Orange Chicken - Better Than Take-out! (Video)

5 from 24 votes

Orange Chicken - Better Than Take-out! (Video)

This is the BEST Orange Chicken you'll ever make at home! Not only is the orange sauce bursting with flavor, but the chicken will actually stay crispy once coated in the sauce. You'll never make Orange Chicken any other way after trying this recipe!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 1" pieces
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp ginger grated
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
orange zest of 1/2 orange

Cornstarch Slurry

1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut boneless, skinless chicken thigh into 1" pieces and marinate with garlic, ginger, light soy, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, sesame oil, and orange zest for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together chicken stock, soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, and orange zest until sugar is dissolved.
Whisk together AP flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in some of the extra chicken marinade and mix to create more craggily bits.
Dredge your chicken and pack the coating in well. Place on a sheet tray to rest while you heat up the oil.
Add 2 inches of neutral oil n a large wok or dutch oven and heat the oil to 350°F. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and set aside. Bring the oil temperature back up to 350°F and fry a second time for 1-2 minutes until a deep golden brown.
In a wok over high heat in 2 tbsp of neutral oil, sauté garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper for 15 seconds until fragrant. Immediately add in the sauce and vinegar. Mix until just boiling, then add your cornstarch slurry and mix to thicken, about 30 seconds.
Toss in your chicken and coat evenly for 30 seconds and serve immediately with rice. Enjoy!

Notes

Cut the Chicken into Uniform Pieces - Whether you use chicken breast or thigh, make sure to cut your chicken into uniform pieces to ensure that your chicken cooks evenly.

Coat Your Chicken Thoroughly - Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots. Be sure to pack the dry mix in to the chicken with your hands (I like squeezing it in) to properly coat the chicken so the batter sticks.

Craggily Bits - To get extra craggily bits into the wet batter, add any leftover marinade (or 1-2 tbsp of water) to your seasoning mix (flour/cornstarch/baking powder) and rub them together to create the craggily bits we all love! These abnormal bits will then stick to the chicken and create a beautiful texture and additional crunch in your Orange Chicken.

Monitor the Oil Temperature - Do not let your frying oil drop below 325F when frying! I highly recommend you use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. If you see it dropping below 325F, fry your chicken in batches. Frying at a low temperature will result in too much moisture (AKA SOGGY Orange Chicken!)

Rest After Dredging - Once the chicken is dredged in the seasoning mix, let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This helps the batter stick to the chicken when frying!

Pre-mix Your Sauce - The cooking process for the sauce is FAST so it’s a great idea to premix your sauce together, then add it straight into the pan! The corn starch will help thicken the sauce into that velvety texture that Chinese restaurants made so famous.

Double Fry - If you want your Orange Chicken to be extra crispy, you can fry for a second time for 1 minute at 350F! I love this technique because it gets the batter of the chicken EXTRA crispy and also allows for batter to stick better to the orange sauce.

Storage and Reheating Tips

You can store Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I like to reheat leftovers in the air fryer in order to crisp up the chicken. When reheating the chicken in the air fryer, the sauce with further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy.

Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don't recommend reheating Orange Chicken (or any fried chicken) in the microwave unless you don't care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.

Nutrition