This restaurant-quality homemade Chinese orange chicken is so much better than takeout – combining super tender yet crispy fried chicken pieces in a sticky sweet and sour orange sauce. Perfect for serving with rice or noodles the next time you’re craving Chinese food!
Let’s be honest – making homemade versions of your favorite takeout dishes, like chicken veggie stir fry, sesame chicken, and this orange chicken, is a win-win-win. Aside from having to spend time preparing it, homemade “fakeout” is usually more cost-effective and has the same (if not better) flavor of the dish you love. Plus it can be easily tweaked to your flavor and dietary preferences (be it dairy-free, gluten-free, etc.).
What Is Chinese Orange Chicken?
Just like Chinese beef and broccoli, Orange chicken (also called orange peel chicken or orange-flavored chicken) is a Chinese-American dish (reportedly of Hunanese origin), not usually found in restaurants in China.
It is a popular choice of fast food takeout, with claims that it is a variation of General Tso’s Chicken (by Panda Express) or Szechuan chicken but made sweeter for an American audience. Chinese orange chicken combines crispy, deep-fried chicken pieces with a sweet, sour, slightly spicy, orange-flavored sauce thickened into a wonderful glaze.
Now you can make this simple, cheaper, and flavor-adjustable homemade orange chicken from scratch and have it on the table in under 30 minutes! Best of all, while several steps are required to prepare the best orange chicken recipe, it’s simple to pull together, and be made even easier by meal-prepping elements in advance!
Chinese Orange Chicken Ingredients
This simple orange chicken recipe doesn’t have the shortest ingredients list but is made with plenty of simple, pantry-friendly ingredients and kitchen basics.
- Chicken: It’s best to use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Pre-chopped will save you even more time.
This chicken with orange sauce also works well with boneless skinless chicken thighs, though the cooking time will vary slightly. You can also pair this delicious sweet and sour orange sauce with chicken wings.
- Chicken marinade: A simple combination of egg white, soy sauce, and cornstarch will help to flavor, tenderize, and produce a crispy Chinese chicken recipe.
- The chicken coating: Combining all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour), cornstarch, salt, and baking powder makes for a light, super crispy orange chicken batter.
- Vegetable oil: Or another neutral, high-heat cooking oil like grapeseed or canola oil.
The Orange Sauce
- Orange: Use fresh, ripe oranges. The orange sauce for chicken requires both fresh orange juice and orange zest. Don’t use orange juice from concentrate.
- Sugar: Regular sugar works fine, but you could try it with a sugar substitute if preferred. Adjust the amount to taste.
- Soy sauce: Use low-sodium soy if preferred or tamari/ coconut aminos if gluten-free.
- Sesame oil: For a slightly nutty, toasty depth in the orange and chicken dish.
- Aromatics: You’ll need ginger and garlic. Fresh is best, but paste/powder works in a pinch.
- Red pepper flakes: Adjust the amount to taste. Alternatively, use sriracha/hot sauce.
- Cornstarch: This will help thicken the orange sauce. Use arrowroot or tapioca starch for a corn-free, paleo, whole-30 version.
- Vinegar: White vinegar works great, although white wine or rice vinegar also works.
How to Make Chinese Orange Chicken?
While several steps are required to prepare this dish, it’s much easier than you think. Especially if you gather all the ingredients/tools into their required “stations” in advance. A single bite of this, and you’ll never need the takeout version again!
Prepare the Chicken
First, if the chicken isn’t pre-cut, cut it into bite-size pieces around 1/2-3/4 inches big.
Then, whisk the egg whites into a foam, add the soy sauce and cornstarch, and whisk well again.
Tip the chicken pieces into the marinade. Stir and set aside while preparing the sauce. Set it aside for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight when left covered in the refrigerator.
Make the Orange Chicken Sauce
Zest, then juice the orange, making sure to only zest the orange peel and no white pith (which is bitter). Also, mince the garlic and ginger.
Then, combine the cornstarch and soy sauce, mixing well until it’s lump-free. Then stir in the orange juice, zest, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and red chili flakes.
Meanwhile, heat a small pan with vegetable oil, stir-frying the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
Add the remaining mixed sauce ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the cornstarch and sugar from the bottom of the bowl if needed. Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring, until the sauce thickens. Then, set it aside.
For a stronger, fresh, zesty flavor, save some of the zest to stir in now.
