If you’ve never made homemade orange chicken, this is your chance. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
No shock if you know me, but I often crave Asian food. I absolutely adore it (if you can’t tell by some of the recipes I post), and it’s usually surprisingly easy to make at home.
Yes, even this homemade orange chicken, and have you seen the chicken fried rice I adore?
For whatever reason, orange chicken was bugging me the other day. I had such a taste for it, but it’s so bad for you when you get it at a restaurant. And really… how hard could it be to make?
I took a basic orange sauce, sauteed chicken – this is a skillet orange chicken, so it’s ready quick – and then played with it until it tasted the way I wanted it.
My family adores it, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be a hit for you, too.
Need more fun Asian dinner ideas? Check out some of my favorites at the bottom of this article!
How to Make Orange Chicken
Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Set that aside while you make the orange sauce.
In a large saucepan combine 3/4 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Heat on medium while stirring periodically until it boils.
While the sauce is getting to a boil, heat a large pan with a little bit of oil. Add the chicken pieces and saute. Cook until they are no longer pink inside.
No, I don’t fry – but you could absolutely bread your chicken and fry the pieces. I justify this dish as being healthy because I saute them, and they turned out great.
For a more restaurant authentic version, go ahead and fry them. If you want that crisp without the fat, use an Air Fryer.
Once your orange sauce comes to a boil, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and mix thoroughly with a fork. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into your sauce with a spatula until it thickens.
Pour the sauce over your sauteed chicken and stir to coat. I served it with the traditional rice, and it was gobbled up.
Did I mention this took me less than a half hour start to finish?
My rice took longer to cook than the dinner, but I often start that in my rice cooker long before I think about dinner. The best part about a rice cooker? It just stays warm until you’re ready to use it. Fluff it, and you’re all set!
Do you love orange chicken as much as my family does?
More fun Asian recipes:
- Homemade fortune cookies
- Chicken fried rice
- Baked sweet and sour chicken
- Asian marinated steak
- Miso glazed salmon
- Grilled baby bok choy
- Kung pao chicken salad
- Slow cooker Thai pork
- Korean beef
- Thai skillet chicken
- Marinated shrimp bowls
Orange Chicken
This recipe for a homemade orange chicken is healthier than what you'll find in a restaurant but just as tasty. Did you know making homemade Asian cuisine is so easy?
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 3/4 c water
- Juice of an orange (save the zest!)
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 1/2 T rice vinegar
- 1 T soy sauce
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1/4 inch ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 1/2 T cornstarch
- 2 T water
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside while you make the orange sauce.
- In a large saucepan combine 3/4 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Heat on medium while stirring periodically until it boils.
- Heat a large pan with a little oil. Add chicken pieces and saute. Cook until they are no longer pink inside. Alternatively, bread and fry chicken for a more traditional texture.
- Once orange sauce comes to a boil, combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.
- Pour sauce over sauteed chicken and stir to coat. Serve immediately with rice.
Notes
Want to make this gluten free? Just sub out the soy sauce for tamari, and you have a gluten free orange chicken recipe!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 290mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 48g
This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition. If you need exact details, please calculate yourself.
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[…] Orange chicken […]
Tara – Oh, I think it would be a hit where you are, too. And c'mon – you live in the orange state. How do you not have oranges on hand? 🙂
Kelly – Go for it! So much ummm healthier than takeout but ohhhh so good. Mister Man is already asking for it again (and we had it a second time this week already).
This would be a winner here too!
That would be a hit around here too. All I need are the oranges. Dinner?