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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Can this chicken be frozen. Will try it soon
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I’ve never made Chinese food at home because I thought it would be too time consuming. This makes it look manageable, and certainly healthier than picking up “to go” meals from the local Chinese restaurant. Thanks so much! (PS. I love the pictures!)
This recipe is worth the effort! I made extra sauce this time to try over some ground chicken meatballs and it is fabulous – will be my dish to pass at upcoming holiday parties.
Fabulous! Better than any restaurant orange chicken! I served it over basmati rice with broccoli and red bell pepper. Thank you for a delicious supper!
Thank u for the recipe. It was easy to follow & simple/few ingredients required. Quite delicious!
For God sakes people…… Sake is RICE WINE
Is it ok to marinate the chicken overnight? The recipe says for at last 30 min but I wanted to be sure overnight isn’t too long.
Because of the vinegar, I do not recommend marinating overnight.
This was absolutley amazing. We almost didn’t make it to putting the sauce on because my husband and I were eating the chicken as it came out of the oil because it was so delicious. Definitely a 10 with or without the sauce 🙂
Oh and I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because it is what I had on hand and it was just as good (I prefer dark meat anyways)
I like Chinese food, hoping to learn more about Chinese food recipes.
Best recipe for Orange Chicken that I’ve ever found. I do like a good orange flavor, so I used the zest of one large orange (added to the sauce) and I added a 1/4 cup of orange marmalade to the sauce before adding the corn starch slurry.
Hi Chunga, 1. Awesome Corgis. 2. I made this orange Chicken recipe, turned out great, tasted awesome and a lot better than any take-out orange chicken, I have ordered. I will make this again, as it was fun and easy to make. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Hello! I am a young 20 something and I stumbled upon your blog on pinterest. I have tried several of your recipes and there is literally nothing I havent loved. I am not a blog person but I always come here to find new recipes to try. Your food is delicious!
Made this about a month ago and took it to my husband at work. Needless to say, all the police officers wanted some and they loved it! The only downside: I didn’t get any. Making it again tonight, but this time, I will definitely keep some out for me. This is an easy, awesome recipe!
OMG! This is absoutely the best orange chicken I have EVER had..And it’s the only one I have made at home that is actually out of this world. Simple ingredients, simple prep, outrageous results! Family was very HAPPY, HAPPY. Will be repeated on a monthly basis.
Tried this last night! It was awesome!! It takes a long time from start to finish but it was well worth it. I made it with a fried rice recipe I found on pinterest. Next time I will add 4-5 tbl of the sirracha. (I put 3 tbl, wasn’t spicy enough for us!)
awesome recipe, thank you for sharing!!!
Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead?
Yes, absolutely.
Can you freeze sauce?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Would I be able to substitute any hot sauce for Sriracha? Or do you think the Sriracha gives it a distinct flavor?
I find that this recipe is best when Sriracha is used rather than any other kind of hot sauce.
Hi, this is probably a stupid question but could I substitute lemon for the orange ingredients? Just to change up the citrus flavor? Thanks.
Yes, absolutely!
Made this tonight for dinner, and it was amazing! It’s a little finicky to coat the chicken, but well worth the time and effort. The fresh orange juice gave the sauce such a nice taste.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!