Orange Chicken That’s Better Than Takeout
This homemade orange chicken is crispy, juicy, and tossed in a sticky-sweet orange sauce with a hint of heat — better than takeout, and perfect for weeknight dinners!
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl Large
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Oil for frying
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest grated
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger root
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons green onion chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch for slurry
- 2 tablespoons water for slurry
Instructions
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Dredge chicken in cornstarch, dip in eggs, then coat in panko breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil to 355°F and fry chicken in batches until golden and cooked through.
- In a saucepan or pressure cooker pot, combine water, orange juice, and rice vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, green onion, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 5–10 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch and water into a slurry, add to sauce, and cook until thickened.
- Add fried chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Serve hot.
Notes
Bread the chicken in small batches. Using one hand for wet and one hand for dry keeps things from getting too messy. Make sure oil is hot enough between batches.