I said what I said, Panda. Orange Chicken is LIFE, right? It’s the American way. Crispy, sticky, sweet, and delightfully tangy—this homemade recipe is way better than takeout! We are maxing out the orange flavor with plenty of zest and juice + a secret ingredient in the sauce. The tender bites of chicken are fried to golden perfection: extra crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Serve it up with fluffy rice and a side of easy Roasted Broccoli for a meal that’ll have your family stabbing each other with chopsticks for the last bite.
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Edison, age 5, at the dinner table: “Is this chicken we’re eating a type of animal?”
Me: Yes.
Edison: What animal?
Me, with the hugest smile: I’m going to let you guess.
“Goat?” No. “Sheep?” No. “Wolf?” No.
I swear wolf was his third guess. He’s not done:
“Fish??” No. “House.” What?? “Okay, Lion!” No. “Cheetah.” No. “Cow.” No. “Horse.” No. “Moose.”
Finally he guessed chicken after I told him it was a bird. I don’t think he ever made the connection that he was correct from the start! Ahh, chicken, you wily fox!
Orange chicken: keep it comin’
Have you seen the meme where someone is piling orange chicken into an already-overflowing styrofoam takeout container? It just says, “Keep it coming.” I mean, YES. Right? ‘Merica.
HERE’S a crazy fact: Panda Express invented the Orange Chicken recipe. Did you know this?? They made it up back in the 80s, and these days they sell 100 million pounds of it every year. 😳 Like I said guys, keep it comin’.
I always assumed it was an American version of a Chinese dish, but nope, not really. It vaguely resembles General Tso’s Chicken, but only slightly, and also, no one in China eats General Tso’s Chicken… 😂
Well, whatever you want to call it and wherever it comes from, I think we can all agree that orange chicken is God’s gift to takeout. Stuff is SO good. And it’s even better when you make it at home!
Homemade Orange Chicken is better
Here’s why:
- Tangier, more flavorful sauce. My main beef with Panda’s chicken is that the sauce can be a little bland. When I’m eating orange, I want ORANGE. We are using the zest from 3-4 oranges to bring the ZING.
- MORE saucy sauce. I mean, we need this, right?
- Orange marmalade. This is my secret ingredient for punching up the orange flavor. I LOVE it. It does so much for the sauce!
- Crispier chicken. As much as I love you, Panda, sometimes you feed me chicken that has been sitting under a hot light for an hour. It’s a lil mush. Making it at home means that this fried chicken is freshly crisp to the max.
- Baking Soda and cornstarch are the two secret ingredients to the perfect breading. These are two classic ingredient used in Asian cooking to get super crispy fried or seared meat, like this Asian Seared Chicken.
- Spice. My dream orange chicken recipe has a lil extra somethin somethin. Bring on the flavor!
What you need to make orange chicken
Throw away your takeout menu! This orange chicken recipe is made from easy to find ingredients, mostly pantry staples. For complete details, head down to the recipe.
- chicken thighs
- eggs
- toasted sesame oil
- cornstarch
- flour
- Kosher salt
- canola or vegetable oil (for frying)
- oranges (juice and zest)
- low sodium soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- brown sugar
- fresh garlic
- ginger (fresh or powdered)
- crushed red pepper
- green onions
- white rice, for serving
How to make orange chicken
If you intend to eat this goodness on top of a hot pile of rice, get that started first! (Here’s how to make rice perfectly every time!)
Then get started by marinating your chicken. Add in a couple eggs, sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt.
I love to add in a little Sambal Oelek too, but you don’t have to! It’s a spicy chili paste. It’s so good!
Now add everything you need for the flour and cornstarch mixture:
Yes, it’s not a typo, you really need 1 whole cup corn starch! It’s what gives the chicken that magical crisp. The baking soda adds to the crisp too! This is an old Asian method for crisping meat! Add in some spices too, ginger and garlic. Yum.
Now it’s time to prep the sauce. Do this now so that you are not trying to squeeze oranges and measure stuff when you’re frying chicken!
Juice your oranges and add to a large skillet.
We need this skillet big enough to handle all the chicken later when we combine everything.
