Crispy fried chicken tossed in a bright, sweet and savory orange sauce! This quick and easy orange chicken recipe is a great main dish - ready in 30-minutes with simple ingredients. It's family-friendly, better-than-takeout, and perfect for busy weeknights!
Jump to:
My version of orange chicken features bite-sized pieces of chicken thighs coated in cornstarch and fried until crispy. Then tossed in a savory and sweet citrus sauce!
This dish is packed with bright and bold flavors and is best served with white rice or fried rice and veggies!
Chef Andy Kho created this popular Chinese dish in 1987. It was inspired by the flavors and textures of another chicken dish from Hunan, China.
When I first had this dish, I instantly fell in love with the sweet sauce that coats the crispy chicken, so I had to create my own version!
What sets my recipe apart is that it avoids messy wet batter, uses only a small amount of oil for shallow frying instead of deep frying, and it's not spicy - perfect for kids!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breast and cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch. Avoid tapioca starch as it'll cause the chicken pieces to stick together.
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
- Sesame Seeds: optional garnish - omit it if you're allergic.
- Orange Zest: optional garnish but recommended for more flavor.
- Green Onions: optional garnish.
Orange Sauce
- Freshly-Squeezed Orange Juice (no pulp): It's best to use fresh orange juice squeezed from oranges. If using store-bought orange juice, avoid concentrate orange juice and ones with pulp!
- White Vinegar: or substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Brown Sugar: I'm using light brown sugar but dark brown sugar will work too.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Garlic
- Ginger Powder: or substitute with finely minced ginger.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
Variations
- Pork version - Replace the chicken with diced pork shoulder and cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
- Tofu version - Replace the chicken with diced extra-firm tofu.
- Shrimp version - Replace the chicken with jumbo shrimp.
- Spicy version - Mix in 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to the sauce.
- Gluten-free version - Replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
Expert Tips
- Freshly-squeezed orange juice is recommended over store-bought for best flavor.
- Use chicken thighs for best taste as they have more fat and won't dry out in the cooking process.
- Don’t pat dry the chicken as moisture is needed for the cornstarch to stick.
- Evenly dice the chicken into 1.5-inch cubes, so they fry consistently.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan to fry the chicken to maintain oil temperature.
- Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying, around 325-350 F or insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for rapid bubbles.
- Fry the chicken in small batches and don't overcrowd or it can lead to soggy or uncooked chicken.
- Avoid moving the chicken as it fries, so it can develop a golden crust.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil, which leads to soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make orange chicken:
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and mix well.
- Cube chicken: Dice the chicken thighs into 1.5-inch cubes. Don't pat the chicken dry as moisture is needed for the next step.
- Coat chicken in starch: Transfer the chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- Fry chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry the coated chicken in small batches in a single layer until golden and crispy on both sides, about 6-8 minutes.
- Drain chicken: Remove and transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper-towel-lined plate to drain off excess oil, which can cause soggy chicken.
- Simmer sauce and add chicken: On medium-high heat, add the sauce and simmer to thicken, about 1 minute. Once thickened, add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with orange zest, sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Orange chicken can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Orange chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag, once cooled. To enjoy, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Orange chicken serves well with:
- Starters: Egg rolls, Crab rangoon, Egg drop soup, or Hot and sour soup.
- Rice Dishes: White rice, Brown rice, or Fried rice.
- Noodle Dishes: Chow mein, Lo mein, Plain noodles, or Soup noodles.
- Vegetable Dishes: Chinese Garlic Gok Choy, Spicy Garlic Bok Choy, Chinese Garlic Yu Choy, Chinese Garlic Gai Lan, Garlic Green Beans or Stir-fried Snow Pea Leaves.
- Protein Dishes: Beef Vegetable Stir-Fry, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Soy Garlic Tofu, and more!
FAQ
Orange chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To reheat, microwave or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
The fried chicken in orange chicken can be made in the air fryer: First evenly spray air fryer basket with neutral oil. Then place the coated chicken into the basket in a single layer, giving each piece enough space - you'll need to air fry in batches. Evenly spray oil over the chicken. Air fry at 400 F for 10-14 minutes until golden and crispy, no need to flip.
Soggy chicken can be caused by: not evenly coating the chicken in starch, the oil is not hot enough, overcrowding the pan, constantly moving the chicken around as it fries, or not draining off excess oil.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½ green onion finely chopped, optional garnish
- 1 tbsp orange zest grated, optional garnish
- 1 tsp sesame seeds toasted, optional garnish
Orange Chicken Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice freshly-squeezed, pulp removed (about 4-5 medium-sized oranges)
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar / apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder or grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- ½ tsp red chili flakes optional, if you prefer it spicy
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and mix well.
- Dice the chicken thighs into 1.5-inch cubes. Don't pat the chicken dry as moisture is needed for the next step.
- Transfer the chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry the coated chicken in small batches in a single layer until golden and crispy on both sides, about 6-8 minutes.
- Remove and transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper-towel-lined plate to drain off excess oil, which can cause soggy chicken.
- On medium-high heat, add the sauce and simmer to thicken, about 1 minute.
- Once thickened, add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with orange zest, sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!
Patty
Loved it! I feel like I cook the same dishes over and over again, and I was craving Chinese food. Adding this to my regular recipe rotation!!!!! Very easy recipe with ingredients I always have on hand! I served it over rice with some steamed veggies.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe, Patty! So glad you enjoyed it and it satisfied your tastebuds.
Carly
Can I sub frozen orange juice concentrate for the orange juice?
Christie Lai
Yes, but I have to warn that it won't taste as great as freshly-squeezed orange juice unfortunately.
Bev.
This is now a favourite with all the family - seems to suit all palates.
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review 🙂 Glad the whole family enjoyed it!
Jay
This is the bomb! My kid's favorite dish is orange chicken. I found this recipe and gave it a try, it's the new favorite. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and for sharing this positive review, Jay! Glad it's become a new favorite and happy I could share it.
Ekaterina
My wrist hated me for using my manual juicer but it was absolutely worth it! And I really like the recipe itself, with all these details, notes and FAQs, and the possibility to change measurements from the US system to the metric one is wonderful.
Christie Lai
Haha! Glad it was worth the effort and thank you so much for making my recipe! I'm so pleased to hear that all the information and the ability to change from US to metric measurements has been helpful. Have a lovely day!
Oliver
I think i messed up i used bottled orange juice i stead of fresh😂😂😂
Christie Lai
Bottled orange juice should be fine as long as it's not from concentrate or with pulp. Hopefully it worked out in the end for you!
Adol makoi
I did like the recipe because the recipe was intresting
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making it and I hope you consider giving it a 5-star review!
Katherine
This was one of the best chicken recipes I’ve tried in a while! So authentic, tastes delicious! My whole family enjoyed it—and husband said it was gourmet! Will be keeping this recipe to use again and again. 🙂
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Katherine! So happy you and your whole family enjoyed it!
Tim
As a pro, this recipe is an absolute banger the fresh OJ separates it from the takeout container. add a little msg to the sauce if you wanna "cheat." I make it for company all the time.
Christie Lai
Thrilled to read this! Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Tim!
Sabrina Anzalone
Made this for my family since we don't have our favorite drive thru available where we live and my grandkids love orange chicken. It was a huge hit!! I have to say, it was a lot easier to make that I imagined. It's definitely a recipe we will add to our book to make again...and again.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and glad it was a huge hit with your family, Sabrina!
Persia Gran-Freeland
I love that the orange sauce is not so spicy!
Delicious chicken!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making it and glad you found it delicious and not so spicy 🙂