Chinese Orange Chicken (better than take out)

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken has become a popular dish at most American take out restaurants starting with Panda Express which I believe started this trend, as it became their most popular dish. This is crispy pieces of fried boneless chicken smothered in a sweet and tangy orange sesame sauce that is so good.

Since I don’t always have it available in my country, of course, I set out to create my own version. After a couple of modifications and attempts, I think the result was amazing as did the rest of my household. It has become one of our family favorites.

Ingredients for Chinese Orange Chicken

• Boneless chicken thighs – or may use breast. I prefer thigh as the meat is more tender.
• Egg
• Salt
• Cornstarch
• Flour

Sauce

• Brown Sugar
• White Sugar
• Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Vinegar – or Apple Cider Vinegar
• Soy Sauce
• Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cornstarch diluted in a little water

Preparation for Chinese Orange Chicken

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• Basic preparation is to clean and cut up boneless chicken thighs, (which is my preference of meat) however breasts can also be used. With the thighs, I cut out all the fatty parts and cut the chicken in bite size pieces.
• I place a little salt and an egg on the chicken in a large seasoning bowl that is left covered in the fridge until ready to fry.
• When ready to fry, I combine a mixture of flour and cornstarch to sprinkle over all the chicken pieces.
• The chicken is fried in a non – stick skillet,  on medium heat for a few minutes on each side.
• The sauce is made in a separate large pot using a little oil, minced ginger & garlic,  brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, and sesame oil.
• When serving, you  mix all the chicken at once in the sauce and may garnish with cut scallions or sesame seeds.

This is a popular dish for both adults and kids. I hope you try it and enjoy. Don’t forget to leave me a comment.

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Chinese Orange Chicken (better than take out)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Dianne

Ingredients

Chicken

• 12 Boneless Chicken Thighs or 6-8 breasts
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Flour

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. Oil or Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic minced
• 1 tsp. Ginger minced
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Orange Juice
• 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar as substitute
• 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Orange Zest
• 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch diluted in 3Tbsp. Water
• 2 tsp. Sesame Oil

Instructions

Chicken

1. Clean chicken, cut off fatty pieces. Cut into bite size pieces.

2. Add salt and the egg. Stir to combine. Place in a large covered seasoning bowl in the fridge until ready to fry.

3. When ready to fry, heat a deep pot on medium heat for a few minutes add oil until hot. Combine the cornstarch & flour and sprinkle over all chicken pieces.

4. When hot, add a few pieces of chicken at a time about 1" apart and fry about 2 minutes on each side or golden brown. Place on a papertowel lined plate. Continue until all chicken cooked.

Sauce

1. Add oil and sesame oil to a small saucepan. Heat on med-low heat. Add garlic & ginger, sautee for about 1 minute. Add the rest of sauce ingredients except diluted cornstarch. Keep stirring and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture and stir 1-2 minutes until thickens. Add a little more cornstarch if needed until desired thickness.

2. When ready to serve, dip chicken in sauce. May be garnished with scallions or sesame seeds

Recipe Notes

**Serves well with rice or stir fry Chinese style vegetables.