Orange Chicken

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’!

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Orange Chicken

This Chinese Takeout staple is super easy to make at home! You are gonna love the orange sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese

Keyword Chicken, chinese fakeaway, chinese food, crispy chicken, fried chicken, orange, orange chicken, orange juice, sweet and spicy

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Marinating Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

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.