My family is a HUGE fan of Orange Chicken. We used to eat that out all the time especially at Panda Express, but then I said to myself why not make it at home? At least I know what's in it and save so much money! Then I finally made this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe at home and it was amazing!
EASY ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE
Before preparing the sauce, I prefer that you fry the chicken first and have that ready. I included instructions below. Once the chicken is ready, prepare the sauce.
This to me is the most important part of the whole dish. Getting the right orange chicken sauce flavor completes this dish! You are welcome to buy store bought but why would you when you can easily make this at home? It's super easy. The orange chicken sauce requires a few ingredients.
MAIN INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:
- Orange juice: I like using fresh squeezed orange juice for this recipe but you are welcome to use store bought squeezed orange juice.
- Soy Sauce: Grab the low-sodium. Can replace with amino liquids.
- Vinegar: You can use rice vinegar or regular white vinegar.
- Spices: Black pepper.
- Thickening Agent: Corn Starch.
- Sweetener: Brown sugar.
- Herbs: Garlic and grated ginger.
- Spicy: If you would like to make the recipe spicy, you can always add cayenne pepper or chili flakes to the sauce. (optional)
- Oil: Vegetable or can use sesame oil. I am not a huge fan of sesame oil's taste so I opt out and use vegetable oil. You can also use tasteless coconut oil.
To prepare the orange chicken sauce, bring all the sauce ingredient together in bowl or cup and whisk to well.
Heat up a skillet or frying pan and simmer the sauce on medium-low heat until it thickens up.
HOW TO MAKE THE EASY ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE
To prepare the chicken, cut the boneless chicken thighs or breast into small pieces, about 1/2 inch long. You do not want the pieces to be too big. Toss the chicken pieces in a bowl and coat with the flour, corn starch, black pepper, onion powder, salt and ginger powder. I also add a little bit of paprika to make the color of the chicken come out a little more orange after frying.
In a deep fraying pan, fry the pieces of chicken leaving some space between them to avoid over crowding. They will only need to be fried for about 2-4 minutes at the most until golden brown, because the pieces are small. If you cut them bigger than 1/2 inch cubes, add more cooking time.
Once the chicken is done cooking, drain well using a sieved spoon and transfer over to the cooked sauce. Toss well with the sauce and allow the chicken and the sauce to cook together for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve this Easy Orange Chicken Recipe with some homemade Lo Mein Noodles or some white rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions to add color (optional).
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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE
- Spicy Cashew Chicken
- Easy Beef Lo Mein Noodles
- Shrimp and Vegetable Skillet
- Spicy Sriracha Chicken
- Garlic Shrimp Zoodles
- Easy Sticky Chicken Recipe
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Coleslaw
Easy Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless chicken thighs Or 3 whole chicken breats
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. paprika
- Vegetable oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp. corn starch
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
- 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add in the flour, corn starch, salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and ginger powder to coat the chicken.
- In a deep drying pan, bring the oil to medium-high heat. Fry the chicken until golden brown. Takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk all the sauce ingredients and a bowl. Transfer to a hot skillet or frying pan and cook on low-heat, simmering until the sauce thickens up.
- Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and mix to coat well. Let the sauce and chicken simmer together for 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Serve with homemade Lo Mein Noodles or White rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. (optional)
Oh my goodness! This recipe was so easy and SO DELICIOUS! I ended up making about twice the amount of sauce so it would soak into the rice more (we like sauce) It’s so amazing and much better than orange chicken you would get for takeout! This is going to be one of our new favorites to make! Thank you!
Hi Megan,
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thank you so much for leaving a review!
Didn’t taste bad, it had a strong orangey taste.
Hi Sarch!
Orange chicken usually tastes like orange, but if you like the flavor to be less intense, you can always use less orange juice and replace with chicken broth or water.
The sauce was easy and came out perfect. I was in a hurry so I cheated and used Tyson Oven Fried Nuggets.
Hi Lori,
Thanks so much for the review. Glad you liked the sauce, and the nuggets sound delish!
What a delicious and easy recipe! Seriously, super easy to follow. Thank you for sharing!
For anyone with allergies, I substituted gluten free flour for all-purpose flour, liquid aminos for soy sauce and honey for brown sugar. It came out amazing!
Hi Anna
Thanks so much for leaving a review. I am happy you got to enjoy it and customize it to your liking.
This is actually good! I try with sunquick cordial, substitute for fresh orange juice and its really tasty!
Hi Farya!
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Really good and easy to make indeed! I used less sugar then stated, but it was still very good.
Hi Sylvia,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe and adjusted it to your liking. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
It was delicious and easy to make!
Hi Charlee
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I can not believe that it was so easy for me to make! It was so delicious I can not wait to make again in the future!
Thanks so much Charlee!
So good and easy, I am making more sauce for my leftovers because I couldn't get enough of it! Definitely a go-to recipe during buy weeks 🙂
Hi Bella,
Thanks for leaving a review. I very much appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was delicious! Great, easy recipe! Thanks!
Hi Susan,
So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for leaving a review.
If I want less of an orange taste should I just take out a little bit of orange juice?
You can use less orange juice and replace with chicken broth or water.
My daughter wanted make this and sent me the recipe. We loved it! This will make its way into the cookbook. I think next time I might try the air fryer on some of the chicken just to see if it works for a healthier version.
Hi Jessica,
So happy you guys enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review.
Easy and yummy! I usually always have the ingredients on hand too. A keeper. Thanks!
Hi Amalia!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
I made this yesterday yet, although I changed the cornstarch sum, we didn't really focus that much on the sauce. The marinated chicken was generally excellent however all things considered,
Hi Shankar,
Thank you so much for leaving a review. I really appreciate it. Happy you enjoyed the recipe.
I love orange chicken, but the hassle of using eggs and then dipping in to the dry ingredients made me not like cooking it. My family loves when I make orange chicken, but again the hassle so I would rarely make it. This recipe is now my favorite and I will be using this hassle free version from now on.
Hey Amira!
You can simplify that step by just using flour and corn starch to coat the chicken with salt pepper and the spices. Perhaps that would be easier for you
Really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. Great site and a great topic as well i really get amazed to read this.
Thanks Kirtika!
Hi! This looks like an awesome recipe! I am making it tonight for dinner. Just wanted to let you know, there are several typos that may confuse people. But overall great! Just thought you would want to know! I know I would lol! Take care (:
(“Chicken BREATS” breasts, “whisk ingredients AND a bowl”...
Thanks Nala! I am going to look into the typos to update them. Thanks for letting me know.
Delicious and I would definitely make this again! I don't want to be one of those people who tries to alter a recipe too much (because at that point, you're following your own recipe and not the one the creator has posted), but for anyone who really likes that "pop" of orange, they can add the zest of an orange to the sauce to really make that orange taste come through.
Hi Christina!
Thanks so much for leaving a review and tips for others. I will definitely help other readers. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.