Chinese Orange Chicken
by Chungah
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Crispy, golden brown chicken bites tossed in a sweet and tangy orange glaze! A Chinese takeout favorite (made so much better) right at home.
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Why you’ll love this Chinese Orange Chicken recipe
- Takeout favorite. Now you can make your favorite Chinese takeout dish right at home, using better quality, fresh ingredients all around (no preservatives, no processed meat here!).
- Crispy coating. By using a combination of eggs and cornstarch, the chicken comes out unbelievably crispy and crunchy before getting tossed in an irresistible orange glaze. We’re talking perfectly crispy, sauced chicken bites here.
- Make-ahead friendly. The marinade serves both as a marinade and glaze (double whammy!), and the chicken can even be marinated ahead of time, cutting down prep time even further.
What is orange chicken?
Orange chicken is a popular Chinese-American takeout dish made with crispy chicken bites coated in cornstarch and deep fried, tossed in a sweet and savory orange sauce traditionally made with oranges, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce (thickened by a cornstarch slurry). It is often times garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, and served alongside white rice.
General tso’s vs orange chicken
While both dishes include deep-fried battered chicken bites in Chinese-American cuisine, they each have distinct flavor profiles.
- General Tso’s Chicken: sweet and spicy sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili peppers (sauce is dark, red-brown color)
- Orange Chicken: much milder and sweeter than General Tso’s, made with oranges, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce (sauce is light orange and much more syrupy)
How to make orange chicken
- Make the marinade. Firstly, whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger, and white pepper.
- Marinate. Then marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes (never exceeding 12 hours), saving 1/3 of the marinade for the orange sauce.
- Make the orange sauce. Start with a cornstarch slurry (combining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water). Simmer the reserved marinade, stirring in the cornstarch slurry until thickened and glossy.
- Coat the chicken. Dip each chicken piece into the beaten eggs before dredging in cornstarch, pressing to coat and shaking off any excess cornstarch.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the coated chicken in a large cast iron skillet until golden brown, working in batches to avoid an overcrowded pan. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Toss or drizzle. Toss (or drizzle) the cooked chicken with the orange sauce, adding as little or as much sauce as desired. Pro tip: reserve some of the sauce to spoon over rice.
- Serve. Lastly, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, serving over a bed of white rice alongside steamed broccoli.
Deep-frying tips to cook the chicken
Deep-frying chicken may seem a bit daunting, but with some attention to detail and these easy-to-follow tips, you’ll be making restaurant-quality (if not better!) orange chicken in no time.
- Use the right oil. Use vegetable or peanut oil, a neutral oil with a high smoke point.
- Maintain a consistent oil temperature. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to monitor the oil closely, maintaining a steady temperature between 325 and 375°F.
- Work in small batches. Cook the chicken in small batches, about 5-6 pieces at a time.
- Let it rest on a wire rack. Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes on a wire rack for even air circulation, achieving that perfect, shatteringly crispy coating.
what to serve with chinese orange chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Chinese Orange Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
Both chicken breasts and thighs can be used here, but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Use a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) to achieve a syrup-like glaze, perfectly glossy, sticky, and sweet. Avoid bottled orange juice whenever possible, using fresh oranges for both the zest and juice to ensure a vibrant, bright citrus flavor for the sauce.
Yes! The chicken can be marinated 30 minutes to 4 hours in the fridge.
Marinate for 30 minutes for a quick flavor boost (and when you’re short on time). But 2-4 hours is the perfect sweet spot to tenderize and infuse the meat with flavor. But avoid marinating for longer than 12 hours or the chicken will be mealy and mushy.
It’s possible too much cornstarch was added. Loosen the sauce by adding a splash of water or freshly squeezed orange juice.
Add simple, restaurant-quality garnishes to elevate your dish such as orange zest, sesame seeds, and green onions.
Store the chicken and the orange sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days, reheating the chicken in the oven or air fryer at 350°F, and gently warming the sauce on the stovetop.
