Homemade Orange Chicken Recipe
This is THE perfect homemade orange chicken recipe: delicious fried chicken bites paired with a fresh orange sauce that has just a tinge of heat.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or boneless skinless chicken thighs)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup oil (use an oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado, grapeseed, canola, peanut, or sunflower)
Sauce:
- 1 cup orange juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar (or brown sugar, if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- optional garnishes: chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-size (½ -inch) pieces.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Prepare sauce. Measure out 1 cup of orange juice. Remove 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a small bowl and mix it with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set this aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining orange juice, white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.1 cup orange juice, divided, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 2 cloves garlic, minced, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Pour the oil into a heavy skillet and over medium high heat, heat oil to approximately 350°F.½ cup oil
- While oil is heating, in a medium-size shallow bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. Line a plate with paper towels and set that next to the eggs.½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 large eggs
- Stir the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs, then use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on the prepared plate to allow excess egg to drain off. Next, put chicken pieces into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir to coat well.
- Carefully put the coated chicken into the hot oil. Cook the first side undisturbed for about 5 minutes, then using tongs, quickly turn each piece over and cook the other side. Cook chicken until golden and done, with no pink in the center (165°F). Pour all the contents of the skillet, including the oil, onto a plate lined with several paper towels.
- Using the same skillet, make the sauce. Pour the orange juice mixture into the skillet. Gradually stir in the orange juice/cornstarch mixture. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, scraping to remove crispy bits, and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove from heat and add the chicken to the pan. Stir well to coat.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve with steamed rice, broccoli or green beans.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition note: Nutrition information is calculated with all the oil; however much of the oil is discarded after frying the chicken.
- Oven instructions: Spread the prepared chicken on a large, greased baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, or until done. Then broil (watch very carefully) for another 2 to 3 minutes to brown the chicken. Prepare the the sauce in a skillet and add the baked chicken to coat in sauce.
- To double the recipe: I recommend that you only put 2 cut-up breasts of chicken in the beaten egg and flour mixture at a time. Also, use a large enough skillet so that the chicken is not too crowded. You may need to cook it in batches. It may not be necessary to double the oil. Just make sure you have enough to generously cover the bottom of the skillet.
- Storage: Orange chicken will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. It is best reheated in a skillet on the stove or in the air fryer. The texture will not be as nice if it is microwaved. It may be frozen for up to 6 months. If you freeze it with the sauce added to the chicken, the best way to reheat it is in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 717kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 332IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
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