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.
Soooo good! Made for guests and it was a hit.😀
The cooking method for the chicken was a revelation Maggie! Best way to make chicken for this dish! I made some simple changes to the recipe to satisfy some tastes of mine: for instance, I added some broccoli florets and onions in between the chicken and sauce steps, because I felt like I needed more veggies and savory onions. Every other step from the recipe was followed and it turned out beautifully! Perfect as an entire meal with some white rice & a glass of wine! Thank you for showing this novice how to make the best Chinese Orange Crispy Chicken!
This was delicious and easy to make. I was able to find some dried fruit at my local Asian grocery.
Dear Maggie,
I just did this recipe yesterday along with many more of yours (I was hosting my parents for lunch and they never tried authentic chinese cuisine), everything touned out amazing!
I really love all your recipe, I’ve done quite a few ,they never failed, and also the measurement and details are priceless, I use grams and ml and sometimes conversion are so inaccurate, but yours never are!
Just here to say, a huge “thank you”, for allow me to cook amazing dishes!
Probably I’ve just made many writing mistakes, but I really couldn’t stop myself to write to you! So every one really give her recipes serious try, you’ll be amazed!
Laura
Hi Laura, thanks so much for your kind words and I’m glad to hear that you shared the food with your family! So happy to hear that the dishes turned out well 🙂
I am 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 . I use your website and this Orange Chicken recipe constantly. (Made 🍊 🐓 last night – amazing, as always) Your recipes are authentic. Your cooking approach is sensible and easy. And most importantly, your dishes are so delicious. My family and I are so grateful for you. Thank you!
This sounds delicious!! Would you have any tips on how to adapt this recipe to an air fryer?
You can refer to my air fryer sweet and sour chicken recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/air-fryer-sweet-and-sour-chicken/
Use the same batter and air fryer temperature to cook the chicken, then cook the sauce in a frying pan and mix everything together.
Happy cooking!
Quick, easy, thrilled everyone! I ordered your book & my whole family is looking forward to its arrival.
This was terrific. We did not have dry tangerine peel – or tangerines for that matter – but the taste using the rind from a navel orange – plus the juice of two oranges – was perfect. A great and easy dinner, which we had with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. This one’s a keeper.
I love this technique of frying the chicken and sauce tastes so fresh (I used fresh orange zest) Next time I’d add a dash more soy sauce and either chili crisp or red pepper flakes for personal preference. Will definitely be in my regular rotation.
Delicious! I needed a quick meal last night and remembered this recipe from a recent newsletter. Had everything on hand and it was quick and easy once the prep was done. Only thing my family noted was the intensity of the orange and sweetness levels. While I only used 2 T sugar, per your suggestion, I did not account for the sweetness of Simply Orange’s juice. Next time I’ll use 1 T or no sugar to see if it will suffice.
This is a keeper. A little sweet but with 2tbsps sugar it was close to perfect.
Lots of taste notes in this dish. I am a big fan of dried tangerine peel. The peel offsets the sweet taste and adds lot of personality to the dish. I will at least double it the next time I make it. The flavor depends a lot on the wine and vinegar used. Search the site to see recommendations for these ingredients.
Sensational recipe! I have made it several times with wonderful results. It’s easy and tasty and my family loves it. Thank you, Maggie
This recipe looks amazing! By chance do you know how big one serving size is? Or how many servings this recipe gives?
The recipe uses 1 lb chicken. Usually 4 oz is standard serving size, so the recipes makes 4 servings. I think it’s enough for 4 people only if you serve it with a few other dishes.
But if you’re serving this dish as a main dish maybe with a small side (or no side at all), I think it serves two to three people.