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This easy orange chicken recipe is just as tangy and delicious as your favorite take out dish and so easy to make at home.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Better than take out! I love taking my favorite restaurant dishes and trying to create them at home. I have to say that this orange chicken recipe is better than the take out version.
Perfect flavor: The flavor is perfect. The sauce has a nice sweet tangyness to it. A perfect combination .
Perfect ratio. This recipe has the perfect ratio of chicken to coating, there is less breading and more chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts. Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- All Purpose Flour. I use unbleached all purpose flour
- Egg
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Oranges, juice and zest
- Lemon Juice
- Rice Vinegar
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Ginger Root
- Garlic
- Green Onions
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Cornstarch
How to Make Chinese Orange Chicken
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces, about 1 – 1 1/2 inches. You can use skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Combine flour, salt and pepper into a plastic zipper bag or a bowl.
- Dip chicken pieces into beaten egg.
- Cover chicken with flour mixture.
- Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook until golden brown in hot oil. Keep oil around 350 degrees F.
- Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Combine sauce ingredients, 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce In a large saucepan
- 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 the orange chicken sauce over the chicken and toss.
- Garnish with diced green onions and or sesame seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add vegetables to orange chicken?
Carrots, red peppers, or broccoli would all be delicious served with this orange chicken. I would recommend stir frying the vegetables in a little oil by themselves until they are tender and then adding them in with the chicken along with the sauce.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great with this recipe.
Next time you are craving your favorite orange chicken dish, make it at home instead!
For more easy and delicious Chinese takeout recipes, try:
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Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-1/2” cubes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 eggs beaten
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Oil for frying
Orange Sauce
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 Tbsps orange juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp orange zest grated
- 1 Cup brown sugar packed
- 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
Tips & Notes:
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Nutrition Facts:
Melissa says
This sounds great. Do you recommend a substitute for the all-purpose flour to make it gluten free?
Leigh Anne says
I like using almond flour
but rice flour would work too