An easy orange chicken recipe that creates crispy chicken without deep-frying and a scrumptious orange sauce that is very fragrant and not too sugary. Make this dish at home to enjoy restaurant style Chinese food made with healthier ingredients! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
An easy orange chicken recipe that creates crispy chicken without deep-frying and a scrumptious orange sauce that is very fragrant and not too sugary. Make this dish at home to enjoy restaurant style Chinese food made with healthier ingredients!
Originating from the fusion of Chinese and American flavors, orange chicken has become an iconic symbol of Chinese-American takeout. The dish’s roots can be traced back to the 1930s when Chinese immigrants settled in the United States and adapted their traditional recipes to suit the American palate. Orange chicken, with its crispy battered chicken pieces coated in a tangy and citrusy sauce, soon emerged as a popular favorite, blending the best of both culinary worlds.
Today, I want to share my own version of orange chicken:
- Compared to the dishes you usually get from takeout, this one uses way less oil to cook.
- The orange sauce uses tangerine skin to add a depth of flavor.
- This recipe uses more aromatics and less sugar to create a balanced sauce that is not too sweet.
My goal was to create a fragrant and delicious orange chicken that is not loaded with oil, salt or sugar, so you won’t feel guilty enjoying it!
Orange chicken ingredients
Tangerine peels
I used dried tangerine peel (陈皮, Chen Pi) in this recipe. Compared to fresh orange peel, dried tangerine skin has a deeper fragrance and more rounded taste. In Chinese cooking, it is also highly praised in traditional Chinese medicine due to its warming properties. You can easily find tangerine peel in most Chinese markets and also on Amazon.
If you do not have tangerine peel, I highly recommend using fresh tangerine peel for this dish. Instead of zesting the peel, I prefer to use a peeler to remove the outer layer of orange colored skin. Then I slice the peels into thin pieces. It adds a nice flavor with a good presentation, without making the dish too zesty.
What cut of chicken to use
I prefer to use chicken thigh due to its flavor. Plus chicken thigh will stay juicier during the cooking process. However, feel free to use chicken breast if you prefer.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Orange chicken sauce
- Marinated chicken coated with cornstarch
- Green onion and garlic (you can further combine both into a bowl for easy cleanup later)
How to cook orange chicken
Cooking orange chicken is super easy.
- Brown the chicken with a layer of oil in the pan.
- Saute the aromatics.
- Pour in the sauce and allow to thicken.
- Add back the chicken and stir to coat with the sauce.
Once you try this method, you won’t need to hunt down another recipe to create crispy chicken!
Cooking notes
What pan to use for making orange chicken?
A large nonstick skillet is my favorite for making orange chicken. Not only can you properly sear all the chicken pieces in one batch, but you can also use less oil. One thing to note, orange chicken sauce is slightly acidic, so it may damage the seasoning on your skillet if you use a cast iron or carbon steel pan.
Let the chicken pieces cool off before mixing with the sauce
Once you sear all the chicken pieces, it’s best to let the chicken cool off for 2 to 3 minutes first. The crust will crisp up a bit more during this time. And the crust will hold up to the sauce better without turning soggy immediately after you add the liquid ingredients.
How to serve orange chicken
You can serve orange chicken as a main course by itself, or with steamed rice for a one-bowl meal. To make a full Chinese meal, try it with egg drop soup and my 4-ingredient bok choy stir fry. I also like to serve my orange chicken with this 5-minute egg fried rice dish.
Other delicious Chinese takeout
- Chicken Lo Mein (Restaurant Style Without A Wok)
- Beef with Snow Peas
- Crispy Peanut Butter Chicken
- Pork Chop Suey
- Cashew Chicken (腰果鸡丁)
Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)
Ingredients
Sauce (Or use 1 cup pre-made orange sauce)
- 2 tablespoons dried tangerine peel (or fresh orange peel, or fresh tangerine peel)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or 3 tablespoons if you prefer a sweet dish like takeout)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Marinade
- 1 (14 oz / 400 g) large boneless skinless breast , cut to 1” (2.5-cm) pieces (or 2 chicken thighs) (*footnote 1)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Stir-fry
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 green onion , sliced (white part for cooking and green part for garnishing)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
Instructions
Sauce
- Place dried tangerine peel in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tangerine peel softens. Drain and finely slice. Transfer 2 tablespoons of sliced tangerine peel to a bowl. You can save the rest of the rehydrated tangerine peel in an airtight container in the fridge for next time or discard it. If you do not use dried tangerine peel, grate an orange to make 1 tablespoon orange zest, or thinly slice 2 tablespoons of tangerine peel (*Footnote 2).
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the bowl with the tangerine peel. Mix well.
Prep chicken
- Combine chicken, oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- When you’re ready to cook, add the beaten egg. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.
Cook
- Heat oil in a large skillet until hot, just starting to smoke. Add chicken all at once and spread into a single layer in the skillet. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks.
- Cook without touching the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes (very important, so the chicken crisps up further).
- Place the pan back on the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. If there’s too much oil, pour out or use paper towels to remove the excess oil. Add green onion and garlic. Cook and stir a few times until it releases fragrance.
- Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens.
- Add back the chicken. Stir to coat chicken with sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- You can use this recipe to cook 340 to 450 grams (12-oz. to 1-lbs) chicken.
- If using fresh tangerine, very thinly peel off the outer skin using a peeler, then slice it as thinly as you can. I prefer this over the zesting method due to the flavor, texture, and presentation.
I love your version of orange chicken. I definitely give this recipe a try!
Maggie, yum! I miss Chinese food because I don’t like the style that is made here in Malaysia. I am making this– and love that it isn’t deep fried. The method sounds really quick!
I’ve never been to malaysia. What is the Chinese food there look like?
Yes the crispy chicken is one of my favorite parts. It is way less messy and the result is as delicious!
I’m averse to recipes involving deep frying for all the reasons mentioned here. I was delighted to find an alternative that sounds wonderful. I’m definitely making this.
It looks stunning and delicious! I need to try this recipe as soon as I can! I’m amazed by your blog 🙂
Dang this looks good. Im not a chicken eater but curious to give it a go with tofu! Your pictures and step by step instructions are so great as well.
You can definitely cook this one with tofu! Check out this recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/general-tso-tofu/ I truly love to use this method to create super crispy tofu to replace protein in my stir fries 🙂
Yum – I keep putting off recipes that are deep fried, I’ve got to get over the fear of the mess and heating of the oil. Especially when I’m usually disappointed with take out sweet/sour chicken
I don’t like deep frying either, especially for a simple stir fry recipe. I hope you like the orange sauce in this recipe 🙂
Happy cooking and let me know how the dish turns out!
Awesome *_*
Found this recipe yesterday and within 2 hours my daughter and I were making it. It was as easy as you said and way tastier than I expected. Absolutely delicious!! We were so anxious to taste and eat it that we forgot to take pictures. Sorry! Next time I will try to get pictures. Now I want to try this for beef, fish, pork and shrimp. I’m not into veggies but will HAVE to try it on a few different ones. My daughters love all veggies. Also need to try chicken wings.
Thanks Maggie!
Hi Alberta, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment, and I’m glad to hear the recipe worked for you! No worries about the pictures. I often forgot when I dip into a new dish I cooked 😉
The sauce will work very well with other meat and seafood as well, so do try them out! When you add the veggies, some onions and peppers will work out great.
Hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
Yeow, scary result of hot oil to glass container! Thanks for posting such clear details of do’s and don’ts.
Without, tangerine peels or zest, it still turned out really , really good. So tasty, I loved it. Can’t wait to try with missing ingredient.
This is the best recipe and instruction for stir-fry I’ve found.
Use pyrex glass containers. Put a piece of silverware in first to take up the heat.
Tried this recipe again just cause I love Orange Chicken and the first time I skimped out on the cornstarch. I only use organic cornstarch which seems to be five times the price as conventional. This time I followed the recipe exactly with the proper amount of cornstarch and we were all pleased with the crispy texture of the chicken, Ms. Zhu’s aka Maggie orange sauce, and the shallow fry technique. Gonna try this with thin fish fillets with the leftover orange sauce. This is definitely a five star recipe.
Love your authentic Sichuan recipes. My wife has an intolerance for corn products, and corn starch. I’ve been using potato starch as a thickener. Will this work in your recipe?
You could try arrowroot powder 🙂
Excellent recipe. I may stop visiting Chinese restaurants but I will visit Chinese markets more frequently. It is worth the time spent. This will be the first of many recipes tried at my kitchen. I dried the orange peels myself and it made a big difference in taste vs using fresh orange zest (tried it in the past). I love the way you have embedded lints to allow me to better understand fundamental details (e.g. details about wines and what is the purpose of the alcohol).
You provided with not just a recipe but real instruction. You are a great teacher. I am getting your book and will continue to study your blogs.
Maggie,
I made this a while ago and my husband and I loved it. What would you recommend as a good side to go with this dish? Something veggie-heavy. Thanks 🙂
A big yum! It’s very easy as you say. and delicious. So many of your recipes are exactly that. Why would anyone ever order out? Cooking at home one controls what ingredients go into one’s food- very important. I have been a huge fan of Cook’s Illustrated for many, many years and now Milk Street but if I want something simple to make and good I turn to your blog! Thanks so much Maggie! Keep the good food coming.
Hi! Thank you!! I just read this recipe and hope to try the orange chicken and marinade. I was looking at ingredients of orange chicken Sauce from Panda Express bottle and wondered how to do it by scratch, to make a healthier and cheaper product. I googled a receipt and was lead to your recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out once I try yours. Once again, Thank you!
Marlene Myers
Oh my. This was WONDERFUL!! I made a half batch of the orange sauce because I wasn’t sure I’d use/want the rest. That was a mistake. Next time I will make a full recipe of the sauce and enjoy it’s ease for multiple meals. The crispy chicken technique was an eye opener too. When I first added the cornstarch it just looked like a gluey mess, and I thought emergency takeout was going to be needed. Wrong again. It really did fry up crisp and delicious with a minimum amount of oil. To round out the meal I also used about 1 lb of broccoli, pre-blanched, which I added to the pan after the chicken was cooked, then added the sauce to it all. End result – delicious, crispy, orange chicken and broccoli, with just the right balance of sweet/sour. Thank you for this – I’ll be making this over and over again.
Thank you for making this recipe, you make many of the deep fried dishes become even healthier like this. Keep up your effort, I support and appreciate your effort.
I made this recipe last night and it was truly amazing. My boyfriend was shocked that it tasted like takeout except better!
Hi Maggie
Thank you for the delicious recipe.
I have one question. Do we use the whole egg or just the egg white? Your YouTube video showed only the egg white used.
Thanks
J
I used the whole egg. The YouTube video actually shows a different recipe that uses a similar method. Sorry for the confusion!
Excellent recipe. I couldn’t believe how good this tasted and how well it came out 1st time. I had it with a salad and your black sesame dressing!