Orange Chicken Recipe

close up of white rice and crispy orange chicken with green onion garnish.

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Orange Chicken is LIFE, right? It's the American way. Crispy, sticky, sweet, and delightfully tangy—this homemade version is even better than takeout! We are maxing out the orange flavor with plenty of zest and juice in the sauce. The tender bites of chicken are fried to golden perfection: extra crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Literally plate lickin' good. Serve it up with fluffy rice and a side of Roasted Broccoli for a meal that’ll have your family stabbing each other with chopsticks for the last bite.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Servings: servings

Calories: 928kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

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. 😂

Notes

*GARLIC: For the garlic, you can substitute the garlic that comes in a jar, if you are feeling lazy (I usually am 🤣)

**GINGER: Ginger paste is a great sub here. Use 1 tablespoon. You can also sub powdered ginger, use 1 teaspoon.

RICE: Make 2 and 1/2 cups of dry rice to go with this orange chicken, to make about 5 cups of cooked rice. I wrote a whole post all about How to Cook rice on the Stove! It's not as hard as the rice cooker companies want you to believe 😂

What to do with the leftover oil? Let it cool completely. Place a disposable container in your sink in case you have a spill. (I use the container the oil came in, or an empty milk jug). Place a funnel on the top. Ask someone to help you hold it. Pour the oil in slowly, wearing an apron! Set a strainer over the funnel to catch any fried bits, if you plan to reuse the oil. Discard in the trash, or use it again for next time (store it in the fridge.)

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