Looking for an easy and delicious orange chicken recipe that can be made in the comfort of your own home? Look no further! This mouthwatering Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is sure to please your taste buds. Using simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful and tender chicken dish perfect for any occasion. This recipe is not only easy to follow, but also a crowd-pleaser for both kids and adults alike.
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Panda Express made Chinese Orange Chicken famous and now you can make the classic favorite in the convenience of your own home! The perfect lunch, dinner, or snack option comes together using simple ingredients and only about 20 minutes!
Serve on its own, or over a bed of rice for a meal everyone will enjoy! Crispy chicken glazed in a sweet and savory sauce, how can you pass that up?
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Why You’ll Love this Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Homemade Orange Sauce- a sweet and savory is made with ingredients you can control to make this fit anyone’s tastes
- Perfectly crispy- crispy outside and tender inside makes this chicken incredible
- More Affordable- skip takeout and make this tasty dish for half the cost
- Quick and Easy- although it may look like a lot of ingredients are needed, you may already have most, which makes this dish come together in under 20 minutes
Ingredients Needed for Orange Chicken
See printable recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and step by step directions.
- Chicken- boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best, diced
- Egg
- Salt/Pepper
- Oil
- Cornstarch
- Flour
- Ginger Root- minced
- Red Pepper Flakes- optional
- Green Onions- fresh is best, chopped
- Garlic- minced
- Rice Wine
- Water
- Sesame Oil
- Soy Sauce- look for reduced sodium to control salt levels
- Sugar
- White Vinegar
- Orange Zest
How to make Easy Orange Chicken
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Make the sauce by combining soy sauce, 3 tbsp. water, sesame oil, sugar, white vinegar, and the orange zest.
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Prepare the cornstarch mixture by dissolving 1 tbsp. corn starch in ¼ cup water. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add the egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. oil. Whisk together to combine.
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In a separate bowl, combine the ½ cup cornstarch and flour. Set aside.
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In a large frying pan/Wok, heat oil to 375. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture.
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Put chicken in heated oil and cook for about 4 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
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Transfer chicken to a cooling rack or plate covered with paper towel and continue process until all chicken is coated and fried. Once chicken is cooked, drain oil.
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Add 1 tbsp. oil, ginger root, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 15 seconds.
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Add in the crushed red pepper and green onions, cooking for about 20 seconds longer.
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Add rice wine and orange sauce, bringing to a boil.
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Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and cook a bit longer, until it thickens.
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Turn off heat and add chicken to pan. Toss to coat thoroughly.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Use a large Wok or non-stick skillet for best results. Cast Iron works great too!
- Dice chicken into even sized pieces. This ensures an even cook.
- Don’t skip on the orange zest. This adds the “orange” flavor and even though only a little is added, a little goes a long way.
- Garnish the chicken with sesame seeds or additional green onions before serving.
- Omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t like a slight kick.
FAQ’s
What can I serve with this Orange Chicken?
I love serving this chicken over a bed of white rice, however, we also love enjoying it with our homemade chicken fried rice.
Can I use my Air Fryer for the chicken?
Absolutely! Coat the chicken in the cornstarch mixture and place diced, coated chicken into your air fryer. Cook at 400 degrees for about 8-9 minutes tossing the basket around every so often to evenly cook the chicken. Once cooked through, remove from air fryer and toss in the sauce mixture.
How can I use my Instant Pot for this recipe?
Unfortunately, I have not perfected this version quite yet. The best part of this recipe is the crispness in the chicken and using your Instant Pot does not give you the same crispness. If I am able to come up with a version I love, I will come back to this post and update.
Is Orange Chicken the same as General Tso Chicken?
Compared to General Tso’s, orange chicken usually has a lighter-colored sweet, sour, savory glaze. It’s not as spicy-hot because dried red chiles aren’t as common or used as heavily in this dish. All recipes ask for orange in some for, which in this case is in the form of orange zest versus orange juice.
Does Orange Chicken have orange in it?
Typically, the sauce is made using orange peels cooked with soy sauce and garlic. Some recipes use orange marmalade and/or orange juice.
Storage and Reheating
Storing Leftovers- place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If freezing, place in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheating- place leftovers in the microwave and heat in 30 second increments until desired temperature is reached. You can also place chicken into air fryer to reheat and cook 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes.
Other Recipes you May like:
Better Than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice– no need to get take-out when you can make this from scratch version right at home! One of the best weeknight dinners, this take-out classic is packed with flavor, not greasy, and is loaded with chicken, veggies, and tender rice!
Baked Egg Rolls– a healthier version of the popular fried Chinese appetizer. Made by filling an egg roll wrapper with coleslaw mix and seasonings, then baked in the oven until crispy and golden brown.
Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein– a noodle dish packed with classic Chinese flavor! Skip ordering takeout and make this at home in a fraction of the time!
Baked Honey Sesame Chicken– sweet, savory, and perfect for any night of the week. Skip the take-out and try this easy homemade version instead!
Chicken Teriyaki Casserole– a full meal in one pan! Vegetables, rice, and shredded chicken with an incredible sauce to make any mouth water!
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Easy Orange Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon oil, divided
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon rice wine
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 8 tablespoon sugar
- 10 tablespoon white vinegar
- Zest of an orange
Instructions
- Make the sauce by combining soy sauce, 3 tbsp. water, sesame oil, sugar, white vinegar, and the orange zest.
- Prepare the cornstarch mixture by dissolving 1 tbsp. corn starch in ¼ cup water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. oil. Whisk together to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the ½ cup cornstarch and flour. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil to 375.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture.
- Put chicken in heated oil and cook for about 4 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- Transfer chicken to a cooling rack or plate covered with paper towel and continue process until all chicken is coated and fried.
- Once chicken is cooked, drain oil.
- Add 1 tbsp. oil, ginger root, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 15 seconds.
- Add in the crushed red pepper and green onions, cooking for about 20 seconds longer.
- Add rice wine and orange sauce, bringing to a boil.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and cook a bit longer, until it thickens.
- Turn off heat and add chicken to pan. Toss to coat thoroughly.
- Serve!!
Nutrition
Anastacie says
Do you happen to have the Nutritional content information?
Kristin says
Sure! This is per serving….
Calories 400
Calories from Fat 189
Total Fat 21g
Saturated fat 3.5g
Cholesterol 55mg
Sodium 700mg
Carbohydrates 42g
Net carbs 41g
Fiber 1g
Glucose 24g
Protein 15g
Ann Brinston says
What amount of oil are you using to fry the chicken? It’s not in recipe?
Kristin says
1 tbsp., sorry about that!