Orange Chicken Recipe

5 from 3 votes

A quick, easy and mouthwatering Orange Chicken Recipe that can be made in under 30 minutes! We guarantee the whole family will love this sweet and savory version of one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes in the states! You'll be asked to make it over and over again.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese-American

Servings:

Calories: 469kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

orange sauce

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon mince ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
pinch white pepper optional

chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup vegetable oil

garnish

1 thinly sliced green onion

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sauce

Pour all orange chicken sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Chicken

Place chicken in a mixing bowl and toss together with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle cornstarch over chicken and continue to toss together until chicken is fully and evenly coated.
Preheat oil in a skillet to 350˚F.
Carefully add chicken (in batches, if needed) to hot oil and shallow fry for 6 to 7minutes. Turn and continue to fry for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken and transfer to a cooling rack lined with a baking sheet.
Drain oil from skillet and place back over medium heat.
Pour sauce mixture into skillet and simmer until mixture has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add chicken to sauce and toss together until chicken is fully and evenly coated.

Assembly

Transfer orange chicken chicken to a platter and top with green onions.
Serve with a side of steamed rice.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for Orange Chicken Success

Use dark meat chicken! I really can't stress this enough. It's way more forgiving and you're almost always guaranteed to have tender, juicy chicken in the end!
Apply a thin, but even coating of cornstarch to the chicken. Don't skip on this! the cornstarch will add a thin, crispy texture around the chicken as well as help hold onto the delicious sauce! Without a little bit of coating around the chicken the sauce will slip right off.
Shallow fry the chicken to make clean up mush easier.
Use freeze squeezed orange juice. I really think it makes a huge difference in the fresh flavor of the dish!
We highly recommend using a spider strainer to remove the chicken from the oil and then transfer it to a cooling rack lined with a rimmed baking sheet. This type of strainer allows you to lift a lot of chicken up at once and drains the oil very well. Using a cooling rack, lined with a baking dish is also much more efficient at draining even more excess oil from the chicken pieces, without making them soggy (like when drained on a paper towel).
Boost the orange flavor even more by grating some orange zest into the sauce.
Want spicy kick in this dish? Just stir 1-2 teaspoons Sambal (chili paste), Sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes into the sauce!

Want to Make Our Dish Healthier? - You Got It!

Our orange chicken recipe can be made a little healthier by pan frying the chicken in a few tablespoons of oil instead of shallowing frying. You will still end up with a delicious dish where sauce nicely coats the chicken.

The only thing you'll be missing out on by doing this is the crispy outer texture you would get from shallow frying.

Nutrition