This was our tried and true Orange Chicken recipe since going viral in 2023! With just a few Asian staple ingredients, you’ll be able to make this dish similar, if not better, than the takeout version.

Since then, thousands of you have made and shared this recipe all over the internet, thank you!

Recipe Rundown

Ingredients

This recipe uses a cornstarch-based batter seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. The sauce is made up of fresh orange juice, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, and grated ginger and garlic!

instructions

We can split this recipe up into 3 major steps: Make the batter to coat the chicken, fry the chicken until crispy, then make the orange sauce and toss to combine!

Quick Tips

Double-frying is the secret to ensuring your chicken remains crispy even after tossing with the sauce. For a larger crowd or for meal prep, you can double or triple the amount of ingredients in the recipe provided. To prepare in advance, keep the chicken and sauce separate as to maintain best texture and crisp!

Storage

Leftovers can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply rewarm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on a baking dish in the oven at 350 F until hot.

Table of Contents

Instructions

In a bowl, combine together all the ingredients for the batter. Whisk until you have a smooth and thin, paint-like batter consistency (If the batter is still be a bit thick, you can add more water a tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency).

Add in the chicken, and gently mix together until all the pieces are well coated in the batter.

Heat your oil to about 330-340 F. Once hot, deep fry the battered chicken pieces for about 5-7 minutes, or until fully cooked-through and the outside is golden. Set aside to cool and rest on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.

Double fry (optional, but highly recommended): Turn the heat to high (oil should be around 375 F), and fry the chicken for around 30-60 seconds, watching the chicken carefully to avoid burning. Once the chicken is golden brown in color, set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Mix together all the ingredients for the orange sauce. Pour the sauce into a large pan or wok and bring to a simmer over medium-heat for about one minute to dissolve the sugars.

Stirring constantly, pour in the cornstarch slurry and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 30-60 seconds.

Once thickened, add in the fried chicken pieces. Toss quickly to fully coat each chicken with the orange sauce.

Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately, enjoy!

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Chicken: Dark meat (aka. thighs) is king for this recipe due to the extra fattiness and juice that dark meat lends. White meat (aka. chicken breasts) or even wings may also work.

Substitutes: While this recipe highlights chicken, thinly-sliced beef or pork can work. For my vegetarian and/or vegan audience, you can try using any plant-based ingredient such as extra-firm tofu, tempeh, or even mushrooms.

Cornstarch, flour: Starch is a popular ingredient in many fried Asian recipes. Using a combination of both cornstarch and flour for the batter gives you a much lighter and crumbly crunch.

Substitutes: You can replace the cornstarch with potato or tapioca starch, if available.

Egg White: Using only egg whites for this recipe contributes to the overall crisp due to its high protein volume. Yolk, which is high in fat, tends to create a more tender crust when deep fried (feel free to repurpose the yolk for other uses!).

Ground pepper, ginger, garlic: These aromatics and spices will season our chicken so that every bite has depth of flavor on top of being coated in the orange sauce!

Sesame oil: This can be purchased in most Asian supermarkets. This will give the dish a toasty, nutty aroma that compliments the chicken perfectly.

Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, shaoxing wine: Staples in most Asian pantries, a combination of these ingredients will provide that right balance of salty, umami, and brightness needed for the sauce. All of these can be purchased in most Asian groceries.

Substitutes: To maintain the original taste, try to minimize your substitutions of ingredients as much as possible. Otherwise, in a pinch, soy sauce may be replaced with tamari. Rice wine vinegar may be replaced with any other vinegar (e.g., white, apple cider). Shaoxing wine may be omitted or substituted with any dry white wine or Japanese sake.

Brown sugar: To further enhance the natural sweetness of the orange juice, a good amount of brown sugar is added to the sauce. Feel free to add more or less, depending on how sweet you’d like the sauce to be.

Substitutes: You can replace the brown sugar with standard white sugar. Other sweeteners such as agave or honey may also work.

Orange juice: For best results, go for fresh orange juice! If using the store-bought kinds, be sure to use ones that are 100% orange juice, and without the added sugar to avoid an overly sweet dish.

Cooking Tips

Fry your chicken in batches: Overcrowding your pan when deep frying is one of the main culprits for dropping the temperature of your oil too quickly. If your oil isn’t at the adequate temperature (i.e., too cold), it risks undercooking your chicken and causing a soggy coating.

Don’t skip the double-frying step: This is one of the key techniques that Asian restaurants use to get their fried chicken so crispy! The initial fry is to mainly cook to the chicken, while the magic happens at the second step. The second fry helps to remove all the excess water leftover from the chicken, causing it to brown and crisp up almost instantly.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To reheat, simply rewarm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on a baking dish in the oven at 350 F until hot. While it may not exactly be as crispy as the night before, it still tastes pretty good.

Can I freeze this?

Yes, for optimal texture, it’s recommended to freeze the sauce and chicken separately (sealed in plastic bags or containers). This can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.

To reheat, you can oven-bake or airfry the frozen chicken at 375 F for around 10-15 minutes, or until fully heated through and crispy. You can soften the orange sauce by submerging it in warm water for a few minutes, or briefly microwaving or heating via stovetop until liquid in consistency.

Can I make this spicy?

Yes, simply add a few teaspoons of red chili flakes or powder (to your preference) into the orange sauce and follow the recipe as directed. You can also add some sriracha sauce!

Can I double or triple this recipe?

For a larger crowd or for meal prep, you can double or triple the amount of ingredients in the recipe provided. If you’d like the recipe to be saucier, you can also double the amount of ingredients for the orange sauce.

What can I serve this with?

This recipe is best served with a side of jasmine or fried rice and freshly steamed/stir-fried vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, and/or mushrooms.

You can also eat this over pasta or noodles -the orange sauce makes the perfect, saucy coating!

All of you have been absolutely loving our takeout series so far, so here’s a few recipes you might want to give a try after you’re done with this one: