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.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe. I prefer using thigh meat as it stays super moist and juicy.
- For the breading: Flour, cornstarch, eggs and salt.
- Oil, for frying. Use a neutral oil with a high smoking point. Sunflower oil, Canola oil etc are all good options.
- For the sauce: Fresh garlic cloves, ginger, chicken broth/chicken stock, orange juice, orange zest, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. You could use either white or brown sugar for this recipe.
How to make orange chicken
- How to make orange sauce: To make the sweet and sticky sauce, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or pan set over medium-high heat. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook 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 orange zest 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, a few tablespoons corn starch and salt, then in beaten eggs and again in the flour. The corn starch adds extra crispiness once fried. Fry the chicken pieces 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. You might need to cook the chicken in batches to prevent over-crowding the pot. Remove the cooked chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towel.
- Serving: When you’re ready to serve, combine the chicken with the orange sauce and toss well to coat the chicken. Garnish with spring onion/green onion and sesame seeds (optional) 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. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
The chicken in its sticky sauce is the main attraction so keep side dishes simple. Rice (or brown rice) or noodles and perhaps green vegetables like broccoli, sugar snap peas, bok choy or asparagus is all that is needed.
Servings: 6
Calories: 419kcal
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Easy Chinese-American recipes
I used orange marmalade for more orange flavor
This is the first time I have ever left a rating for anything but the orange chicken turned out unbelievably delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. Thakyou so much for sharing your talent and vision even for those of us who don’t have cooking as a passion.
I am so incredibly happy to hear that Charlene. 🙂
Your recipe is really better than others, so I follow step by step procedure and make it attractive. I tried second time and it was tasty, all because of your useful article.
Astonishing! This formula is my family’s top pick. Unquestionably worth the prep work. I make it frequently. In some cases I will make the sauce the prior night what slices planning time down the middle on a work night. I think it is flavorful in any event, when I don’t have the opportunity to marinate the chicken. Attempt this!!