Orange Chicken

Popular American Chinese orange chicken like zucchini mushroom chicken, kung pao chicken are Panda Express’s signature dishes. You will love this sweet and savory Chinese orange chicken recipe! This is better than takeout. Wanna know how to make tasty Chinese orange chicken at home?

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 365kcal

Author Tracy O.

Equipment

1 wok

Ingredients

4 pieces Chicken thighs (Boneless and skinless)
1 Orange (Use half for decoration)

Marinate Chicken:

⅛ teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoon White pepper
½ teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Sesame oil

Batter:

½ cup Rice fl our
½ cup All purpose flour
1 Egg
¾ cup Water

Sauce:

1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper (Chili pepper flakes)
2 slices Ginger (0.3 oz)
2 cloves Garlic (0.5 oz)
¼ cup White sugar
¼ cup Brown sugar
¼ cup Orange juice (I use store brand)
¼ cup Vinegar
2 tablespoons Soy sauce

Thicken Sauce:

1.5 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Water

Other:

4 cups Vegetable oil (For deep fry the chicken)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash 4 boneless chicken thighs. Trim the fat and cut the thighs into chunks.
Place the cut chicken thighs in a bowl. Add ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Mix everything thoroughly and allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
After, put ½ cup of rice fl our, ½ cup of all-purpose flour, 1 egg, and ¾ cup of water into a mixing bowl.
Use a whisk to mix the batter very well.
Next, add the marinated chicken to the batter.
Mix well and cover the marinated chicken with batter.
Pour 4 cups of vegetable oil into the wok and turn the fire to low. Heat the oil until it's hot enough. You can also use a thermometer; the temperature is around 350 F. Or, use a wooden chopstick to dip into the oil when you see bubbles around the chopstick. It is a sign that the oil is hot enough for deep frying.
Slowly add the chicken covered with batter into the oil.
Deep-fry the chicken until it's slightly golden. Remove the chicken and turn the fire to medium-low.
Double-fry the chicken. Heat the oil to about 375°F and add the fried chicken again.
Cook until the chicken is golden brown. Drain the chicken and put it on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Grate 2 slices of ginger (0.3 oz).
After that, grate 2 cloves of garlic (0.5 oz).
Add ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup orange juice, ¼ cup vinegar, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce to a container. Mix the sauce very well.
Next, pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the wok. Turn the fire to medium-low. Add the grated ginger, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper (chili pepper flakes). Stir-fry them a bit.
In the following, pour the sauce mixture from step 14. Stir it a little bit.
Then, add 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to a small container and mix well.
Pour the cornstarch mixture from step 17 into the sauce. Keep stirring the sauce.
When the sauce thickens, add the deep-fried chicken. Toss it to ensure it is covered.
Lastly, slice half of an orange and put it on the orange chicken as decoration.

Video

Notes

Cooking tips for how to make Chinese orange chicken:

Marinate chicken for at least 15 minutes before cooking.

I prefer chicken thighs instead of breasts because they have a better texture.

Adding rice flour can make the deep-fried chicken crispy and crunchy.

Double deep fry. (First, deep fry the chicken at around 350 F until slightly golden. Then, remove the chicken. Turn the fire to medium temperature, around 375 F, and deep fry it again until it's golden brown.)

Cook the sauce and add the deep-fried chicken. Toss it to ensure the sauce mixes with and covers the chicken.

Nutrition