Here’s my favorite ingredient in this orange chicken sauce: marmalade brings the orange flavor!
Add all the rest of the sauce ingredients. We’re not ready to cook this just yet so just set it aside.
Here’s our line up! Have everything in place ready to go! Frying chicken is always an adventure!
Dunk the marinated chicken in the flour and get it nice and coated:
Add the chicken in batches to the oil. You will know it’s done when it’s nice and golden all the way around. It should take about 2-3 minutes, depending on how big your pieces are.
Let the chicken drain on paper towels or a paper bag. A torn paper grocery bag is super absorbent and my favorite thing to use when frying!
Don’t forget to check the temperature and bring it back up to 375 before adding more chicken.
Once your chicken is all fried, or at least most of the way there, turn the burner on underneath your skillet with the sauce. (and do you see my rice cooking in the background?? Look at you, you’re a dinner BOSS.)
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while it simmers, whisking well. DON’T let your sauce get too thick—30 seconds of cooking is usually all you need.
Then, add in all of your fried chicken!
Just LOOK at this goodness. Oh man!! I love it! Serve it overflowing from a styrofoam to-go box with plenty of hot rice! ‘Merica! 😂 Don’t forget green onions and sesame seeds, yum.
What to serve with orange chicken
Orange chicken + rice, that’s all I need for dinner! But in case you’re missing green on your plate, here are some perfect pairings:
- Roasted Broccoli >> a recipe to convert even broccoli haters (plain steamed broc is also great)
- Marinated Asian Cucumber Salad >> super refreshing, the perfect crunch to pair with your orange chicken
- Asian Cauliflower Rice >> skip the white rice and do extra veggies instead!
- Asian Cabbage Salad >> not necessarily authentic, but how often do you get to put BUTTER in your salad??
- Strawberry Spinach Salad >> this is basically the perfect salad for any meal ever
- Chinese Beef Broccoli Soup >> a great starter for your Chinese inspired feast!
Storing and reheating orange chicken
I’ll be honest, I don’t think orange chicken is that great on day two. Fried food is usually best fresh, and we are dousing this one in sauce right away…That said, it’s still decently lunch-worthy, if not an actual meal-prep candidate. Store chicken and sauce covered in the fridge.
If you’ve kept the sauce and chicken separate, you smarty pants, you could air fry or bake the chicken to re-crisp it, and then toss in the sauce. If you’ve already combined them, just throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. I don’t recommend freezing the fried chicken, but you could totally freeze extra sauce to make dinner faster next time.
More Asian inspired dinners!
- Kung Pao Chicken >> this is a show stopper. healthier (and tastier) than the takeout version!
- Beef and Broccoli >> another easy-to-make Chinese favorite. I thought I didn’t like it…til this recipe.
- Easy Pork Ramen Recipe >> a huge upgrade for ramen from the packet! Like, not even comparable.
- Honey Garlic Chicken >> make this one in the crockpot, just add rice and veggies, a great weeknight saver
- Asian Pork Tenderloin >> you’ll love the ginger glaze on this one, it’s a riff on this Balsamic pork.
- Chicken Curry Recipe >> a warming and super flavorful curry. my kids LOVE this stuff.
- Sheet Pan Asian Salmon >> one sheet pan, a whole meal complete with veggies and noodles!
- Asian Seared Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans >> I referenced this recipe for today’s orange chicken, it uses the same baking soda for frying method
- Easy Curry Beef >> this one is soooo cozy, especially with homemade naan or roti
- Chili Garlic Shrimp from Bold Appetite
- Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein from Lite Cravings
- Chinese Lemon Chicken from Anna’s Family Kitchen
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Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek chili paste , or sriracha
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, (or use 1 teaspoon table salt)
For the flour mixture:
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, (use 1 teaspoon table salt)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 48 ounces canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, for frying (enough to go 2 inches high in your pan)
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, buy 3-4 large oranges for this recipe
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or up to 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste (Sambal Oelek), or sriracha
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced, about 2 tablespoons*
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced**
- 1/2 cup COLD water, or orange juice, add this AFTER simmering the sauce!
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, add this AFTER simmering the sauce!
