OMG you guyyyysssss… Orange chicken has been on my list for-ev-er and I finally made it today. Now I’m kicking myself for not making it sooner because this Easy Orange Chicken recipe is, without a doubt, my new favorite! The chicken pieces are tender, juicy, and lightly breaded, and the sauce is sweet, tangy, and spicy, with a whoosh of fresh orangey citrus flavor. It’s absolutely perfect, and so so fast and easy!
What Is Orange Chicken?
Orange chicken is a Chinese American dish consisting of juicy chunks of crispy fried chicken drenched in a simple orange chili glaze. The glaze or sauce is sweet, tangy, salty, and savory, hitting all of the best flavors at once! Our orange chicken recipe is modified a bit to make it easier for home kitchens. Rather than deep frying we’ve pan-fried the lightly battered chicken pieces and made the glaze using ingredients that are easy to find at any American grocery store.
Ingredients for Orange Chicken
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Orange Chicken recipe:
- Fresh Orange: You’ll use both the sweet juice and zest from the orange for maximum orange flavor. The orange perfectly compliments the spicy and savory sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce gives the glaze a deep umami flavor, adds salt, and gives the orange chicken sauce a nice deep color.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar balances the acidity and heat in the glaze making the flavor deliciously balanced.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar gives the sauce the perfect tangy flavor without a strong vinegar aftertaste or aroma. You can find rice vinegar in the Asian section of most major grocery stores.
- Ginger, Garlic, and Red Pepper: The perfect balance of spicy and savory comes from a mix of fresh ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce into a thick, glossy glaze, and it also lightly coats the chicken with just enough of a batter to absorb the delicious sauce.
- Chicken: We used chicken thighs because they’re budget-friendly and always stay juicy and tender, but you can use chicken breast if you prefer. Just be careful not to over cook the chicken breast as it can become tough and dry.
- Egg: Egg combines with the cornstarch to create a light batter that coats the chicken pieces.
- Cooking Oil: A light pan fry gives the chicken just enough texture to stand up to the sauce without having to deal with the excess oil of deep frying. Use a neutral cooking oil that can handle higher temperatures, like canola, peanut, vegetable, or light olive oil.
- Rice and Green Onion: Serve your homemade orange chicken over a bed of hot rice and topped with sliced green onion.
The Pan Fry Method for Easy Orange Chicken
I really don’t like deep fried food, but I can’t deny that a little bit of fried flavor helps dishes like this feel more authentic (and by “authentic” I mean tasting like your local take-out joint), so for this Easy Orange Chicken I used the same pan-fry method that I used for my Easy Sesame Chicken. This method involves coating the chicken pieces in a thin cornstarch and egg batter, then frying with a small amount of oil in a skillet until golden brown. This batter and pan-fry method gives the sauce something to grab onto and really helps flavor the chicken.
Helpful Tips for Orange Chicken
Some people have had trouble with the battered pan fry method, so I want to give you a couple of tips here:
- Make sure your skillet is nice and hot. If it’s too cool the egg batter will slide off the chicken and turn into scrambled eggs in your skillet.
- Don’t stir the chicken too much while it cooks. After adding the chicken to your skillet, don’t touch it until it’s golden on the bottom, then flip, and cook again. Stirring too much can knock the cooked batter off the chicken, leaving you again with separate cooked eggs and chicken.
- If you’re a beginner, use a non-stick skillet. If you prefer to use stainless steel, let the skillet heat up before adding the oil. This helps prevent the egg from sticking.
This cornstarch-egg frying method gives the chicken pieces just a touch of breading and fried flavor while leaving the dish tasting light and fresh. IMHO, it’s absolutely perfect.
What to Serve with Orange Chicken
Here are a few recipes for things to serve on the side with this Orange Chicken recipe: Sesame Cucumber Salad, Crunchy Cabbage Salad, Easy Egg Drop Soup, or Sesame Roasted Green Beans.
That orange zest on top really makes the orange flavor POP! ✨
Easy Orange Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
ORANGE SAUCE
- 1 large orange ($0.70)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.28)
- 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.06)
- 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.06)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.04)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.02)
STIR FRIED CHICKEN
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.3 lbs.) ($3.94)
- 1 large egg ($0.27)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.08)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.75)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.14)
Instructions
- Remove the zest from the orange using a zester or small-holed cheese grater, then squeeze the juice from the orange. You’ll need about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice. Combine the juice and 1 tsp zest with the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch in a small sauce pot. Before placing it over heat, whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Heat the mixture over medium-low until it begins to simmer, thicken, and turns into a glossy glaze (about 3-5 minutes). Remove the sauce from heat and set it aside.
- Use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 3/4-inch pieces.
- Combine the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them in the egg mixture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken, making sure all the pieces are touching the surface and not piled on top of one another. Let the pieces cook until they are golden brown on the bottom.
- Flip the chicken pieces, breaking them apart from one another as you turn them. Let them cook until golden brown on the second side and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes total cooking).
- Turn the heat off under the skillet and pour on the prepared orange sauce. Stir to coat the chicken pieces in sauce.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over cooked rice, garnished with sliced green onions and any left over orange zest.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Orange Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Begin by making the orange sauce so that it’s ready to go when you need it. Zest one large orange, then squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. You’ll need about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice.
Combine the orange juice and orange zest in a small sauce pot with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch. Whisk them all together until the cornstarch is fully dissolved before heating. Once combined, heat the sauce over medium-low until it begins to simmer, thicken, and turns into a glossy glaze. This should be relatively quick, or about 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat off and set the sauce aside.
Trim any excess fat from four boneless, skinless chicken thighs, then cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. This was about 1.33 pounds of chicken.
Whisk together one large egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper until it’s light and frothy. The mixture may seem dry at first, but the cornstarch will begin to melt into the moisture from the egg.
Add the chicken pieces and toss them until they’re coated in the egg mixture.
Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl until the skillet is coated. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet so that they are in a single layer and not piled on top one another. Let them cook until golden brown on the bottom, then begin to turn the chicken pieces, breaking them apart from one another and you flip. Let the chicken cook on the second side until golden as well and the pieces are cooked through. Try not to stir the chicken too much to avoid the batter falling off. Total cooking time should be about 5-7 minutes.
Turn the heat off, then add the prepared orange sauce. Stir to coat the chicken pieces in sauce.
Garnish the chicken with sliced green onions and any leftover orange zest.
Serve this Easy Orange Chicken recipe over warm cooked rice (preferably jasmine rice) and enjoy!
Just want to comment and let everyone know that you can air fry this! I did 16-20 minutes at 400°F tossing halfway through. Doctored the sauce to my liking. Delicious!
Terrific orange chicken recipe! The sauce tasted amazing and the egg coating gave the chicken a great texture. Only thing I would do different next time is double the sauce mixture so there’s some spare sauce to pour over the rice :)
I like being able to make my own healthy meals. I didn’t care for this orange sauce recipe. Instead I used other dipping sauces. Will make the chicken again.
We both loved this dinner. I liked that it was gluten free so hubby could enjoy it, too. I used liquid aminos as a substitute for the soy sauce, so I might cut back a smidge because the sauce was a little heavy on the salty/soy sauce tasting side (just my preference, nothing against the recipe). Thanks for sharing :)
Forgot to add stars. Love it!!
Love it!
Awful, sauce was gross!!!
Love this recipe!! Very easy to make and everyone loved it!!! After making it the first time, the only thing I omitted was the red pepper flakes and two of the kiddo’s said it was too spicy LOL.. It is still very good!!!
Great recipe! My family loves this dish every time.