The Best Orange Chicken (made without orange juice)

Orange chicken on a plate with rice, green onions and orange wedges

The Best Orange Chicken (made without orange juice)

The Best Orange Chicken is made without orange juice but is tangy, sweet, tart and delicious. Servce it over rice for a better than takeout dinner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Servings Servings (depending on serving size)

Calories 477kcal

Author Beth, The Butcher’s Wife

Ingredients

Orange Sauce

1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 Tbsp cold water
3 Tbsp soy sauce *not low sodium or light
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 to 2 tsp orange zest *optional
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper *black will work- see blog post above or notes below for a bit about the difference

Sautéed Sauce Ingredients (these are not mixed in with the other sauce ingredients)

1 Tbsp canola oil *vegetable or olive oil work too
2 tsp minced garlic (bottled/jar minced garlic) *if using fresh use 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger *add more if you like the taste of ginger - I like it so I add the full 1 tsp. *if using fresh grated/minced ginger use 1 tablespoon
4 green onions, chopped fine
pinch dried red pepper flakes *more to taste if you want it spicier

Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into bite size pieces *boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper *black pepper works great too-see blog post above or notes below for a bit about white pepper vs. black pepper
oil for frying the chicken - canola or vegetable works best *enough oil (about 1/2 inch in the pan) so the chicken is mostly covered to fry/cook

For Serving

Rice, cooked - enough for each serving.
*rice is not included in nutritional calculations *this recipe can serve anywhere from 6-8 people depending on serving size
green onions, chopped *in addition to the chopped green onions used in the sauce

Instructions

Orange Sauce

Mix all of the orange sauce ingredients in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Set aside.
Do not add the sauteed sauce ingredients- you will use these later.

Chicken

In a bowl, beat your eggs and add the salt and white pepper. In a separate bowl add and mix your cornstarch and flour together.
Take the chicken pieces and add them to the beaten eggs. Mix them around making sure all pieces are covered.
Then, take the egg covered chicken pieces and drop them in the bowl of flour/cornstarch. Toss/mix the chicken around to make sure they are all covered in the flour mixture.
Over medium heat, heat about a 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet. You need an enough oil to almost fully cover the chicken.
You will know the oil is hot enough when the oil starts to shimmer on the bottom of the pan or the oil sizzles when a few drops of water are dropped in it.
Drop the breaded chicken in the hot oil, not overcrowding the pan. You will probably have to work in batches. Flip the chicken pieces half way through cooking. The chicken is done when it’s cripsy and the internal temperature reaches 165℉. (Check the thickest/biggest piece of chicken-then they all should be done).
If the chicken is getting too crispy on the outside before it is cooked fully reduce the heat as needed.
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, take the cooked chicken out of the oil and place the cooked pieces on paper towels. Set aside the cooked chicken while you make the sauce.
Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.

Making the Orange Sauce

Clean the oil out of the pan you just used. (I pour the hot oil in a bowl lined with foil and then when it cools I wrap it in the foil and throw it away).
In the pan, over medium heat, add your oil. Then add the minced garlic, ground ginger, red pepper flakes and chopped green onions and stir it around until its fragrant.
Add the orange sauce ingredients and stir/whisk the sauce over medium heat until it thickens.
*If the sauce thickens too much, add a little bit of water at a time to thin it out to your liking.
**If it doesn't thicken, or you want it thicker make a cornstarch slurry to add to the sauce. Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water and mix it together. Slowly add a little at a time, stirring a little in and waiting to see if thickens. If it doesn't thicken to what you like, add a little more at a time until it reaches the thickness you like. Start with 1 tablespoon of each, you can always make more slurry if needed.
Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked chicken into the sauce in the pan. Gently stir the chicken into the sauce until all the chicken is covered.
*If you want a lot of extra sauce double the sauce. This recipe and the amounts listed above will cover the chicken but not leave you with a lot of extra sauce.
Serve the chicken over cooked rice and add chopped green onions if desired! Enjoy!!!

Notes

*If you want a lot of extra sauce double the sauce. This recipe and the amounts listed above will cover the chicken but not leave you with a lot of extra sauce.

You do not have to bread and fry your chicken. You can cook chicken pieces without breading and add the chicken to the sauce.

You can also bake the breaded chicken pieces in the oven at 400 degrees F until they are cooked and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Nutrition