These crispy fried chicken pieces tossed in the fantastic sweet and spicy orange sauce is what you are craving for dinner tonight. Whether you serve it with plain white rice, fried rice or chow mein, this recipe for Orange Chicken is going to be a total hit!
The batter for the chicken should be somewhere between pancake and waffle mixtures. It should be loose enough to be “loose” but thick enough to stick to the chicken. It’s also super important to use chicken thighs instead of the breast almost solely because of the fat content. You need the chicken to not dry out with the rapid cooking needed to make this batter fry up.
For the sauce, you absolutely need fresh oranges. The zest of the orange imparts so much or the flavor in this dish. You need to use a microplane carefully to make sure you do not get too much of the pith or white part of the rind. That’s where the bitterness lives and you do not want that in your silky orange sauce.
As I mentioned, you can serve this up with any of your classic Chinese food sides. White rice, chow mein or fried rice would all do well. The last time I made this I did my Simple Egg Fried Rice – so much flavor to marry with the Orange Chicken. You just might nail that Chinese #fakeaway night.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cup Flour
- 1 cup Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Ginger Powder
- 2 cups Water more if needed
- Oil for frying
- ¼ cup Toasted Sesame Seeds
For the Sauce
- 2 Large Navel Oranges juiced and zest
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, ginger powder and water in a large mixing bowl. It should be the consistency of pancake or waffle batter. Add more water or flour if needed. Add chicken to mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a sauce pan over medium low heat, add sauce ingredients. (Should have at least one cup of orange juice, add more if the two oranges aren't enough). Bring just to a bubble and reduce heat to low. Sauce will thicken as it cooks. Stir occasionally.
- Add enough oil to frying pan for it to be about an inch deep. Bring to high heat. Place a baking rack on a paper towel covered baking sheet. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and remove plastic wrap.
- Begin frying the chicken in batches, turning over as needed. About seven minutes per batch (check chicken temp with a thermometer, at least 165degF). Remove to baking rack to drain off excess oil.
- Once all chicken is done place in a large bowl and pour sauce over top along with sesame seeds. Toss to coat. Serve right away.
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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YUM! Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 107. Shared.
I think my husband would love this one. Thank you for sharing Estelle.
This sounds yummy! I have made orange chicken a time or two but the recipe always called for orange marmalade whish isn’t easy to find up here. Thank you so much for sharing.
I love orange chicken. I’ve tried making it at home several times and it’s usually a flop. I’ll give your recipe a try. It looks so good.
Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes at our What’s for Dinner party!! Hope your weekend is full of Spring sunshine!