Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken

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Believe it or not, I have not eaten that much Chinese or Chinese-American food throughout my whole life. I can count on my fingers the amount of times that I’ve willingly went to Panda Express (that’s not a diss though).

That being said, each and every time I DO end up going to a Chinese restaurant, nothing but straight peak has been given to me, and my favorite dish would most likely have to be orange chicken.

After multiple attempts, and thousands of calories, this is by far my best revision of the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!

How to Make Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken Recipe:

Chicken:

• 1 Chicken Breast (sliced into cubes)
• 1/4 cup Corn/Potato starch
• Lemon Juice (or any acid and just enough to tenderize the chicken and coat them in it)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Batter:

• 1 Egg
• 1 /4 cup Corn/Potato starch
• Salt
• Pepper

Orange Sauce:

• 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
• Chicken bouillon (optional but HEAVILY recommended)
• Orange Zest
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1-2 tsp Light Soy Sauce (optional)
• 1-2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (optional)
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Minced Ginger
• 1 Tbsp Honey (optional)
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (optional)
• 1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional, but REALLY REALLY REALLY recommended)
• 1-2 Tbsp of neutral oil (I personally use vegetable)
• 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar (optional)

Tips:

• If you don’t have a lot of the things on this list like cooking wine or dark/light soy sauce, that’s completely fine. However, having all of these makes it genuinely taste like authentic orange chicken and all the components sing in harmony.

• Use the chili garlic sauce in moderation. This sauce highlights the dish in a way that’s indescribable, but too much of something isn’t always a good thing. While it wont taste bad by any means, it just will start to mask the orange taste in orange chicken and ESPECIALLY if you don’t use orange zest.

• Chicken bouillon also elevates this dish, but there is a catch. At it’s core, chicken bouillon is just concentrated and dehydrated chicken stock that’s salty with an umami flavor. In a lot of store bought chicken bouillons…
  Chicken Bouillon = Salt + MSG + Dehydrated Chicken Stock
  
  Since we’re already adding light and dark soy sauce to the orange sauce, be very careful when adding chicken bouillon, as that salt content adds up quickly. In addition, you wouldn’t have to add MSG unless it’s an MSGless chicken bouillon.
  
• When tenderizing the chicken you can do longer than 30 minutes, but don’t do too long (at most 2 hours in my opinion). The acidic nature of the lemon juice will start to break down the chicken and it’ll turn all mushy.

• If you’re debating whether to get cornstarch or potato starch, potato starch is generally better taste wise and through my experiments, but as a wise man once said:
  

Lets be for real, do whatever is cheaper lol

Steps:

Chicken Tenderization:

• Step 1: Lightly pat the chicken breast and slice them into equal servings of chicken cubes
• Step 2: In a bowl, salt and pepper your chicken and give it a good mix
• Step 3: Put in an appropriate amount of cornstarch to where it’s just enough to coat the chicken in it.
• Step 4: Add in just enough lemon juice to where it fully absorbs into the coating and the chicken, but not enough to where it’s drowning in it.
• Step 5: Cover the chicken and place it in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Batter and Frying

• Step 1: In a bowl, crack 1 egg and enough cornstarch form a batter. It should coat the chicken lightly, but not be runny or overly thick with clumps. It’s best to add in the cornstarch in bits first to avoid the latter.
• Step 2: Add your tenderized chicken to the batter and mix until each piece is well coated.
• Step 3: The heating is crucial, so I have two methods of cooking this
  • If using a Wok: Get your wok to medium-high heat and then add in your chicken in batches. Avoid overcrowding and make sure the chicken pieces don’t stick to each other
  • If using a deep fryer: Preheat to 350-375°F and fry in batches and as above, cook until golden and cooked through.
• Step 4: Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl or plate with paper towels and let them rest for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
  • Optional: Use this time to skim out any loose batter bits from the oil
• Step 5 (Double Frying): Crank the heat to high (or 400°F if using a deep fryer) and refry them again for 1-2 minutes until ultra-crispy. This step is MUCH quicker than the first
• Step 6: Remove the chicken and drain them well on paper towels or a rack.

Orange Sauce (without a doubt the best part):

• Step 1: Place a pan on top and set the stove to medium heat
• Step 2: Once the pan gets hot, add in your oil, minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry around and cook until fragrant.
• Step 3: Add in your orange juice and stir around for around 30 seconds or until you smell a faint aroma.
• Step 4: Add in your Shaoxing and rice wine vinegar along with your light and dark soy sauce. Cook for around a minute.
• Step 5: Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Add in your chili sauce, salt and pepper to taste, chicken bouillon, and orange zest. After a couple minutes, add in brown sugar and honey and stir until well incorporated.
• Step 6 (Thickening The Sauce): In a small bowl, add in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with equal parts water and mix (it should look like cloudy water, this is called a “slurry”). Slowly add in the slurry in portions to the sauce to thicken it up. It should be noticeably thicker, but not in clumps.
• Step 7: Once the sauce has thickened, add in your chicken and make sure every piece is coated in the sauce. Garnish with whatever toppings you prefer, and enjoy!