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
For the cornstarch slurry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
For the chicken
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
For the marinade
- In a large bowl, whisk together chicken broth, orange zest and juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, Sriracha, ginger and white pepper.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and 2/3 cup of the marinade; marinate for at least 30 minutes to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
For the cornstarch slurry
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water.
For the orange sauce
- Heat remaining 1/3 marinade in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch slurry. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and glossy, about 2-4 minutes; keep warm.
For the chicken
- Working one at a time, dip chicken into the eggs, then dredge in cornstarch, pressing to coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350°F. Working in batches, add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
- Serve chicken immediately, tossed or drizzled with the orange sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut the chicken into similar-sized pieces. Whether you’re using chicken breasts, thighs or tenderloins, dice the chicken into similar bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch chunks) for even, consistent cooking throughout.
- Use a cast iron skillet. A heavy bottomed skillet such as a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven has exceptional heat retention, ideal for even cooking and yielding perfectly crispy, evenly browned, juicy chicken.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Freshly oranges go a long way. While bottled orange juice can work in a pinch, the orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice are ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Avoid marinating for too long. The high acid content from the orange juice can break down the meat fibers if marinated for too long. Marinate the chicken for 2 to 4 hours.
- Check the temperature. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to maintain a consistent oil temperature (about 325-375°F). If the oil goes past 375°F, the exterior will burn before the inside of the chicken is cooked, and if the oil is too cool, the chicken will absorb most of the oil, resulting in soggy, greasy chicken.
- Cook in batches. Cook the chicken in multiple batches as needed to avoid an overcrowded pan. An overcrowded pan will result in a drop in temperature, yielding soggy chicken bites instead.
- Mix cornstarch with water. Combining the cornstarch with water first (also known as a cornstarch slurry) will prevent lumps in the sauce, ensuring a smooth, glossy consistency and even thickening for the orange sauce.
- Sauce just before serving. This is crucial to avoiding soggy orange chicken. Toss the cooked chicken with the orange sauce right before serving for maximum crispness.
- Add garnishes. Make it restaurant-quality (especially when weekend company is over) by adding simple garnishes such as orange zest, sesame seeds and green onions.
- Prepare for leftovers. Store the chicken and the sauce separately if preparing for leftovers to preserve the crisp texture of the chicken.
Did you make this recipe?
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With one exception, I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was great. I’ve never used corn starch before, so the one exception was I forgot to mix the corn starch with (cold) water before adding it to the heated marinade. So, if you are a first time corn starch-user like me…just know that this step is important or you get globs of corn starch in your marinade. It was a non-issue, though, and in the end had no impact on taste or appearance. I love green onion usually but I ended up preferring bites without the green onion in this particular recipe. It’s personal preference (and is stated as optional), but don’t worry if you don’t have green onion. The sauce was delicious and my chicken turned out great — 1 inch chunks from thin chicken breasts and fried in a deep sided frying pan on an electric stove on medium. I didn’t time the frying..you just sort of know. I probably used about 2 cups of corn starch on a total of 3 thin chicken breasts cut into cubes. I think most of it ended up stuck on my fingers, but what can you do. :o) It’s worth it to use more corn starch or else I don’t think you’ll get the crispiness if your egg bleeds through. Anyway, it was great. Next time I will do what I can do to prepare some things in advance, as this did take me about 90 minutes, but it was delicious.
I used gloves to cut and to coat my chicken worked Great.. Just a idea for the next time you make this dish.
I just made your orange chicken for tonight’s dinner, and Wow! It is so delicious!
It definitely took some time, but it was well worth the trouble. I doubled the recipe, hoping for leftovers, but I don’t know if it’ll make it to tomorrow. I was about to lick my plate clean, the sauce was so good!
Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Hi! Thanks for this recipe- looks delicious! It’s been pinned. 🙂 Any advice for baking the chicken pieces instead of frying? Thank you!
Honestly, this is really best when fried! But as always, please use your best judgment. 🙂
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.