Easy Orange Chicken

All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious. “This is the best orange chicken I’ve ever eaten!

I love how natural tasting it is, not like the gloppy, neon, super-sugary kind at restaurants. This is so fresh and delicious!”

Easy Orange Chicken Recipe

Orange chicken is a Chinese American dish with juicy chunks of crispy fried chicken drenched in a simple orange chili glaze.

The sauce is sweet, tangy, salty, and savory, hitting all of the best flavors at once! My orange chicken method is the perfect dupe, but I’ve modified it a bit to make it easier for home kitchens.

I really don’t like deep-fried food, but I can’t deny that a little bit of fried taste helps dishes like this feel more authentic (and by “authentic,” I mean tasting like your local take-out joint). So, for this recipe, I use the same pan-fry method as I do in my easy sesame chicken.

I coat the chicken pieces in a thin corn starch and egg batter, then fry them with a small amount of oil in a skillet until golden brown. This batter and pan-fry method gives the sauce something to grab onto and really helps flavor the chicken.

It’s easy, delicious, and less messy!

Helpful Tips for Orange Chicken

Some people have had trouble with the battered pan fry method, so I want to give you a couple of tips here: - Make sure your skillet is nice and hot.

If it’s too cool the egg batter will slide off the chicken and turn into scrambled eggs in your skillet. - Don’t stir the chicken too much while it cooks.

After adding the chicken to your skillet, don’t touch it until it’s golden on the bottom, then flip, and cook again. Stirring too much can knock the cooked batter off the chicken, leaving you again with separate cooked eggs and chicken. - If you’re a beginner, use a non-stick skillet.

If you prefer to use stainless steel, let the skillet heat up before adding the oil. This helps prevent the egg from sticking.

This corn starch-egg frying method gives the chicken pieces just a touch of breading and fried flavor while leaving the dish tasting light and fresh. IMHO, it’s absolutely perfect.

Orange Sauce

- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.15) - 1½ Tbsp brown sugar ($0.05)

- ½ Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.06 *) - 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated, $0.10)

- 1 garlic clove (minced, $0.04) - ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes ($0.02)

- ½ Tbsp corn starch ($0.03)

Stir Fried Chicken

- 4 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, (about 1.3 lbs.) $4.64 **)

- 2 Tbsp corn starch ($0.12) - 1 pinch black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.03) - 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08 ***)

- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.97) - 2 green onions (sliced, $0.20)

- Remove the zest from the orange using a zester or small-holed cheese grater, then squeeze the juice from the orange. You’ll need about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice.

In a small bowl, combine the juice and 1 tsp zest with the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp corn starch. Whisk the elements together until the corn starch is fully dissolved.

Set the sauce to the side. - Use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 3/4-inch pieces.

- Combine the egg, 2 Tbsp corn starch, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them in the egg mixture.

- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cookery oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Add the chicken, making sure all the pieces are touching the surface and not piled on top of one another. Let the pieces cook until they are golden brown on the bottom.

- Flip the chicken pieces, breaking them apart from one another as you turn them. Let them cook until golden brown on the second side and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes total preparation).

Transfer the cooked chicken to a separate plate. - Pour the prepared orange sauce into the same skillet and turn the heat down to medium-low.

At which point it will start to thicken and turn glossy, give the sauce a stir and allow it to come up to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

- Add the cooked chicken pieces back into the skillet and stir to coat the chicken with the sauce. - Serve the chicken and sauce with cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onions and any leftover orange zest.

See how we calculate method costs here.

How to Make Orange Chicken Step-by-Step Photos

Gather all of your components. Make the orange sauce: Begin by making the orange sauce so that it’s ready to go when you need it.

Zest one large orange, then squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. You’ll need about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice.

Combine the orange juice and orange zest in a small sauce pot with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp corn starch. Whisk them all together until the corn starch is fully dissolved and set aside.

Cut the chicken: Trim any excess fat from four boneless, skinless chicken thighs, then cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. This was about 1.33 pounds of chicken.

Make the corn starch mixture: Whisk together one large egg, 2 Tbsp corn starch, and a pinch of salt and pepper until it’s light and frothy. The mixture may seem dry at first, but the corn starch will begin to melt into the moisture from the egg.

Coat the chicken: Add the chicken pieces and toss them until they’re coated in the egg mixture. Cook the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then add 2 Tbsp cookery oil and swirl to coat the skillet.

Add the chicken pieces to the skillet so that they are in a single layer and not piled on top one another. Let them cook until golden brown on the bottom, then begin to turn the chicken pieces, breaking them apart from one another as you flip. Let the chicken cook on the second side until golden as well and the pieces are cooked through.

Try not to stir the chicken too much to avoid the batter falling off. Total preparation time should be about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a separate plate.

Simmer the sauce: Add the prepared orange sauce to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. Turn the heat down to medium low and stir the sauce.

Let it come to a simmer, at which point it will start to thicken and turn glossy. Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Coat the chicken: Return the cooked chicken pieces to the skillet with the sauce.

Stir to coat the chicken in the sauce and heat for 1 more minute. Garnish the chicken with sliced green onions and any leftover orange zest (that orange zest on top really makes the orange flavor POP! ✨) Serve with the cooked rice, and enjoy!

Variations & Ingredient Swaps

I’ve made this recipe many times since I first posted it, and, as written, it’s still one of my favorites.

But I know everyone’s pantry and taste buds are a little different, so I wanted to share some of my (and our readers!) favorite variations and easy element swaps: - Air frying the chicken vs. pan frying. I pan-fry the chicken since the corn starch coating crisps up so nicely, and I can keep an eye on it to prevent overbrowning.

That said, some readers have had good luck with air frying instead! If you’d like to try it, preheat your air fryer to 400°F, coat the chicken in the batter, arrange the pieces in a single layer in the basket, and spray with cookery oil. You’ll probably need to work in batches.

Air fry for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Then continue with the method as written. - Different chicken options.

You can easily substitute the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for chicken breast in this recipe (avoid overcooking as chicken breast can dry out quickly). You could as well try ground chicken (about 1 lb) for a softer, less crisp option.

Brown the ground chicken in cookery oil until cooked through, season with salt and pepper, and then mix it with the sauce. You can omit the egg and corn starch batter if using ground chicken.

- Toss in cooked vegetables when you combine the chicken and sauce. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, bell pepper, water chestnuts, or sugar snap peas all work well.

Since that will soften the corn starch coating, softer veggies (like bell pepper, mushrooms, or snap peas) can be stir-fried quickly in the skillet after the chicken is done, but not with it. I’d make more sauce if you’re bulking it up with veggies.

Rice vinegar has a mild, slightly sweet savor, but apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can as well be used. If you swap, you may need to add a pinch more sugar to balance the tang. - Use a different sweetener.

If you want to reduce your sugar intake, you can try replacing the brown sugar with 1 tablespoon of honey or agave. Both are a little sweeter, so start with less and adjust to taste.

- Go with low-sodium soy sauce for a lower-salt option. You can always adjust the seasoning in the sauce at the end if you want a bit more saltiness!

Serving Suggestions

When I serve this homemade orange chicken, I like to pair it with jasmine rice for an easy yet delicious meal. That said, I think my coconut rice would be an amazingly flavorful alternative to plain rice!

This sesame cucumber salad is another favorite of mine since it’s light, crunchy, and packed with savor. For something a little extra, I’d make my sesame roasted green beans or our fresh kimchi spring rolls and add them to my plate, too!

Storage & Reheating

Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I normally reheat any leftovers in the microwave until fully heated through.

You can as well try freezing the chicken and sauce for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.