This tangy and sticky orange chicken recipe is just like your favorite takeout, and it only takes 30 minutes to throw together in a skillet!
Why this recipe works
Making orange chicken is actually really easy. First, you’ll dredge chopped chicken in flour, then egg, followed by flour again. Pop the coated chicken into a skillet with some vegetable oil and cook until you have perfectly crisp golden nuggets. Toss with a delicious tangy-sweet homemade sauce and that’s it!
This American-Chinese classic is known for its slightly sweet, sticky orange sauce. It’s pretty similar to General Tso chicken, but typically not as savory, though it can lean in either direction depending on the recipe. The key to orange chicken is right in the name. We’re using orange juice and orange zest with a bit of ginger, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes for depth and some brown sugar to help balance all the flavors together.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
ORANGE – Both the orange juice and the orange zest are key ingredients. I wouldn’t recommend substituting or omitting them. You can use either freshly squeezed orange juice or the bottled variety. Both will work, though I suggest going with the freshly squeezed juice for the most flavor, I promise it makes a difference. 3-4 standard size oranges should yield 1 cup worth of juice.
SUGAR – The brown sugar really helps balance the ingredients in the sauce. It adds a bit of a caramelized taste. You can substitute with granulated white sugar if desired.
How to Make Orange Chicken
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Chop chicken into chunks.
- Create a dipping station, 1 cup flour on a plate, whisked eggs in a dish, 1 cup flour on a plate.
- Dredge chicken pieces in flour, dip in whisked egg, then dredge in flour again. Place chicken on wire rack. Repeat for all chicken pieces.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add chicken pieces to the hot oil, being careful not to crowd, and cook about 2 minutes, then turn and cook a few minutes more. The finished chicken will be golden brown.
- Remove chicken to paper towels.
- To a clean skillet or wok, add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Whisk together and cook over medium heat until bubbling.
- Meanwhile, whisk enough water into the cornstarch to make a slurry (about 1/2 cup). When well combined, pour slowly into sauce mixture, whisking continuously. Allow to thicken then add cooked chicken in. Gently stir, you don’t want to tear off the coating.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftover orange chicken in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I would recommend reheating it in the air fryer if you have one, or tossing it over low-medium heat in a skillet with a dash of water to loosen the sauce. You can pop it in the microwave if needed, but the coating on the chicken tends to get soggy when reheated this way.
Though we don’t have a vegetarian-friendly recipe for orange chicken, you can absolutely follow the same instructions we provided in our General Tso’s Cauliflower in this recipe. Follow steps 1 and 2 for making the cauliflower nuggets, then toss with the homemade orange sauce from this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Serve orange chicken over a bed of white rice, cauliflower rice, or fried rice with optional sesame seeds or sliced green onions as garnish.
More Related Recipes
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Orange Chicken
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice freshly squeezed or bottled
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- zest of one orange
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoons ginger jarred or fresh
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ Tablespoon cornstarch
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- We used a heavy bottom skillet to make the chicken and a wok to make the sauce. When cooking the chicken, you want an even cooking surface, which a wok doesn’t have. You do not need to use a wok at all, a saucepan will work fine for making the sauce. Then simply clean the oil out of the skillet you cooked the chicken in and use it to combine the sauce and chicken.
- Both the orange juice and the orange zest are key ingredients. I wouldn’t recommend substituting or omitting them. You can use either freshly squeezed orange juice or the bottled variety. Both will work, though I suggest going with the freshly squeezed juice for the most flavor, I promise it makes a difference. 3-4 standard size oranges should yield 1 cup worth of juice.
- The brown sugar really helps balance out all the flavors in the sauce. It adds a bit of a caramelized taste. You can substitute with granulated white sugar if desired.
- Store leftover orange chicken in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I would recommend reheating it in the air fryer if you have one, or tossing it over low-medium heat in a skillet with a dash of water to loosen the sauce. You can pop it in the microwave if needed, but the coating on the chicken tends to get soggy when reheated this way.
Instructions
- Chop chicken into chunks.
- Create a dipping station, 1 cup flour on a plate, whisked eggs in a dish, 1 cup flour on a plate.
- Dredge chicken pieces in flour, dip in whisked egg, then dredge in flour again. Place chicken on wire rack.
- Repeat for all chicken pieces.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add chicken pieces to the hot oil, being careful not to crowd, and cook about 2 minutes, then turn and cook a few minutes more. The finished chicken will be golden brown.
- Remove chicken to paper towels.
- To a clean skillet or wok, add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Whisk together and cook over medium heat until bubbling.
- Meanwhile, whisk enough water into the cornstarch to make a slurry (about 1/2 cup). When well combined, pour slowly into sauce mixture, whisking continuously. Allow to thicken then add cooked chicken in. Gently stir, you don’t want to tear off the coating.
Nutrition
Chef Antoine Davis
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