Crunchy chicken pieces in a sweet-savory orange flavored sauce, skip the take-out and make this flavorful Orange Chicken at home!
Are you craving a crunchy dish? Do you love crispy, breaded things that are slathered with Asian sauce? Well then, stay for a while, as you have come to the right place.
I love making a rice bowl full of crunchy breaded meat. I did that with this Bang bang Chicken, and now let us make another delicious Asian dish, the Orange Chicken.
What is Orange Chicken?
A popular Asian cuisine takeout, Orange Chicken are breaded pieces of chicken that are smothered with a sticky, sweet, savory, and fruity orange sauce.
The Breaded Chicken
- Chicken breasts are chopped into bite-size pieces, about 1-1½ inches.
- They are then coated in a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
- I added the extra step of tossing the chicken pieces in panko crumbs after the first coating of the egg white mixture. The result yields extra crispy chicken pieces that can hold their texture even longer after cooking them in the orange sauce.
The Orange Sauce
The sauce is a mixture of simple pantry ingredients. You just stir everything in a big measuring cup ( or a bowl) and cook it over medium heat. Then, you will thicken everything with a cornstarch slurry.
Let’s Make Orange Chicken
Prepare the Sauce.
Combine orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, minced garlic and ginger, and salt and pepper in a bowl or a cup. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
Prep the Chicken.
In a bowl, combine the egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and lump-free. Add the chicken pieces, and toss to coat.
Bread the Chicken Pieces and Fry.
Heat oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Add panko to a wide plate or pan. Toss the chicken in the panko to coat.
Fry the breaded chicken in the oil until both sides are golden, about 2-5 minutes.
Cook the Sauce and Finish the Dish.
Cook the sauce mixture in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring regularly. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
Stir this mixture well and pour it onto the pan. Stir everything constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the fried chicken to the saucepan, and gently stir just to coat them with the sauce.
Serve.
Transfer the saucy chicken pieces to a serving plate then garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy the dish while it is warm.
Storing Leftovers.
Transfer the leftover to a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Re-heat the dish in the microwave to enjoy the leftovers. Note that the chicken will not be as crisp as it was freshly cooked but it still is flavorful.
More Delicious Chicken Recipe
Orange Chicken
Crunchy chicken pieces in a sweet-savory orange flavored sauce, skip the take-out and make this flavorful Orange Chicken at home!
Ingredients
For the Orange Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 half inch size ginger, minced
- zest of one orange
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- green onions, for garnish
For the Chicken
- 1 lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 3 egg whites
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Prep the Sauce. Combine orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, minced garlic and ginger, and salt and pepper in a bowl or a cup. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Coat and Bread the Chicken. In a bowl, combine the egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and lump-free. Add the chicken pieces, and toss to coat. Add panko to a wide plate or pan. Toss the chicken in the panko to coat.
- Fry the Chicken. Heat oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the breaded chicken in the oil for 2-5 minutes, or until both sides are golden.
- Cook the Sauce and Finish the Dish. Cook the sauce mixture in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Once the sauce is bubbly, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce has thickened. Add the chicken to the pan and gently toss the to coat with the sauce.
- Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
- Transfer the leftover to a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat the dish in the microwave to enjoy the leftovers.
- Note that the chicken will not be as crisp as it was freshly cooked but it still is flavorful.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 1248mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 25g
Hi Sanna, Can you please post the recipe for the chicken in this recipe, like quantities of the ingredients mentioned in your post? Thank you, the sauce sounds amazing. Love your recipes.
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for pointing that out. I forgot to list the recipe for the chicken 🙂
I have updated the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!