Crispy Orange Chicken
Crispy orange chicken in a sweet, sticky sauce made with ginger, garlic and fresh orange juice is the better-than-takeout dinner your family will love.
Table of Contents
How to make orange chicken
- How to make orange sauce: To make the sweet and sticky sauce, cook ginger and garlic in a tablespoon of canola oil until fragrant, around 30 seconds. Pour in fresh orange juice. Fresh orange juice tends to be less sweet than a bottled version and I like the acidity it adds. Add chicken stock, sugar, rice vinegar, the zest of an orange and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Mix corn starch (cornflour) with water to make a slurry then stir into the sauce. Allow to cook until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You want the sauce to be pleasantly sweet and well seasoned.
- Crispy chicken: To make the chicken super crispy, coat it first in a mixture of flour, corn starch (cornflour) and salt, then in beaten eggs and again in the flour. The corn starch adds extra crispiness once fried. Fry the chicken in approximately 10cm/4 inches of hot canola oil until golden brown and crisp. You know the oil is hot enough if it starts sizzling around the chicken when a piece is carefully lowered in. Remove the cooked chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
- Serving: When you’re ready to serve, combine the chicken with the orange sauce and toss well to coat the chicken. Sprinkle over chopped spring onion/green onion and serve over rice or noodles drizzled with the extra sauce.
How to reheat orange chicken
Reheating orange chicken will mean that the texture won’t be as crispy. However, the taste will still be delicious. Place the chicken and sauce in a casserole dish and heat in a 220ºC/390ºF oven until hot and bubbling before serving.
What to serve with orange chicken
The chicken in its sticky sauce is the main attraction so keep side dishes simple. Steamed rice or noodles and perhaps green vegetables like broccoli, sugar snap peas, bok choy or asparagus is all that is needed.
Easy Chinese recipes
Crispy orange chicken
Crispy orange chicken in a sweet, sticky sauce made with ginger, garlic and fresh orange juice is the better-than-takeout dinner your family will love.
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Calories: 419kcal
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Orange chicken sauce
- 1 tsp ginger crushed
- 1 tsp garlic crushed
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1-2 tbsp rice vinegar
- zest of 1 orange
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch/cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water
For the chicken
- 4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup corn starch / cornflour
- 1 tsp salt
- oil for frying
Instructions
- To make the sauce, fry the ginger and garlic in a tablespoon of canola oil until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except for the cornstarch) and bring to a simmer.
- Pour in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened.
- Season to taste (if needed).
- To make the chicken, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a shallow bowl suitable for coating the chicken.
- Whisk the eggs into a similar bowl.
- Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces then coat first in the flour, then in the egg and finally again in the flour.
- Heat 10cm / 4 inches of canola oil in a pot set over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add the coated chicken. Fry for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, crispy and cooked through.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat well.
- Serve with chopped spring onion and rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 851mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 3mg