Fry the Chicken
First, combine the dry coating ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl/plate. Then coat the chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
Meanwhile, heat at least an inch of oil in a large wok/skillet over high heat.
When deep-frying, the oil should reach 375ºF/175ºC. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip a wooden skewer into the oil. It should bubble immediately. If it smokes, it’s too hot.
Carefully transfer the chicken to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it (cook in batches if necessary). Cook for about 4 minutes, until it’s entirely cooked through, golden brown, and crispy on the outside.
Then, transfer the chicken from the oil to layers of paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Toss the Chicken in the Sauce and Serve
Finally, toss the fried chicken into the pan with the sauce and stir well to coat.
Simmer the chicken in the sauce for a minute or two if it isn‘t hot enough.
Serve this easy orange chicken and optionally garnish it with scallions (green onions) and sesame seeds.
Enjoy it with fluffy white rice, fried rice, or noodles. Optionally, you can also add cooked veggies like broccoli, bok choy, green beans, etc.
More Asian Dinner Recipes
- Japanese ramen
- Korean bibimbap
- Pepper steak
- Teriyaki baked salmon
- Kimchi fried rice
- Korean Fried Chicken
If you try this homemade Chinese orange chicken recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 27 oz boneless skinless chicken breast 3 medium-big; chicken thighs also work
- 8 cups vegetable oil or other for frying the chicken (more or less depending on pan size)
For the Marinade
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari/ coconut aminos
- 1 egg only the white
For the Dry Coating
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or a GF all-purpose blend
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Orange Sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice from 2 medium oranges
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 orange
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar regular or an alternative (like erythritol) – adjust the amount to taste
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar or white wine vinegar/rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil or other for pan-frying
- 2 cloves garlic about 2 teaspoon minced
- 0.2 oz ginger about 2 teaspoon minced
Suggested Equipment
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- If the chicken isn't pre-cut, cut it into bite-size pieces around ½-¾ inches big.
- Whisk the egg whites into a foam, add the soy sauce and cornstarch, and whisk well again.
- Tip the chicken pieces into the marinade, stir, and set aside while preparing the sauce (for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight when left covered in the refrigerator).
Make the Orange Chicken Sauce
- Zest, then juice the orange, making sure to only zest the orange peel and no white pith (which is bitter). Also, mince the garlic and ginger.
- Combine the cornstarch and soy sauce, mixing well until it’s lump-free, before stirring in the orange juice, zest, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and red chili flakes.
- Heat a small pan with vegetable oil, stir-frying the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add the remaining mixed sauce ingredients (use a silicone spatula to scrape the cornstarch and sugar from the bottom of the bowl if needed) and increase the heat to bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring, until the sauce thickens. Then, set it aside.For a stronger, fresh, zesty flavor, save some of the zest to stir in now.
Fry the Chicken
- Combine the dry coating ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl/plate. Then coat the chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
- Heat at least an inch of oil in a large wok/skillet over high heat.When deep-frying, the oil should reach 375ºF/175ºC. If you don't have a thermometer, dip a wooden skewer into the oil. It should bubble immediately. If it smokes, it's too hot.
- Carefully transfer the chicken to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it (cook in batches if necessary). Cook for about 4 minutes, until it's entirely cooked through, golden brown, and crispy on the outside.
- Transfer the chicken from the oil to layers of paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Toss the Chicken in the Sauce and Serve
- Toss the fried chicken into the pan with the sauce and stir well to coat.Simmer the chicken in the sauce for a minute or two if it isn’t hot enough.
- Serve the Chinese orange chicken and optionally garnish with scallions (green onions) and sesame seeds. Enjoy it with fluffy white rice, fried rice, or noodles, optionally also with cooked veggies like broccoli, bok choy, green beans, etc.
Notes
- Use a thermometer: This will ensure the frying oil is heated to the correct temperature so the chicken cooks properly and without soaking up additional oil.
- Don’t skip the zest: This is key to maximizing the orange flavor in the sauce! So, use fresh orange juice and zest.
- Tweak to taste: You can adjust this sauce recipe to your liking. I.e., more or less sugar, vinegar, orange juice, red pepper flakes, etc.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken: If you add too much when deep frying, it will reduce the oil temperature and affect the cooking, potentially leading to soggy, greasy chicken. It’s best to cook in batches if your pan isn’t large enough.
- Adjust the sauce consistency: Add more cornstarch slurry for a thicker sauce or more water or orange juice for a thinner one.
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