Easy Homemade Orange Chicken
The ultimate takeout-style Orange Chicken is a perfect way to perk up a weeknight dinner. If you need to get it on the table even faster, simply swap in whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the cut-up breasts. Then your cook time will be less. For a gluten free version, use all cornstarch in the dredge and Tamari in place of the soy sauce.Â
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
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- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- Zest from one orange
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 egg whites, beaten until very frothy
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Begin by making the sauce. In a medium pot over medium heat, add the orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili flakes, and orange zest. Bring to a light bubble, and simmer until the sugar has fully melted.Â
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add this slurry to the sauce, whisking, and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low (it should be thickened now) and keep warm while you prepare the chicken. Â
- Set a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to fully coat the bottom (you can add more oil in between batches of chicken). Bring the oil to a temp of 350 degrees F or just heat until it shimmers.
- Combine the remaining corn starch with the flour. Toss the chicken pieces in the egg whites and then dredge through the cornstarch/flour mixture, ensuring they’re fully coated.Â
- Working in batches so as to not over-crowd the pan, fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy on both sides; about 1.5 to 2 minutes per side (it goes fast). Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined tray/plate to drain. Wipe/clean out the pan and add the chicken back in, along with the orange sauce. Toss the chicken in the sauce to fully coat.
- Serve the chicken with rice, topped with chopped green onions and cilantro, if desired.