Best Orange Chicken Recipe | Kitchenstagram
Craving the delightful flavours of takeout without guilt? Look no further than this homemade orange chicken recipe. Sweet, sour and perfectly sticky, this dish is a quick and easy alternative to ordering in. With a preparation time of under an hour, you can enjoy all the savoury goodness in the comfort of your home to your weeknight dinner table, with the added benefit of knowing every ingredient that goes into it.
What is Orange chicken?
Orange chicken ha earned its place as a beloved dish in Chinese-American cuisine, gaining popularity for its crispy chicken bites coated in delectable sweet and tangy orange sauce. While it’s a classic takeout choice, making it at home allows for better control over ingredients, ensuring a healthier option with known components and reduced sugar content. This recipe features fried chicken tossed in a luscious sauce made from orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, resulting in a mouthwatering combination of flavours.
Ingredients needed for Orange chicken:
Chicken: Opt for skinless & boneless chicken breasts cut into small chunks for an authentic taste. Alternatively, skinless & boneless chicken thighs can be used, adjusting the cook time accordingly.
Oranges: Freshly squeezed orange juice and zest provide the classic sweet orange flavour, with the zest playing a crucial role in enhancing the sauce’s orange essence.
All-purpose flour & cornstarch: Combine all purpose flour and cornflour, it helps to prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier and absorb moisture (from the frying and the chicken). Along with egg this creates the crispy and delicious coating on the outside. Cornflour or cornstarch is our key ingredient for making the chicken crispy.
Sugar: Sweetens the sauce and balances the tanginess from the orange juice.
Soy sauce: Provides a savory saltiness to the sauce.
Fresh Garlic: Minced garlic enhances the sauce’s flavour, complementing the chicken.
Corn starch or corn flour: Thickens the sauce for a perfect consistency.
Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil is ideal for frying.
Variations:
Swap chicken for white fish or tofu for a different protein source.
Add sautéed vegetables like asparagus, bell pepper, or zucchini for added freshness.
Substitute sesame oil with peanut oil if sesame oil is not suitable.
What to serve with Orange Chicken:
Steamed rice and broccoli are classic accompaniments.
Pair it with Chinese noodles or our Spicy Chicken Fried Rice for a more substantial meal.
Serve over cauliflower rice or regular brown rice for a healthier option.
Explore additional vegetable options such as sautéed bell peppers, snow peas or asparagus.
Storage:
leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you are planning to make this dish in advance then prepare the sauce and fry the chicken in advance but store them separately in the fridge for 1-3 days. Before serving just pop the chicken in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up and heat up the sauce separately. Then toss the crispy chicken in the sauce and serve. You can also freeze the sauce and cooked chicken separately. Thaw them both completely and then before serving just pop the chicken in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up and heat up the sauce separately. Then toss the crispy chicken in the sauce and serve.
Ingredients:
Chicken Marination:
400 gm Chicken, cubed
1 tsp Black pepper powder
1 no. Garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp Dark Soy sauce
Salt to taste
1 Orange zest
1 cup All-purpose flour
2 tbsp Corn flour/ corn-starch
1 Egg
Salt to taste
Water as required
Corn flour/ corn-starch, for dusting chicken cube
Vegetable oil, for frying
Orange Sauce:
2 tbsp oil
½ tsp Red chili powder
1 no. Garlic clove, chopped
1 cup+1 tbsp Corn flour/ corn-starch
2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 ½ tbsp Brown sugar
1 cup Orange juice
1 tbsp Dark Soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tsp Sesame oil
Garnish:
1 tbsp toasted Sesame seeds
Preparation:
Chicken Marination:
- Step 1: Marinate the chicken cubes with black pepper powder, orange zest, chopped garlic, soy sauce and salt and keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Mix all-purpose flour, corn flour, egg and salt, then add water to make a smooth batter as consistency of pancake batter.
- Step 3: Heat oil in a wok or heavy bottom pan to 180° C or 350°F.
- Step 4: Coat each chicken pieces in corn flour and then coat in the prepared batter and fry the chicken for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and remove the chickens from the wok, keep aside.
Orange sauce:
- Step 5: Heat oil in a pan, then add red chili powder, chopped garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Step 6: Then add powdered Sugar and brown sugar and stir to combine.
- Step 7: Now add orange juice and let it come to a boil.
- Step 8: Then add soy sauce and left-over chicken marination and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
- Step 9: Mix corn flour/ corn-starch and water and make a slurry.
- Step 10: Add in the corn flour slurry in the sauce and cook the sauce until desired consistency is achieved.
- Step 11: Add in the fried chicken and stir until completely coated in the sauce. Then add sesame oil and stir to mix.
- Step 12: Turn off the heat and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Tips:
Enjoy this dish immediately for the best experience, as the crispy coating softens over time.
If preparing in advance, then prepare the sauce and fry the chicken in advance but store them separately. Before serving just pop the chicken in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up and heat up the sauce separately. Then toss the crispy chicken in the sauce and serve.
Fry the chicken in small batches for even cooking.
Use neutral oil with high smoke point for frying, such as vegetable oil, canola oil etc.
About Me
DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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