Once you find out how easy it is to make Orange Chicken at home, especially when it tastes just as good as your favorite takeout version you will be enjoying this meal all the time. Not only is it a snap to make but it costs only a fraction for what you pay at a restaurant!
Here in Northern California we are blessed with an abundance of citrus fruit this time of year; lemons, limes, tangerines, and loads of fresh oranges. When I received a box of fresh sweet and juicy oranges from my good friend Judy, I knew exactly how I wanted to use them. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the delicious oranges Judy!
If you are a big fan of Panda Express Orange Chicken like we are, you are going to love this recipe. Once you see how easy it is to make, and that it costs just a fraction of what it costs at their restaurant, I guarantee that you will be making it often. My son adores Orange Chicken! This version is seriously good!
This is a stir fry dish, so be sure to set out and prep everything you need to make this meal. Once you turn on the stove and start cooking, it goes really quickly.
You won’t have time to look for ingredients or chop anything one you start cooking. I like to line up everything on my kitchen counter in the order I will use it when cooking so all I have to do is go down the line and add what’s needed next.
If you will be serving this chicken over rice I recommend starting the rice first thing before you get the chicken going since it takes the longest to cook. Cooking rice is one of the easiest things in the world to make. If you need to learn how to cook it you can check out how easy it is to do here.
Once you have the rice going it’s time to prep the chicken. Start by cutting the chicken breast meat into 1 inch sized pieces. Set aside.
In a shallow bowl beat together egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Set aside.
In another shallow bowl, combine 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup flour. Set aside.
Line a large platter with paper towels and set aside.
Once the chicken is prepped and ready to go, it’s time to make the sauce.
Measure out and combine sugar, brown sugar and orange juice in a bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid. Set aside.
Measure out and combine vinegar and soy sauce in another small bowl or jar. Set aside.
Measure out and place garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Measure out sesame oil in another small container. Set aside.
In a small bowl measure out and stir together ¼ cup water with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add, the minced garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes.
Cook and stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar and orange juice and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring often until heated through and sugars are dissolved.
Whisk in the vinegar and soy sauce.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry.
Cook and stir the sauce until it thickens to the consistency of honey. (Sauce will continue to thicken a little more as it cools).
Whisk in sesame oil and heat through.
Remove sauce from heat and set aside. Keep sauce warm while you fry up the chicken pieces.
Heat about an inch to an inch and a half of vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat.
While the oil is preheating, place about a third of the chicken pieces in the egg wash and toss to coat them.
Transfer the chicken pieces to the flour/cornstarch mixture and toss to coat them completely.
When the oil is hot, fry the first batch of coated chicken pieces, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken from pan.
Transfer the fried chicken pieces to the paper towel lined platter to drain while you continue cooking the remaining chicken pieces.
Once all the chicken pieces are cooked combine them with the prepared orange sauce and toss to coat the chicken pieces.
Serve orange glazed chicken over a bed of steamed white rice.
Garnish with a sprinkle of sliced green onions if desired.
This is amazingly delicious! Not only is it an easy meal to prepare, you will be wolfing it down, smacking your lips, and your pocket book will be thanking you! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Copycat Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
- ¾ tsp red pepper flakes, add more for additonal heat
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp sesame oil
For the Chicken:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup flour
- 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
Prep for the chicken:
- In a shallow bowl beat together egg, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Set aside.
- In another shallow bowl, combine ¼ cup cornstarch with ½ cup flour. Set aside.
- Line a large platter with paper towels and set aside.
Make the Sauce:
- Measure out and place minced garlic, minced ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Measure out and combine sugar, brown sugar and orange juice in another bowl. Set aside.
- Measure out and combine vinegar and soy sauce in another small bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl measure out and stir together ¼ cup water with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot add, the minced garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar and orange juice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until heated through and sugars are dissolved.
- Whisk in the vinegar and soy sauce.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook and stir the sauce until it thickens to the consistency of honey. (Sauce will continue to thicken a little more as it cools).
- Whisk in sesame oil and heat through.
- Remove from heat and set aside while you fry up the chicken pieces.
Cook the chicken:
- Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat.
- While the oil is preheating, place about a third of the chicken pieces in the egg wash and coat them completely.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to the flour/cornstarch mixture and toss to coat, shaking off excess.
- When the oil is hot, fry the coated chicken pieces, in batches, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried chicken pieces to the paper towel lined platter to drain while you continue cooking the remaining chicken pieces.
- Once all the chicken pieces are cooked add them to the prepared sauce and toss to coat the chicken pieces with the sauce.
- Serve chicken over a bed of steamed white rice and garnish with additonal red pepper flakes if desired.
Did You Make This?
Snap a pic and hashtag it #naturewayblog — I love to see your creations! Don’t forget to comment and leave a review, or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
May I ask a small favor? If you enjoyed this blogpost would you be so kind and like the page? It lets me know what you are enjoying the most. It also helps me focus my attention on creating content that will be most meaningful and beneficial for you, my readers. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss out on all the latest that’s happening here at Nature Way. Thank you!