Crispy Chinese orange chicken tossed in a sticky, tangy sauce made with real orange juice. Takeout-style orange chicken, made at home.
- 1½ lb chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup cornstarch for coating
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup neutral oil canola, vegetable or peanut, for frying
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth use 1 cup with fresh juice (Note 1)
- ¼ cup orange juice concentrate frozen, thawed (Note 1)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice only if not using the concentrate (Note 1)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Sriracha or more, to taste
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt Morton
- 1 Tbsp orange zest optional (Note 2)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch for thickening
- 2 Tbsp cold water
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Mix the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, ¼ cup orange juice concentrate, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp Sriracha, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp kosher salt until the sugar and salt dissolve (Note 1).
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Marinate. Put 1½ lb chicken breast in a gallon zip-top bag with ⅔ cup of the sauce. Seal and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, turning the bag a few times. Set the rest of the sauce aside (Note 3).
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Thicken the sauce. In a saucepan, stir 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp cold water until smooth. Whisk in the reserved sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Cook 2 to 3 minutes after it boils, until thick and glossy - don't boil longer. Off the heat, stir in 1 Tbsp orange zest if using. Keep warm (Note 4).
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Drain. Drain the chicken in a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the marinade.
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Set up the coating. Whisk 2 large eggs in a bowl. Put 1 cup cornstarch in a second, larger bowl.
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Heat the oil. Heat 1 cup neutral oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to 350°F (175°C), checked with an instant-read thermometer (Note 5).
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Dip and coat. Dip each piece in the egg, then press it into the cornstarch. Shake off the extra.
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Fry in batches. Fry in 2 or 3 batches, turning halfway, 4 to 5 minutes, until deep golden, OR until the biggest piece reads 165°F (74°C). Don't crowd the pan. Lift out with a spider strainer onto a cooling rack (Note 6).
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Toss. Put the chicken in a large bowl, pour the warm sauce over it and toss to coat, right before serving (Note 7).
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Garnish and serve. Top with 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and 2 green onions. Serve right away.
1. Orange juice: use EITHER the ¼ cup orange juice concentrate with 1½ cups chicken broth (what I use, and the strongest orange flavor) OR ½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice with 1 cup chicken broth. Don't use both.
2. Orange zest: optional. Stir it in after the sauce comes off the heat, so it smells fresh.
3. Marinating: marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours in the fridge. Longer, and the vinegar and juice make the outside of the chicken mushy. Always throw out the used marinade.
4. Sauce thickness: cornstarch thickens only once the sauce boils, and it thins back out if it boils too long. Too thin? Mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water, whisk it in and boil 1 minute. Too thick? Whisk in a splash of chicken broth.
5. Oil temperature: keep the oil at 350°F (175°C) and let it heat back up between batches. No thermometer? A coated piece should sizzle right away when it goes in. A splatter guard keeps the stove clean.
6. Doneness: the chicken is done at 165°F (74°C) in the thickest piece. Cool fried chicken on a rack, not paper towels, so the bottoms stay crisp.
7. Crispy coating: the coating softens the longer it sits in the sauce. Toss right before serving, or keep the chicken and sauce separate for a party.
8. Make ahead: mix the sauce up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Stir before thickening.
9. Storage: airtight in the fridge up to 3 days, or frozen up to 2 months. Reheat in an air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for 4 to 6 minutes, or in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes, until hot (165°F / 74°C).
10. Gluten-free: use tamari instead of soy sauce, and check that your chicken broth is gluten-free.