Chinese Orange Chicken
Not even Panda Express can beat this homemade orange chicken!
Today was just one of those days. My photography shoot went awry. I burned myself when frying an egg. There was an ant party in my kitchen trash. I hit the worst kind of traffic on a Saturday afternoon for a 3 mile drive. The list goes on.
The highlight of my day was that I still had some of this orange chicken left. This is a Chinese favorite of mine, especially from Panda Express, involving crisp, fried chicken bites smothered in a wonderfully sweet and tangy orange sauce. There is a bit of prep work involved here but at the end of the day, nothing beats homemade, right? And believe me when I say that not even Panda Express will beat this version!
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
For the marinade
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- To make the marinade, whisk together chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger and white pepper in a large bowl.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and 2/3 cup of the marinade; marinate for at least 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Heat remaining marinade in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir in 2 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened about 1-2 minutes; keep warm.
- Working one at a time, dip the chicken into the eggs, then dredge in remaining 1 cup cornstarch, pressing to coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Working in batches, add chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
- Serve chicken immediately, tossed or drizzled with the marinade, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is so amazing that it actually caused an argument lol. My significant other simply couldn’t believe I made this, and actually checked our credit card statements for Chinese restaurants. This is the first Asian-inspired recipe I’ve ever made. I grew up in a household based on down-home cooking, and this recipe would have been deemed too wild in my mama’s kitchen. It’s so amazing to break free from the constraints of that, and indulge in this. You take amazing photos by the way. 🙂 That’s why I ultimately chose your recipe, and will continue to do so. Thanks for posting.
Too funny – I can’t believe an argument broke up! Nonetheless, I am SO glad you had a chance to give this a try! 🙂
I made this for my husband a few weeks ago. I’m a picky eater, EXTREMELY, and I have to say this was by far my favorite orange chicken I’ve ever had. One thing I hate about orange chicken you get from other places is there’s always that one stale piece that’s dried out and just takes away from the overall meal. Not this recipe. Wow! So good. I’m on my way to the store to make it for my parents tonight. Thanks so much!
Here’s a picture of my first time: http://tinypic.com/r/1euzag/8
I’m so happy to hear that!
Hi Chung Ah, really looks good and want to try it out., but we don’t have an orange, can i used orange juice and lemon zest instead if ever? Please let me know, reall loved orange chicken. Thanks!
I do not recommend using lemon zest as it may significantly alter the taste of the dish.
If I were to bake the chicken at 350*, how long would I bake them for?
Katie, unfortunately, I cannot answer this question as I have never baked this myself. I recommend using your best judgement to use the oven-method, making sure the chicken is completely cooked through before consuming.
I’m living in Gemany, 4 months pregnant, and have been craving American style Chinese food and can not find it here! I finally resorted to making my own and found your recipe. Turns out, I am glad not to have found a good Chinese restaurant because this was way better!
this recipe is amazing. i actually have been daydreaming about it since i made it! SO, SO GOOD.
I am going to do the sauce (minus the sriracha sauce, because I don’t have any) and use it on some leg quarters. I’ll let you know how it comes out!
Holy… Balls… This recipe is flawless! I made this tonight and my boyfriend and I loved it! He literally said that this had ruined Panda for him forever. No take-out will ever trump homemade:) The only deviation I made was using freshly minced ginger instead because that’s what I had in my fridge. Also, I added an extra Tsp of sriracha. Yum! I will definitely try more of your recipes. Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was delicious. Instead of vegetable oil I used coconut oil which paired really well with the flavors in the marinade, thanks for this wonderful recipe!
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Made this tonight it was a big hit! Thanks !
So I made this for dinner last night! The sauce was just about divine! I have a few questions thought that maybe you could help out with!
1. If you were to use a deep fryer (unless you would strongly advise against it) what temp would you set it at?
And 2. Your crust on your chicken looks a little crunchy, like restaurants have, and I love that little bit of crunchiness, mine was not crunchy at all, it was still yummy but it was just a soft breading that turned even softer after I tossed it with the sauce. Is there a secret to getting it crunchy? And if this recipe isn’t supposed to be crunchy do you have any tips on how to change the breading so I can make mine a little crunchy?
Thanks! 🙂
I’m so glad you had a chance to make this. In response to your questions:
1. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question as I have never used a deep fryer myself.
2. There is supposed to be a tiny bit of crispness to this, but it’s a bit hard to maintain that once you add in the sauce. If you’d like to keep the crispness, I recommend using the sauce as a dipping sauce, rather than tossing it all in.
Hope that helps!
Try pan frying at a lower temperature for longer. This will allow the chicken to get crispier the longer it cooks without burning it.
Hey for everyone who made this, what brand of soy sauce was used?
Lupe, there is no need to use a specific brand of soy sauce. Even generic will work just fine.
I made this a couple of weeks ago but forgot to comment until now. The sauce was sooooo good that I could have just had that on rice but the chicken had a nice flavor to it as well. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Made for the second time this week. Love it
Looks yummy and can not wait to make this recipe. Could I use Tabasco Sauce for Sriracha??? I not sure about finding sriracha in our rural market.
Stephanie, I don’t think Tabasco would be an appropriate substitute. Sriracha should be available at your local grocery store – it’s a very popular item.
Thanks, I’ll try ordering some online. Did I mention I lived in rural Mississippi…..like really country Paula Deen food cooking area…turnip greens,cornbread,catfish.
I recommend ordering from Amazon.com.
I made this for a small dinner party I was hosting and I cannot tell you the number of times I heard “this is so good … the best I have ever had”.
Thank you for posting this recipe and making my party such a success.
I just wanted to tell you that I made this for dinner last nite and wow…LOVED IT! Thx for sharing this recipie!
Did you use fresh ginger or ground one?
Cloey, I used ground ginger.
what is Sriracha and can i use something else as a subst.
Sriracha is an Asian-style hot chili sauce and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. I highly recommend using this ingredient for optimal results.