Orange Chicken

At a glance

What stands out: This is THE reliable from-scratch orange chicken recipe and it’s so much better than takeout! You’ll love the rich fried chicken bites paired with a fresh orange sauce that has just a tinge of heat.

How long it takes: 40 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, tongs, paper towels, bowls
Servings: 4

DIY Orange Chicken

A popular Chinese American recipe. Orange chicken is commonly found on Chinese American restaurant menus and it may be one of your favorites. Tender juicy chicken, crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, generously bathed in a bright and rich sauce. Who wouldn’t love it? (Be sure to try our bang bang chicken, too!)

You can make your own! You knew we were going to say that, didn’t you? You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your orange chicken was made to your standards, with high quality lighter ingredients and just the way you like it best. It’s so rich, we're sure you’re going to love it!

Time well spent. Making orange chicken isn’t difficult but it does take a bit of time. Many good things take a little effort, right? However, if you’re looking for something quicker, check out our list of 30 minute dinner recipes or try this straightforward bourbon chicken, Instant Pot honey sriracha chicken, or crockpot teriyaki chicken. We also love Kung Pao shrimp which is ready in just 30 minutes (you can make it with chicken if you prefer).

What goes in

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: The chicken is cut into bite-size pieces. Use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
• Breading: You’ll utilize a two step breading process with beaten eggs and seasoned flour/cornstarch mixture. Cornstarch helps make the chicken crispy.
• Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed juice is a standby but refrigerated juice will work, too.
• Cornstarch: The sauce is thickened with a bit of cornstarch.
• White Vinegar, White Granulated Sugar, and Honey: This combo provides the tangy/sweet contrast which is essential to a good orange sauce.
• Soy Sauce: Use a low sodium soy sauce if you can. Soy sauce gives umami to the sauce.
• Ginger, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes: Lots of flavor here! Like it zesty? Add as much garlic and red pepper flakes as you like.

Straight-Sided Skillet

Also called a sauté pan, it’s reliable for frying this chicken because it’s deep and helps to contain the spatters. It also works great for one pan pastas. You’ll find yourself grabbing this pan often!

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How it comes together

Do the prep work. It’s so helpful to have everything prepped and ready to go before you get started. Get the rice steaming. Have you tried making rice in your Instant Pot? It’s straightforward, too! Plan your sides. Are you going to serve a vegetable? Get it started or prepped. Read through the recipe and set out what you’ll need. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Squeeze the juice from the oranges. Are you ready? Here we go…

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining orange juice, white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

You’ll also mix a couple tablespoons of the orange juice with cornstarch. You’ll be using that to thicken the sauce later.

Heat the pan. First you’re going to want to get the oil heating. Find a large heavy sauté pan and turn the heat to medium high. The oil should be around 350°F. Some folks prefer to use a Dutch oven to keep the spatters down.

Bread the chicken. Next, beat a couple of eggs with a fork in a shallow bowl. Line a plate with paper towels and set that next to the eggs. Combine the flour and cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper.

Put the chicken into the eggs and using a slotted spoon, remove it, and put the pieces on the plate you prepared (we bet you were wondering about that plate!). You want to get rid of the excess egg on the chicken.

Next, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. It’s ready for the pan!

Fry the chicken. Quickly and carefully put all the chicken in the oil, allowing it to fry undisturbed for 5 minutes. It should get a nice golden crispy exterior on the bottom. Using tongs, quickly flip the chicken over and cook the other side. Pour all the chicken and the oil onto another plate lined with lots of paper towels to absorb the grease.

Cook the sauce. Put the sauce ingredients into the pan, cooking and stirring, until it thickens and is no longer cloudy looking.

Combine. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce. That’s it! Your chicken is ready to enjoy!

Serve. Serve orange chicken with steamed rice, jasmine tea, and a fortune cookie. We bet your fortune just might say “Life is good!” Round out the meal with a from-scratch egg roll, air fryer crab rangoon, and mandarin orange salad.

Cooking Tip

Because restaurant-style orange chicken is breaded and deep-fried, it’s extra crispy. Adding cornstarch to the breading helps replicate the deep-fried crispy exterior. Cornstarch helps break down the flour’s protein.
In addition, make sure the frying oil is hot and don’t overcrowd the pan with a lot of chicken all at once. Let the chicken fry undisturbed until brown and crispy on the bottom before flipping it.

