Skip The Restaurant And Make Our Orange Chicken Recipe At Home

Sometimes you love a dish that's a takeout staple so much that you want to try to make it at home. If you grew up loving orange chicken, you might want to try this recipe brought to us by Food Republic recipe developer Julianne De Witt. The popular American Chinese dish is surprisingly straightforward to make once you have the right ingredients, which might just be pantry staples in your kitchen. Although the tangy, sweet, and fruity sauce incorporates several components, it comes together easily and in little time.  

"Orange chicken is a comforting sweet and sour dish thanks to the addition of orange juice, brown sugar, and vinegar," De Witt describes. There's more complexity to it than just your average sweet and sour sauce, though. She notes, "The garlic and ginger round out the flavor profile, resulting in a bright, citrusy sauce that's not too sweet." The chicken packs plenty of flavor, so serve it with something simple, like white rice and copycat Chinese takeout veggies.

This is also a convenient dish to make ahead, as it will last up to four days in the fridge or three months in the freezer. "Thaw the frozen chicken in the refrigerator prior to heating to ensure it separates easily. Reheat in a wok or sauté pan over medium heat, thawing the sauce with a little water if necessary."

For this recipe, you'll need fresh-squeezed orange juice and orange zest (about two navel oranges should do). "Fresh orange juice is best for this recipe as it has a more intense orange flavor, but store-bought juice can be used in place of fresh if necessary," De Witt says. She also offers a pro tip: "Zest the oranges prior to juicing."

Next, for the sauce, get soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cornstarch, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Then, you'll need large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes, though De Witt says thighs can be used instead. Finally, get flour, vegetable oil, scallions (diced), and sesame seeds.

Add the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, cornstarch, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan. 

Whisk the ingredients together and place the saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes until thickened. Keep warm.

Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the flour and remaining salt and pepper.

Use tongs to mix and coat the chicken evenly.

Add the oil to a wok over high heat.

When the wok is very hot, add the chicken.

Stir and cook until chicken is browned on all sides, approximately 8 minutes.

Turn the heat down to low, add the orange sauce to the wok and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.

Garnish the chicken with scallions and sesame seeds and serve.

• Easy Sesame Bok Choy Stir-Fry Recipe
• Grilled Baby Bok Choy With Miso Butter Recipe
• Panko-Breaded Goat Cheese and Crisp Apple Salad Recipe
• Lemon Basil Risotto Recipe
• Floral and Fizzy Hugo Spritz Recipe
• Classic Blackberry Mojito Recipe

Like many American take-out staples, orange chicken is not traditionally prepared in China, but is a recipe invented in the U.S. to evoke the flavors of another country. De Witt explains, "Orange chicken, a favorite American-Chinese dish, was invented by Panda Express chef Andy Kao in 1987 in Hawaii." Although the chain opened a few years earlier, its start in Hawaii coincided with the creation of orange chicken. 

"His dish was inspired by flavors from China's Hunan province, particularly a dish made from tangerine peels," De Witt adds. Paired with the fact that there was plenty of citrus in Hawaii, the fusion recipe was a winner, hitting all the right sweet and tangy flavor notes. "His original recipe called for bone-in chicken, but it was later changed to bite-sized chicken pieces to suit American tastes," De Witt notes. It continues to be extremely popular at Panda Express, as well as at most other American Chinese restaurants around the country.

Although this recipe requires a bit more effort than placing your order on a delivery app, it's ready in less than half an hour. Still, a few tricks can help ensure your results are restaurant-worthy. For starters, De Witt recommends, "Cut the chicken pieces into similar sizes so that they cook evenly." This will help prevent smaller chicken pieces from drying out while the larger ones cook through. After tossing the cubed chicken with flour, De Witt instructs: "Shake off the excess flour from the chicken. Too much flour can make the chicken become less crispy."

Once you're ready to cook the meat, she says, "Make sure the oil is very hot and almost smoking in the wok before adding the chicken. This will ensure that it doesn't stick and that it browns nicely." It's also important to avoid overcrowding the chicken in the wok, or else it will steam instead of browning. As noted, using fresh oranges really makes all the difference in this dish, especially considering the citrus flavor is the main essence of the sauce. 

• Double-Fried Karaage Chicken Recipe
• Savory Chicken Pad See-Ew Recipe
• Thai Curry Peanut Soup Recipe
• Firecracker Salmon Sticky Rice Recipe