Chinese Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken is a Chinese inspired dish, made with crispy fried chicken coated in an easy, homemade, sweet orange sauce. Serve with jasmine rice or chow mein. (Jump to Recipe)
I’ve been a Chinese food lover since day one and orange chicken was always on my plate. There’s something about fried chicken coated in that sweet glazed orange sauce that sticks around in my memory so remarkably since childhood. And there’s a reason for that.
This Chinese recipe is made with skin-less, bone-less chicken thighs (can also be made with chicken breast) that are cut up into bite size pieces. They are tossed into an a bowl of beaten eggs and then dipped into a flour/cornstarch mixture before being fried. They come out perfectly golden, crispy, and ready to be coated in the Chinese orange sauce. The sauce comes together with mostly pantry staples and some orange juice. It cooked on the stovetop and last thickened up with a cornstarch mixture (cornstarch mixed with water). Lastly, the chicken is drenched in the sweet and sticky orange sauce.
This dish can be served with a few different side dishes such as: chow mein, ramen, steamed jasmine rice, fried rice, steamed broccoli, or sesame ginger bok choy.
If you love Chinese inspired dishes, check these out! You’re going to love these recipes too!:
Sweet Honey Sesame Tofu Stir Fry
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I’d love to hear what you think about it, or better yet, see what you’re cooking! Tag me on Insta, @fettysfoodblog with your creation.
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (weighing about 1.25 pounds), cut into bite size pieces
For The Sauce
- ⅔ cup orange juice
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, leave out if you don't like the heat
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Make The Sauce
- Stir all the sauce ingredients (except cornstarch) together in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons of water in a small dish to make a cornstarch slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pan with the sauce. Continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes until sauce thickens. Set aside.
Cook The Chicken
- Place flour, cornstarch, and salt in a shallow dish. Stir to combine.
- Beat the eggs in another bowl.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Shake off remaining loose flour from chicken and place onto a plate.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Once the oil is sizzling hot, cook chicken, about 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden crisp and cooked through. Work in batches so they don’t overlap one another. Place chicken on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add additional oil to the pot if needed.
- Transfer chicken to the skillet with the sauce and toss until it is coated well. Garnish with scallions. Serve over a bed of rice or chow mein.
