turned out wonderful. This is a really great recipe not only because it’s delicious, but because the directions are so easy and straight forward to follow for a newbie. Thank you, it’s a keeper!!
Kim
Made this dish last night but with talapia and shrimp as I’m pescatarian. It was absolutely delicious!!!! My sister said it was the best dish I’ve ever made for her and she cleaned her plate!
Seasons01
Did you just put the sauce over the talapia and shrimp?? Did you deep fry the talapia and shrimp??
Linda
I did this today for sunday dinner was awesome I love it
Andrew
Superb! Decades ago when I lived in Los Angeles I would order takeout orange peel chicken from the iconic restaurant Genghis Cohen. I’ve craved it recently and this recipe did not disappoint. Absolutely delicious!
Kay
Didn't have the zest or the ginger but it was still delicious.
Marilyn
This is the second time I make this Orange Chicken. Let me just say mmm, mmm, mmmmmmm????????????, Deeelicious. The sauce totally makes it. I followed the recipe exactly, and it didn't disappoint. It's tangy, a little spicy and a little sweet, so good. My teens prefer the chicken without sauce, but my husband and I loved it. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for posting it.
Connie Jennings
The Orange chicken recipe is out of this world good. It is better than any restaurant chicken. Loved it will make this my favorite recipe.
Arlin
Hi,
how many people does this recipe serve? also, how much orange zest should I add? Please answer. thank you for the recipe.
Ethel
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it for the first time and it worked. Easy and delicious- definitely my kind of recipe.
Anne Rosen
Truly remarkable. I only used 2 1/2 large chicken breasts, and it seemed to be the right amount for the sauce and four/corn starch dredge. This gave enough sauce to coat all the pieces well, and to drip onto the rice. Winner recipe. Thank you for sharing it. We served it with sliced roasted broccoli.
Susan
Excellent recipe! Absolutely delicious!!! Tehe orange sauce is amazing!
christon Brooks
did you use store bought oj or fresh squeeze
Melissa Auxier
Hello. When this question comes up for anything (fresh vs not fresh), Always choose fresh when possible.
Scott halloween
Where ya gonna get the zest from?
KD
Zest your orange before you squeeze the juice out.
Deborah
I had a bag of mandarin “cuties” so used the zest and added several peeled slices into the mixture.
Rod Laws
I used simply orange
Lety
I also made this recipe and used Tropicana orange juice instead of taking my chances on a store orange not being great.
Diana Kay
I know! it amazing!
Out of a lot of recipes I've used this one is the best!????????????