Skip the takeout and make this delicious crispy orange chicken quickly and easily at home. Simple to make and bursting with flavor, it’s wonderfully tangy and vibrant.
Asian Inspired Orange Chicken Recipe
I just know that you are going to love this recipe as much as we did!
This crispy orange chicken is so simple and easy to make but it tastes just like your favorite Chinese restaurant!
Fried crispy and succulent chicken is tossed in sweet, spicy and tangy orange sauce for one delicious bite.
Be sure to check out my Kung Pao Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken recipes too!
Why You’ll Love this Orange Chicken Recipe:
- Skillet recipe: The majority of this recipe is all prepared in one skillet, so clean up is a breeze!
- Quick and easy: This crispy orange chicken is ready to serve in around 35 minutes, so it’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
- Restaurant quality: Seriously guys, give the takeout a miss this week! This is so delicious and fresh, it will easily rival your favorite Chinese restaurant.
How to make crispy orange chicken
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Soften the onion, garlic and ginger.
- Whisk in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, orange juice, orange zest, and honey and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry, allow to thicken and remove from the heat.
- Toss the chicken in the eggs and flour to coat.
- Fry on both sides til golden brown and cooked through.
- Toss the fried chicken in the orange sauce and serve.
What’s the best chicken to use?
This recipe is great with both chicken breast or thighs. Both taste great! It’s best to use one or the other rather than both as thighs will take a minute or two longer to cook through.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This crispy orange chicken is best served as soon as it’s ready so that the chicken is nice and crispy. You can coat the chicken in the egg and flour a little ahead of time.
If you do have leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop.
What do you serve it with?
I love to serve this with same plain white rice and steamed broccoli for a great tasty meal. It’s great with cauliflower rice and noodles too!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Cut the chicken into small similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Ensure that the chicken pieces are throughly coated in the egg and flour so they get crispy all over.
- This crispy orange chicken is fairly mild, but you can omit the sriracha if you are particularly sensitive to spicy foods.
I just know that you are going to love this crispy orange chicken. It’s way easier to make than you think, and I guarantee that everyone will be impressed with your efforts!
More Asian Inspired Chicken Recipes
- Asian Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Poke Bowl
- Vietnamese Chicken and Rice
- Crockpot Chicken Fried Rice
- Szechuan Chicken
- Peanut Butter Chicken
- Bourbon Chicken
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!
Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the Orange sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha optional
- 1 cup orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water
For the Crispy chicken
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs chopped into bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onion and sauté for a couple minutes until softened. Add in the garlic and ginger, cooking for another minute.
- Then, add in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, orange juice, orange zest, and honey. Whisk together well and bring to a low boil.
- Combine the corn starch and water to a make a slurry and add to the mixture.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk well until the sauce thickens. Remove from the sauce from heat.
- In a large bowl, add in the eggs and salt. Beat the eggs.
- Then, add in the chicken pieces, stirring well to coat. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour and corn starch.
- Add the chicken pieces to the flour mixture, tossing until well coated. Rinse out the bowl used for the egg mixture. It will be used later to toss the fried chicken in the orange sauce.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add a portion of the chicken pieces to the oil. Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until golden brown and crispy on all sides. Place the chicken on a sheet pan or plate lined with paper towel.
- Add the chicken to a large bowl. Pour the orange sauce over the chicken and toss well to coat each piece in the sauce. Serve with rice and garnish with chopped green onion if desired.
Notes
- Cut the chicken into small similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Ensure that the chicken pieces are throughly coated in the egg and flour so they get crispy all over.
- This crispy orange chicken is fairly mild, but you can omit the sriracha if you are particularly sensitive to spicy foods.
Lisa Dames says
Absolutely delicious! My family went nuts over it. Looking forward to cooking this one again!
Becky Hardin says
What a success! Thanks for stopping by, Lisa!
Lisa Dames says
I’ve made it twice and it is fantastic! My family absolutely went nuts over it!. It’s in my “favorites” file and I’m looking forward to making it again!
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing your success with us, Lisa!