Orange Chicken
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Delicious Orange Chicken with crispy chicken in an incredible sweet and tangy orange sauce! This orange chicken is super easy to make, a favorite comfort food and way better than take-out! Best of all it’s ready in 30 minutes!
I have to admit that only recently I’ve discovered Panda Express and that’s because we don’t eat out that often. However, when I went in there, I was like a little kid in a candy store. I loved pretty much everything. However, one of my all time favorite Chinese-American dishes has to be Orange Chicken!
To try and make it at home was a no brainer. This chicken dish is a family favorite now, and while it’s great when you’re out wanting a quick lunch, nothing beats making this dish at home. I just love trying to recreate these favorites. Besides, I always say that homemade is best, so don’t be afraid to try this at home. It really is super simple to make, ingredients you likely already have and in 30 minutes you can be eating this classic.
What Is Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is a popular dish in North American Chinese restaurants which consists of pieces of battered and fried chicken then coated in a sweet orange-flavored sauce. Although we consider this dish to be a Chinese dish, in fact it’s rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China.
Ingredients
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breast, however boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used as well.
- Flour and cornstarch – the chicken is dredge through a mixture of cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
- Eggs – for the chicken to dip in before dredging through the flour mixture.
- Orange juice – you can use either freshly squeezed orange juice or store-bought juice.
- Rice vinegar – or regular plain vinegar.
- Sugar – for sweetening the sauce
- Ginger and garlic – to add flavor to the sauce.
- Red pepper flakes – use as much or as little as you like.
- Soy sauce – I prefer to use a good low sodium soy sauce.
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest to bring out the orange flavor.
How To Make Orange Chicken
- Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, add the orange juice, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for 3 minutes. In a small bowl whisk the 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water to form a paste. Add this to the orange sauce and whisk. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes. You’ll notice the sauce will thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
- Prepare chicken: In a shallow dish whisk the flour and cornstarch together. In another shallow dish, whisk the eggs. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg first, then dredge through the flour mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Fry chicken: In a heavy-bottomed pot add about 2 inches of oil and heat until it reaches 350 F degrees. Working in batches, add a few pieces of chicken at a time. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes turning the chicken often until golden brown. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
- Toss chicken with sauce: Transfer the chicken to a bowl, pour orange sauce over the chicken and toss well until all chicken is fully coated in the orange glaze.
What’s The Difference Between Orange Chicken And General Tso’s Chicken
Both dishes are quite similar, the difference is all in the sauce. Both dishes are really American dishes, not so much Chinese dishes. Both dishes involve chicken that is breaded and fried then coated in a sauce. Orange chicken usually has a lighter color and it’s sweet, sour and savory whereas General Tos’s chicken is usually spicier.
Also, sesame chicken is similar as well. So really, a lot of these dishes are quite similar, the difference is how you make the sauce. One ingredient could be different, and voila you have a new recipe! Regardless of what they’re called these dishes are American favorites, they’re classic comfort food dishes that we all know and love.
Besides being delicious, orange chicken really is tangy, sweet and salty. Because of all the orange juice in the sauce, this chicken really has a strong orange flavor, sweet, salty and it has a bit of heat from the pepper flakes.
What cut of chicken to use
This dish works great with both chicken breast and chicken thighs, as long as it’s skinless and boneless. It’s all up to you whether you like white or dark meat most. Chicken thighs are usually juicier than breasts, but they both taste delicious!
What oil is best for frying
Most foods are fried between 350 F to 400 F degrees, so you need to choose oils with a smoke point above 400 F degrees. For this dish I used vegetable oil because it’s a neutral tasting, all-purpose oil. Here are some other options:
- Peanut oil – it has neutral taste and a high smoking point which makes it perfect for high-temperature cooking.
- Safflower oil – it’s almost flavorless, has a high smoke point of 520 F degrees. This oil is a great substitute for vegetable oil and because it doesn’t solidify when chilled, it’s great for salad dressings as well.
- Avocado oil – this is a new favorite oil of mine. It has a high smoke point of 520 F degrees, but it has a light, slightly nutty flavor.
How to serve
My favorite way to serve this is over cooked rice such as Jasmine rice or Basmati rice. You could also serve it over noodles. For some veggie options, try steamed green beans, broccoli or sautéed bok choy.
