This orange chicken is just as tangy and delicious as your favorite take out dish and so easy to make at home.
What’s your favorite mall food? I’m not a huge fan of the mall food court, but if the kids are starving during a trip to the mall, my first choice is always the food booth with the orange chicken!
I love taking my favorite “eating out” foods and trying to create them at home. I have to say that this orange chicken recipe is better than the mall food court version. The flavor is perfect, but there is less breading and more chicken. There is nothing worse then biting into a piece of orange chicken and all you find is breading and no actual chicken!
After cutting the chicken into bite size pieces, the chicken is dipped into egg and then into a flour mixture and then quickly cooked in oil. Even though it is fried it does not have a heavy, greasy taste or feel to it.
While the chicken is cooking, mix up the sauce which uses orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and various seasonings and has a nice sweet tangyness to it. Add in a little cornstarch to thicken and then just pour it over the chicken. I always serve it with white rice and a garnish of chopped green onion for some nice color and flavor.
So next time you’re craving mall food, no need to head to the mall. Just stay home and enjoy!
For more easy and delicious Chinese takeout recipes, try:
Some of my favorite kitchen tools to use making Orange Chicken:
LEMON JUICE SQUEEZER – this is one of my most used kitchen tools. Nothing beats fresh squeezed lemon juice and this guy makes it so easy.
MICROPLANE ZESTER– this is the perfect tool for zesting lemons or limes. I use mine on a daily and weekly basis.
5 QT. NON STICK FRYING PAN – this is my go to frying pan. The one I use more than any other. I love that it has a lid.
Orange Chicken Recipe
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-1/2” cubes
- 1 ½ C all purpose flour
- 1 eggs beaten
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Oil for frying
Orange Sauce
- 1 ½ C water
- 2 Tbsps orange juice
- ¼ C lemon juice
- 1/3 C rice vinegar
- 2 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp orange zest grated
- 1 C packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp ginger root minced
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp green onion chopped
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper.
- Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat.
- Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
- Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly.
- Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.
- Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions
Nutrition
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Originally posted June 4, 2010
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Vicki R.
June 4, 2010 at 11:05 amI don’t make it to the mall very often anymore, so not sure if it’s a common place to eat these days. But I used to love the Great Steak and Potato Company – those sandwiches are soooo yummy!
Merri Coulter
June 4, 2010 at 2:23 pmI used to make the hot sandwiches like turkey, cheese, onion, mushrooms on a deli roll. Can’t remember which placed used to serve that. But I always went there.
Jaimie King
June 4, 2010 at 2:56 pmEdo Japanese food. So good and healthy too.
Heather
June 4, 2010 at 5:08 pmOrange chicken is my favorite too! I need to check out your recipe and hope it’s healthier than the mall version. I don’t get to the mall often which is good otherwise I’d be about 10 lbs. heavier!
Rayla
June 5, 2010 at 5:03 pmGreat recipe. It doesn’t take long to make at all!!!! The kids and hubby just loved it, so that is a big bonus!!!!! I will definately be making this again….Thanks for sharing!
Cindy
June 6, 2010 at 9:53 amWell…I love to go to the mall to shop and eat. If we are eating in the food court it will typically be Chik-Fil-A. For those of you that don’t have them in your area you are missing out. Really yummy. The Orange Chicken looks fantastic! Gonna make it soon.
Jeannena
June 6, 2010 at 9:35 pmOkay, this Orange Chicken is wonderful. I made it a couple of nights ago, and between two people it was gone at one sitting and no it wasn’t the only item we had for dinner. Thank you for this one, lady!!
Katie
June 8, 2010 at 10:56 amYou made my day!! I love orange chicken and now I can make it at home!! Thank you!!
Anh
September 21, 2010 at 9:37 pmI made this over the weekend and it is awesome. My hubby and children loved it. The chicken taste good even without the sauce. I separated some chicken pieces after frying and my daughter loved it dipped with barbeque sauce. Very good recipe and a definite keeper. Thank you for sharing this.
Dale
November 4, 2012 at 6:32 pmPlease allow us to choose’print’ on all recipes. Some allow but now all and it’s frustrating to those of us who don’t use all the social media stuff. Thanks! Love your site!!
Leigh Anne
November 4, 2012 at 10:34 pmThere is a print button on this recipe – on the upper right hand side of the recipe. My older recipes don’t have it yet because I have to manually go in and add it and I am slowly but surely working my way through all of them.
Melissa
October 20, 2013 at 10:32 amThis sounds great. Do you recommend a substitute for the all-purpose flour to make it gluten free?
Leigh Anne
October 20, 2013 at 10:36 amI like using almond flour
but rice flour would work too