Cravings & Comfort Recipe

Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken

Homemade orange chicken pieces coated in glossy orange sauce, topped with sesame seeds and sliced green onions in a gray bowl

Prep Time30 min

Cook Time25 min

Total Time50 min – 1 hour

Servings1 serving, 8 – 10 pieces

Calories600 – 800

CuisineChinese-American

Print Recipe Grocery List

Ingredients

US Customary — Metric

Chicken

• 1 Chicken Breast (sliced into cubes)
• 1/4 cup Corn/Potato starch (as much as you need for tenderizing, but honestly it would be less than 1/4 a cup most of the time)
• Lemon Juice (or any acid and just enough to tenderize the chicken and coat them in it)
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Batter

• 1 Egg
• 1 /4 cup Corn/Potato starch
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Orange Sauce

• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon (optional but HEAVILY recommended)
• Orange Zest
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1-2 tsp Light Soy Sauce (optional)
• 1-2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp Minced Ginger
• 1 tbsp Honey (optional)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (optional)
• 1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional, but REALLY REALLY REALLY recommended)
• 1-2 Tbsp of neutral oil (I personally use vegetable)
• 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar (optional)

Instructions

Chicken Tenderization

1. Lightly pat the chicken breast and slice them into equal servings of chicken cubes
2. In a bowl, salt and pepper your chicken and give it a good mix
3. Put in an appropriate amount of cornstarch to where it's just enough to coat the chicken in it.
4. Add in just enough lemon juice to where it fully absorbs into the coating and the chicken, but not enough to where it's drowning in it.
5. Cover the chicken and place it in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. Batter and Frying
7. In a bowl, crack 1 egg and enough cornstarch form a batter. It should coat the chicken lightly, but not be runny or overly thick with clumps. It's best to add in the cornstarch in bits first to avoid the latter.
8. Add your tenderized chicken to the batter and mix until each piece is well coated.
9. The heating is crucial, so I have two methods of cooking this:
10. *If using a Wok: Get your wok to medium-high heat and then add in your chicken in batches. Avoid overcrowding and make sure the chicken pieces don't stick to each other
11. *If using a deep fryer: Preheat to 350-375°F and fry in batches and as above, cook until golden and cooked through.
12. Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl or plate with paper towels and let them rest for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
13. *Optional: Use this time to skim out any loose batter bits from the oil
14. Step 5 (Double Frying): Crank the heat to high (or 400°F if using a deep fryer) and refry them again for 1-2 minutes until ultra-crispy. This step is MUCH quicker than the first
15. Remove the chicken and drain them well on paper towels or a rack.

Orange Sauce (without a doubt the best part)

1. Place a pan on top and set the stove to medium heat
2. Once the pan gets hot, add in your oil, minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry around and cook until fragrant.
3. Add in your orange juice and stir around for around 30 seconds or until you smell a faint aroma.
4. Add in your Shaoxing and rice wine vinegar along with your light and dark soy sauce. Cook for around a minute.
5. Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Add in your chili sauce, salt and pepper to taste, chicken bouillon, and orange zest. After a couple minutes, add in brown sugar and honey and stir until well incorporated.
6. Step 6 (Thickening The Sauce): In a small bowl, add in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with equal parts water and mix (it should look like cloudy water, this is called a "slurry"). Slowly add in the slurry in portions to the sauce to thicken it up. It should be noticeably thicker, but not in clumps.
7. Once the sauce has thickened, add in your chicken and make sure every piece is coated in the sauce. Garnish with whatever toppings you prefer, and enjoy!

Notes

• If you don't have a lot of the things on this list like cooking wine or dark/light soy sauce, that's completely fine. However, having all of these makes it genuinely taste like authentic orange chicken and all the components sing in harmony.
• Use the chili garlic sauce in moderation. This sauce highlights the dish in a way that's indescribable, but too much of something isn't always a good thing. While it wont taste bad by any means, it just will start to mask the orange taste in orange chicken and ESPECIALLY if you don't use orange zest.
• Chicken bouillon also elevates this dish, but there is a catch. At it's core, chicken bouillon is just concentrated and dehydrated chicken stock that's salty with an umami flavor. In a lot of store bought chicken bouillons…
• Chicken Bouillon = Salt + MSG + Dehydrated Chicken Stock
• Since we're already adding light and dark soy sauce to the orange sauce, be very careful when adding chicken bouillon, as that salt content adds up quickly. In addition, you wouldn't have to add MSG unless it's an MSGless chicken bouillon.
• When tenderizing the chicken you can do longer than 30 minutes, but don't do too long (at most 2 hours in my opinion). The acidic nature of the lemon juice will start to break down the chicken and it'll turn all mushy.
• If you're debating whether to get cornstarch or potato starch, potato starch is generally better taste wise and through my experiments, but as a wise man once said:
• *Lets be for real, do whatever is cheaper lol

Quick Measurement Converter

Choose an ingredient when density matters. Unknown ingredients are converted by volume instead of guessed by weight.

Amount US unitCupTablespoonTeaspoonFluid ounceOunce (weight)Pound IngredientWaterFlourGranulated sugarPacked brown sugarPowdered sugarButterOilMilkButtermilkHeavy creamHalf & halfLight creamOther / volume only

Metric result240 mL

Cooking conversions are approximate; flour and packed ingredients can vary by brand and measuring technique.

Cravings & Comfort

Nutrition estimate

Calories700 – 800 caloriesper serving

Serving1 serving, 8 – 12 pieces.

Protein30 – 40 grams

Carbs40 – 50 grams

Fat25 – 30 grams

Calories are an estimate and can change based on brands, serving size, toppings, sauce amount, and oil absorption.

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