Leftovers
I usually just store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last 3 to 4 days.
Freezing
Yes, you can freeze it. Store it in airtight containers or freezer bags in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave. The chicken will be a big soggy so if you want to keep it crispy, store the sauce separately from the chicken.
More Asian dishes to try:
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Easy Beef And Broccoli Stir Fry
- Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken
- Chow Mein
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Sweet And Sour Chicken
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
- Szechuan Chicken
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Orange Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- ā cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh, minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Orange Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken breast (boneless and skinless, cut into small pieces)
- 2 eggs
- ā cup cornstarch
- ā cup all-purpose flour
- oil (for frying)
Optional Garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 green onions (finely chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, add the orange juice, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for 3 minutes. In a small bowl whisk the 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water to form a paste. Add this to the orange sauce and whisk. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes. You’ll notice the sauce will thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
- Prepare chicken: In a shallow dish whisk the flour and cornstarch together. In another shallow dish, whisk the eggs. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg first, then dredge through the flour mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Fry the chicken: In a heavy-bottomed pot add about 2 inches of oil and heat until it reaches 350 F degrees. Working in batches, add a few pieces of chicken at a time. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes turning the chicken often until golden brown. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
- Toss chicken with sauce: Transfer the chicken to a bowl, pour orange sauce over the chicken and toss well until all chicken is fully coated in the orange glaze.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish chicken with sesame seeds and green onions and serve over rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This is my picky teen’s favorite dish now, so I now make this about once a month! Made it for a few friends and they agree, it’s better than any takeout in our area, more economical, too. I do coat my protein pieces in a mixture of flour and cornstarch, then coat them in egg with Asian seasoning, then coat in Panko breadcrumbs for the ultimate crispiness. But I make the sauce exactly per the recipe and it comes out perfect every time. I’ve made it so many times I have the recipe memorized š
So glad you guys enjoy the recipe!
Can you cook the chicken in an air fryer?
Absolutely!
This was really good! Labor intensive, but this was the first time I made it so it will be easier next time. Even my picky teenager liked it.
Glad to hear it! I love hearing when picky kids love my recipes. š
Yum!
This is a wondeful recipe.
Thank you, Jo!
We are so glad you enjoyed it!
This was so tasty, I canāt wait to try it again.
Can I oven bake the chicken rather than frying the chicken pieces
Absolutely!
The sauce is AMAZING & super easy to make!! I made this b/c my mom & daughter like orange chicken & love this recipe! Honestly, this recipe is so good, I am now a fan of orange chicken too!! We may never order take out again! This will definitely become a regular dish in this house. Thank you.
So glad you liked it!
Loved this yummy recipe.
OMG. The brightness of the sauce is wonderful. Never again will I order out. In less than an hour I was serving my family and my kitchen was clean as I found time to clean in between frying batches. WhT you may not know is that the mix of cornstarch and flour make it hard to over brown the. Chicken. I used BLSL thighs. I cannot thank you enough as this made more than double than what I would pay for at a restaurant for 3 people. Thank you so much. Stay safe and keep cooking.
We’re so happy you love the recipe! It’s so nice to be able to make our restaurant favorites from home š
Very good and easy ! I will make it again.
this is FANTASTIC!!!!!! we love it….but instead of fried chicken this time…I used shrimp and only sauteed it in some sesame oil and topped with sesame seeds…almost as good as frying…
This recipe is the best: easy and sooo tasty! I made it at least 15 times. My husband who is a picky eater, loves it. I shared it on fb with my friends.
Absolut winner, Jo! Thanks.
I was skeptical about this recipe because I’ve tried other recipes and been disappointed, but this one did NOT disappoint! I took the lazy way out and used Tyson Panko Coated Chicken Nuggets cooked in the AirFryer (instead of deep frying as outlined in the recipe). My grandsons (11 and 9) LOVED this, and between the two, they ate at least 20 piece of chicken. They told me this was better than take-out, so I was thrilled! The older grandson even ate the white rice with the orange sauce without complaint!
Glad you guys liked this, Denise!
I just made this orange chicken for dinner and it was so easy and so good. i feel like I’ve won the lottery and struck gold finding this site. Everything is unbelievably yummy!! Thank you so much for everything you do to bring these wonderful recipes to us.
My pleasure, Patricia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!