Brighten up your kitchen with some vibrant sweet and tangy Orange Chicken. This classic Chinese-American takeout dish will surely become a favorite and create some big smiles on everyone at home.
It starts with a very light batter made with egg whites, cornstarch and a bit of salt (aka a gluten-free batter!). The chicken is then deep-fried twice to create an extra crisp to every bite. Everything comes together with a sauce that uses fresh oranges to give you that refreshing hint of citrus flavor that ultimately makes Orange Chicken so delicious.
So go ahead and ditch those Chinese takeout menus from your kitchen drawer. You’ll never want Orange Chicken from anywhere else ever again when you can easily make it even better at home.
Recipe adapted from The Stay at Home Chef with slight changes.
Orange Chicken
Bring some Chinese-American into your kitchen with some vibrant sweet and tangy Orange Chicken. It's really super easy to make, and definitely more fresh and delicious than any takeout there is.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 2 pounds (900g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- FOR THE BATTER:
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 orange zested
- 1 cup orange juice (approx. 2 oranges)
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free option)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, very finely minced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, very finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- FOR THE CORNSTARCH SLURRY:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- FOR THE REST:
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare the sauce: Add all 9 sauce ingredients into a bowl. Make sure to zest the orange first before cutting it in half to juice. Stir and set aside.
- Step 2 Prepare the chicken: Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Lightly sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Step 3 Prepare the batter: In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the egg whites, cornstarch and salt until frothy, about 1 minute. Submerge the chicken breast pieces in batter, making sure all the chicken is well coated. Set aside.
- Step 4 Fry the chicken (part 1): Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large, heavy bottom pot and let it heat to 350 degrees F. Working in small batches (you’ll end up working in about 3-4 batches) carefully drop each piece of chicken (one by one to avoid chicken sticking together) into the oil. With a wooden spoon move the chicken around to ensure they don’t stick together. Cook until cooked through and lightly golden (about 3-4 minutes per batch). Remove from oil and drain in a large bowl lined with paper towel. Let each batch cool for 3 minutes.
- Step 5 Fry the chicken (part 2): Once all the chicken is cooked, drained and cooled, add it all back into the oil for 1-2 minutes to really solidify the coating. Remove from oil, drain and cool.
- Step 6 Finish the sauce: Make your cornstarch slurry by whisking together water and cornstarch. Set aside. Add the sauce mixture (that you prepared in step 1) into a skillet or wok. On medium heat stir and let sauce simmer. Once your sauce starts to get bubbly pour in your cornstarch slurry and whisk vigorously until sauce begins to thicken (this will happen very quickly).
- Step 7 Add all the chicken, green onion slices and sesame seeds to the sauce. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.