Make a double batch

We recommend that you only put 2 cut-up breasts of chicken in the beaten egg and flour mixture at a time. Also, use a large enough skillet so that the chicken is not too crowded. You may need to cook it in batches. It may not be necessary to double the oil. Just make sure you have enough to generously cover the bottom of the skillet.

Baked orange chicken

You can also make this from-scratch orange chicken recipe in your oven. Spread the breaded chicken on a large, greased baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, or until done. Then broil (watch carefully) for another 2 to 3 minutes to brown the chicken. Prepare the the sauce in a skillet and add the baked chicken to coat in sauce.

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you know you’re going to be pinched for time, fry the chicken up ahead of time. Cool it completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you are ready to cook, prepare the sauce in a skillet and add the chicken, simmering until the chicken is heated through.

Warning: It will not be as crispy. If you want to crisp it up a bit, heat the chicken on a wire rack in the oven or in an air fryer briefly.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Orange chicken will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or frozen for up to 6 months.

Reheat: It is best reheated in a skillet on the stove or in the air fryer. The texture will not be as nice if it is microwaved. If you freeze orange chicken with the sauce added, a standby way to reheat it is in the oven.

Leftover Love

Turn leftover orange chicken into straightforward lettuce wraps! Use sturdy lettuce leaves like Bibb, romaine, butter, or iceberg. Lightly stir-fry a package of coleslaw mix with a teaspoon or so of oil (toasted sesame oil adds a lot of flavor). Add water chestnuts, thinly sliced celery, soy sauce, sriracha or anything else you like.

Mix in the leftover chicken and sauce, stirring until heated through. Pile the mixture on the lettuce leaves and top with chopped peanuts, crispy wonton strips, or toasted sesame seeds. So tasty!

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• Yield: 4
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or boneless skinless chicken thighs)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup oil (use an oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado, grapeseed, canola, peanut, or sunflower)

Sauce:

• 1 cup orange juice, divided
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated sugar (or brown sugar, if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• optional garnishes: chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Cut chicken into bite-size (½ -inch) pieces.
2. Prepare sauce. Measure out 1 cup of orange juice. Remove 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a small bowl and mix it with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set this aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining orange juice, white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3. Pour the oil into a heavy skillet and over medium high heat, heat oil to approximately 350°F.
4. While oil is heating, in a medium-size shallow bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. Line a plate with paper towels and set that next to the eggs.
5. Stir the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs, then use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on the prepared plate to allow excess egg to drain off. Next, put chicken pieces into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir to coat well.
6. Carefully put the coated chicken into the hot oil. Cook the first side undisturbed for about 5 minutes, then using tongs, quickly turn each piece over and cook the other side. Cook chicken until golden and done, with no pink in the center (165°F). Pour all the contents of the skillet, including the oil, onto a plate lined with several paper towels.
7. Using the same skillet, make the sauce. Pour the orange juice mixture into the skillet. Gradually stir in the orange juice/cornstarch mixture. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, scraping to remove crispy bits, and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove from heat and add the chicken to the pan. Stir well to coat.
8. Garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve with steamed rice, broccoli or green beans.

Notes

Nutrition note: Nutrition information is calculated with all the oil; however much of the oil is discarded after frying the chicken.

Oven instructions: Spread the prepared chicken on a large, greased baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, or until done. Then broil (watch carefully) for another 2 to 3 minutes to brown the chicken. Prepare the the sauce in a skillet and add the baked chicken to coat in sauce.

To double the recipe: we recommend that you only put 2 cut-up breasts of chicken in the beaten egg and flour mixture at a time. Also, use a large enough skillet so that the chicken is not too crowded. You may need to cook it in batches. It may not be necessary to double the oil. Just make sure you have enough to generously cover the bottom of the skillet.

Storage: Orange chicken will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. It is best reheated in a skillet on the stove or in the air fryer. The texture will not be as nice if it is microwaved. It may be frozen for up to 6 months. If you freeze it with the sauce added to the chicken, a standby way to reheat it is in the oven.