Homemade Orange Chicken is a quick, family-friendly dinner you can have ready in under 30 minutes. Tender bite-size chicken pieces are stir-fried and tossed in a sticky, sweet, and zesty orange sauce for a fresh take on classic Chinese-style orange chicken. Ditch the takeout and deep frying—this simple recipe delivers big flavor with minimal fuss.
Orange Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken breasts or thighs
- Vegetable oil
- White or brown rice
- Fresh orange juice
- Orange zest
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Garlic, minced
- Hoisin sauce
- Red pepper flakes
- Cornstarch
- Green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish
How to make Orange Chicken
This is one of the easiest orange chicken recipes and tastes even better than takeout. Begin by preparing the sauce: in a medium bowl combine the juice and zest from two oranges, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, hoisin sauce, and red pepper flakes. In a separate small cup, stir cornstarch into water to make a slurry, then whisk the slurry into the orange mixture until smooth. Set the sauce aside while you cook the chicken.
Next, prepare the chicken. Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are browned and cooked through with no pink remaining—about 6–8 minutes depending on size. Avoid overcooking to keep the chicken juicy.
When the chicken is fully cooked, pour the prepared orange sauce over it and stir to coat. Continue cooking for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Remove the skillet from heat, garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired, and serve immediately over steamed white or brown rice.
Homemade Orange Chicken
April King
Ingredients
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 large oranges (juice and zest)
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. hoisin sauce
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 2 cups long grain white rice, dry
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine juice and zest from two oranges (about 3/4 cup), soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, hoisin sauce, and red pepper flakes.
- In a small cup, whisk cornstarch with water to form a smooth slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the orange mixture and whisk until fully combined. Set the sauce aside.
- Prepare rice according to package directions. While the rice cooks, cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains and the pieces are lightly browned.
- Pour the orange sauce over the cooked chicken and simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
- Serve immediately over white or brown rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 34.7 g
Protein: 30.4 g
Fat: 7 g
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