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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.
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Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
This is absolutely delicious!!!! And I don’t like orange chicken until Now. I make my children pick 1 meal a week and he picked this. YUMMY! I’ve made it a few times. The only thing I do different is double the sauce because we like the extra to dip our wontons in. A crowd pleaser in my house. Thank you!
I am so glad it was such a hit in your house! Thank you so much for using my recipe!
Hi Melissa… I’m looking to make this for a crowd… how many people does this feed?
Hi Dawn! This recipe feeds about 6-8. I recommend serving with sides to help it go further!
What type of sugar is used… brown or granulated?
I use white granulated sugar in this recipe!
very good,very easy
Just finished the sauce… YUM!!!! I used fresh Fresno chilies instead of the dried flakes and thin strips of fresh Ginger. It’s REALLY delicious, thanks for such a great recipe!
This is so good. The delicious crispy chicken serves as a vessel for the even more delicious orange sauce. Me and my husband usually cook this meal together because theres a lot of moving parts if you add rice and fresh veggies on the side. Great meal!
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for sharing this great recipe! It‘s a big hit in my house. I was wondering if there are any great „green“ sides you would recommend when serving this. Garlic broccoli? Snow peas? Would love to know what would be your go-to, green (healthy) side-kick to balance this out.
Thanks again,
Nick
Hi Nick! I love to pair with steamed broccoli sautéed in some garlic, that is usually our go-to! Snow peas sound delicious as well!
Don’t usually post comments but the sauce was fantastic, we used tofu instead of the chicken here. But man that sauce was so good I don’t think I’ll get Orange chicken as carryout anymore.
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for making my recipe!
This is the best and easiest orange chicken recipe I have ever made. My chicken breasts were on the larger side so I only used 3. Other than that I followed all measurements exactly and it was perfect. I loved the sauce so much, I think next time I will add a little more of all the sauce ingredients to make more!
Thank you so much for making this recipe Christina!
Hi. How do you do the ginger? Finely chopped?
Yes, finely chopped.