Ultimate Orange Chicken
This Chinese restaurant favorite boasts crispy chicken in a fruity, garlicky glaze that’s scented with orange, soy, ginger, and sesame. Grab a few easy-to-find ingredients (and your favorite skillet) and you’ll soon discover that my better-than-takeout version of orange chicken is as easy as it is delicious.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
This sauce delivers the perfect balance of salty and sweet! The sauce for orange chicken is a sweet and salty blend of orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper flakes. It’s bright, fresh, and slightly fiery, which means it hits your palate from every angle. Plus, the ingredients in the sauce are pantry staples (or pantry must-haves if you don’t have them already), which makes this orange chicken the ideal dish for any busy weeknight.
What’s the secret to perfectly crispy orange chicken? Cornstarch! In this recipe, bite-size chicken pieces are coated in egg and then a blend of cornstarch and flour. Why add cornstarch to the flour? Because cornstarch prevents the gluten in the flour from developing (gluten makes flour elastic and stretchy), thus promoting a crispy coating. In addition, the cornstarch absorbs moisture from the chicken and expands; when the chicken is fried, the moisture cooks out, creating a puffy, crackly coating.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Since we’re frying the chicken at a high temperature, you need to use oil that won’t burn or smoke. Great options include vegetable oil, avocado oil, canola oil, and peanut oil (note that peanut oil will add a peanuty essence to the chicken).
Use a thermometer for testing your cooking oil. The ideal temperature for frying your chicken is 350 to 360 degrees, a temperature that guarantees a crispy crust, and moist, perfectly cooked chicken. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the coating will absorb too much grease; if the oil is too hot, the coating may burn before the chicken is cooked through.
Fry your chicken in small batches. Don’t crowd the pan when frying your chicken. This ensures that the oil stays at the appropriate temperature, and it makes it easier to turn your chicken pieces so that all sides get golden brown and crispy.
Serve your orange chicken immediately. Since the crispy chicken is coated with a syrupy glaze, it’s best to serve this dish as soon as it’s ready. As the chicken sits, the coating will absorb the glaze and soften. The most cherished aspect of orange chicken is the crunchy coating and sticky glaze, so serve the dish as soon as possible.
What should you serve with your orange chicken? To round out the meal, I suggest serving your orange chicken with fluffy rice or Asian noodles, and steamed or roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, snap peas, snow peas, and green beans.
Ultimate Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Oil for frying, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, canola oil, or peanut oil
For the Orange Glaze
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, regular or low sodium
- 1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Chopped green onions for serving
Instructions
- To prepare the chicken, in a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs. Season the eggs with salt and black pepper.
- In another shallow bowl or dish, whisk together the 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup flour.
- Dip the chicken in the eggs and turn to coat. Shake off excess egg, transfer the chicken to the cornstarch mixture and turn to coat. Shake off excess cornstarch mixture.
- Heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, until it reaches 350 to 360 degrees.
- Working in batches to prevent crowding the pan, add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through, turning frequently.
- Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and ginger.
- When all the chicken is finished cooking, wipe the oil from the pan and set the pan over medium-high heat. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add the mixture to the sauce and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.
- Top the chicken with green onions and serve immediately.