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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I love panda express orange chicken so I am just so excited to try this recipe, yum 🙂
Could you cook this with whole breasts and whole legs and thighs rather than cutting it up? Thank you
You definitely can but you won’t be able to obtain the crispness that you would get from the bite-sized chicken pieces.
This really looks damn delicious and perfect!!
I think this orange chicken would change any mood right around!
This is by far the very best Orange Chicken recipe I’ve ever made. Thank you so much. We just finished dinner and everyone loved it!
THANK YOU to someone who FINALLY cooked this recipe!!!
Just found your blog through Iowa Girl Eats. Amazing! Will be following you now, so nice to meet you! : )
This orange chicken looks better than Panda Express, can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
My boys absolutely love the orange chicken at Panda Express…I am totally going to be a rock star mom when I serve them this chicken! It looks amazing!!
Question: recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon ginger .. is that grated fresh ginger or powered ginger?
Powdered ginger.
This looks so delicious! I’ve always loved Orange Chicken, but I’ve never tried making it for myself. Glad to see that I already have all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for the inspiration — can’t wait to try this!
Your version seems edible! I cannot stand the Panda version. Maybe they use too much corn stacrh, because something in it makes my teeth squeak! GREG
Better than take out! It’s gorgeous!
Another killer take-out favorite! I absolutely love this, Chung-Ah. This is a must-make for soon.
I love Panda Express’ orange chicken! This recipe has save my life. Thanks! 🙂
Wow this looks good, I’ve never had orange chicken but now I definitely want to try it!
I always make fun of my husband because he is obsessed with Panda Express’s orange chicken, even though we both agree it’s mostly corn syrup and chicken-flavored meat byproduct. Can’t argue that it’s tasty! I think I need to make this for him, he will be so psyched!
Jason and I joke about the same thing! I mean, there’s gotta be some sort of crack in there, right?
Looks ahmazeballs! Sorry you had a rough day but I’m glad to see you are doing so well. We need to catch up when you have a free sec…which is like probably never nowadays! xoxo
Oh, and I will be making this! Orange Chicken (aka I can get my hubby to do anything) is a favorite!
Yes, we definitely need to catch up!
Looks so good! I used to be addicted to orange chicken from Panda Express when I was in grad school. I haven’t had it in a while. I need to give this a try!
Oh girl, you are just killing me with all of your take out meals! Love orange chicken.
And I know what you mean about bad days. (esp bad photoshoot days!) When it rains, it pours! I just remind myself that tomorrow is a new day. Keep truckin’ along!
I love how crispy the chicken looks, mouthwatering!
Looks delicious! I love the use of Sriracha, one of my favorites! I can’t wait to try this recipe out. I’m sure it’s better than anything from a restaurant…isn’t homemade always better?
What is Sriracha? I’ve never heard of that. Help please?
Sriracha is a type of hot sauce and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.