Orange Chicken (Better than Takeout!)

Who’s ready for this new BETTER THAN TAKEOUT SERIES featuring all of your favorites go-to dishes!

We are making the popular Orange Chicken that is sweet, tangy, savory, and all the best flavors in one dish for the first dish.

Made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients, you need to try my super yummy Orange Chicken that I promise is better than ANY TAKEOUT! 

Orange Chicken is one of the easiest takeout recipes to recreate at home.

Combing crispy chicken with a tangy and sweet glaze, Orange Chicken is the perfect recipe to make for weeknight dinners.

I like to pair Orange Chicken with chow mein, fried rice, or stir-fried veggies, which all recipes will be coming soon!

If you want to make a healthier version, skip the deep fry, and pan-fry the chicken instead. 

To make crispy yet light Orange Chicken, I use my secret ingredients, rice flour, and soda water.

Rice flour is gluten-free and lighter compare to traditional flour. At the same time, the soda water provides air into the batter, which gives it a light, fluffy texture instead.

Let the chicken sit in the batter for 20 minutes, which will help the batter stick better.

Optional, but HIGHLY recommended double fry the chicken for the extra crispiness! The second fry will push out all the moisture, which will leave the chicken super crunchy. 

All you need for the Orange Chicken glaze is soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, Red chili pepper, grated ginger, oyster sauce, orange juice, and orange zest.

Add the orange zest near the end to give the sauce the extra tangy kick. If you like it spicy, you can also add in some chili paste or sriracha sauce.

The best part about home cooking is adjusting the recipe to your liking, taste before adding in the chicken to see if you want the sauce to be more sweet, tangy, savory, or spicy. 

Do you want more recipes that are BETTER THAN TAKEOUT? Here are some of my go-to recipes that you will love! 

• Mongolian Beef (BETTER THAN TAKEOUT!)
• Egg Drop Soup with Crab (15 Minutes)
• The BEST Black Pepper Beef and Broccoli (Tender Beef)
• Kung Pao Chicken (Better Than Takeout)

Ingredients 

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh (cut into bite-sized pieces) 
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour 
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch 
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• Salt and Pepper to season 
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water 
• 1 Egg 

Orange Chicken Glaze 

• ½  cup of Orange Juice 
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1.5 tbsp of minced Garlic 
• 3-4 tbsp of Honey 
• 1.5 tbsp of Oyster Sauce 
• 1 tsp of Red Chili Flakes 
• 0.5 tbsp of Grated Ginger 
• Orange Zest from 1 orange 
• 2 tbsp of cornStarch 
• 3 tbsp of Cold Water 

1. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg. 
2. Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
3. Mix soy sauce, minced garlic, orange juice, chili flakes, honey, oyster sauce, and grated ginger in a bowl. 
4. Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Optional: remove the chicken, set aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes. 
6. Add the sauce mixture to a separate pan, and let it simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. 
7. Combine 2 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of cold water. Pour in the corn starch mixture into the pan, grate in fresh orange zest, and simmer for another 30 seconds. 
8. Add in the crispy chicken, sesame seeds, and toss on high heat for 1 minute.

Print

Orange Chicken

Who’s ready for this new BETTER THAN TAKEOUT SERIES featuring all of your favorites go-to dishes! We are making the popular Orange Chicken that is sweet, tangy, savory, and all the best flavors in one dish for the first dish. Made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients, you need to complete my super yummy Orange Chicken that I promise is better than ANY TAKEOUT!

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Active Time20 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, chicken, Chicken Recipe, Chinese Food, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried Chicken, QUICK RECIPES, Street Food, take out

Yield: 4 People

Materials

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh cut into bite-sized pieces
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
• Salt and Pepper to season
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water
• 1 Egg

Orange Chicken Glaze

• ½ cup of Orange Juice
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of minced Garlic
• 3-4 tbsp of Honey
• 1.5 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
• 1 tsp of Red Chili Flakes
• 0.5 tbsp of Grated Ginger
• Orange Zest from 1 orange
• 2 tbsp of cornStarch
• 3 tbsp of Cold Water

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg.
• Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
• Mix soy sauce, minced garlic, orange juice, chili flakes, honey, oyster sauce, and grated ginger in a bowl.
• Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.
• Optional: remove the chicken, set aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the sauce mixture to a separate pan, and let it simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Combine 2 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of cold water. Pour in the corn starch mixture into the pan, grate in fresh orange zest, and simmer for another 30 seconds.
• Add in the crispy chicken, sesame seeds, and toss on high heat for 1 minute.

Notes

If you like it spicy, you can also add in some chili paste or sriracha sauce