For serving
- green onions, to garnish
- sesame seeds, to garnish
- hot rice, for serving
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken into bite size pieces, about 1 inch by 1 inch.
- Make the egg marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (or sriracha), and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Stir in the chicken and set aside.
- Make the dry flour mixture: In a shallow bowl or pie plate, add 1 cup cornstarch (yes!! 1 cup!) and 1 cup flour. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, and 1 teaspoon granulated garlic. Set it next to your stove.
- Prep the sauce. We are not cooking this now, just getting it ready. In a wok or large skillet (that will be able to fit all the chicken later), zest 3 or 4 oranges using a microplane grater. Keep going until you have 2 tablespoons.Cut the oranges in half and squeeze them into a measuring cup until you have 1 cup of fresh orange juice. Add to the skillet.
- To the skillet, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup orange marmalade, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup rice vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (or sriracha.)
- To the skillet, add 8 cloves of garlic*, smashed and minced. Add 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger.** Stir it all together. Set this sauce mixture aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup COLD water (or orange juice!) Set it the side.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a high-sided skillet. How much you need depends on how large your pan is. I use a 12-inch high sided skillet, and 2 inches of oil was at least 8 cups. You will need less oil in a smaller pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until a thermometer reads 375 degrees F. It will take 10-15 minutes. (Save the container for the oil, for discarding later)
- Prepare to fry the chicken. While you're waiting for the oil to heat up, lay out several sheets of paper towels on a baking sheet (or better yet, a torn paper grocery bag—they are so absorbent.)
- Set up your frying assembly line. 1)chicken in marinade 2)flour/cornstarch 3)oil 4) lined baking sheet. Send the children and pets away and turn on a fan, maybe open a window. We're frying chicken here!
- Fry the chicken. You'll be frying the chicken in batches, making sure not to crowd the pieces too much so that they don't stick together. When the oil reaches 375 degrees F, take a handful of chicken and let the marinade drip off a bit. Add it to the flour mixture and gently move it around until all sides of each piece are coated in the mixture.Using tongs or a slotted spoon, gently and carefully place the pieces of chicken into the hot oil. Turn each piece over with tongs halfway through, to ensure both sides cook thoroughly. The chicken will be done in 2-4 minutes, depending on how large they are. You will know they are done when they have turned a light golden brown on all sides.
- Remove the chicken to the lined baking sheet using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer.
- Continue in batches until all the chicken is fried. Let the oil reheat to 375 degrees before frying the next batch! Check the temperature every time and wait if necessary.
- Cook the sauce. When you're getting ready to start frying the last batch, place the large skillet with the orange sauce on the stove. Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a low simmer. Let it cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch mixture. Stir the cornstarch in the bowl of water/orange juice to make sure it is dissolved. Add this mixture to the simmering sauce and quickly whisk it in. The sauce will start to thicken right away. Cook for about 30-45 seconds, until it thickens just a little bit.
- Combine and serve. Add the fried chicken to the skillet with the sauce, using a spatula to coat the chicken in the sauce. Stir it around and coat all the chicken.
- Serve hot with lots of rice! Sprinkle with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. YUM! Pile it ridiculously high into a styrofoam takeout container for the full effect.
- Storage: Not gonna lie, orange chicken is best on day one. But store any leftovers covered in the fridge. They are going to need some help when it comes to reheating. The microwave doesn't help much, it just gets soggy. I recommend adding it back to a skillet and gently heating on medium-low, or adding chicken pieces to a baking sheet and baking at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Reheat the sauce in the microwave.
- Freezing: Nope. Don't go there. 😂
Your son’s story about the chicken brought back memories. When my grandson was 4 or 5, we had the same conversation with him. As he was enjoying his chicken, he stopped and looked up and said, “This isn’t the bird kind of chicken, right?” I think we said something like… “Well… it’s a special kind of chicken!” He was okay with that! :)
Ahahaah!!!!! Okay I’m going to have to remember this trick Vicki…the SPECIAL kind of chicken. Haha!! These kids. I can’t get enough!! 💕💕 thanks for chiming in, it’s good to hear from you!!