Orange chicken is a beloved staple of Chinese-American cuisine. A cousin of General Tso’s chicken and sweet and sour chicken, it is an ideal entry-level recipe for Chinese deep-frying, thanks to its accessible ingredients like orange juice.
Adjust the vinegar and sugar so the orange chicken perfectly suits your taste.
Not in the mood for orange? Try my delicious lemon chicken. The recipe is almost the same; only the sauce changes!
The main ingredients of orange chicken
Light soy sauce: This is the standard salty soy sauce sold in every supermarket. Do not confuse it with dark soy sauce, which I often use in other recipes. You can also enrich this simple sauce, as in my crispy orange beef recipe.
Tips for orange chicken
Avoid overcrowding the fryer, or the pieces will stick together. In my small Asian fryer, I cook only 6 to 8 pieces at a time.
To add some heat, stir in chili flakes. You can also drop whole chilies into the sauce – the choice is yours!
Serve immediately. My special batter is sturdy, but the tangy sauce will quickly soften the chicken fritters.
Use a cooking thermometer to keep the oil at the right temperature. If it is too hot, the outside of the chicken will burn before the inside cooks. If it is too cool, the chicken will soak up oil and become heavy and greasy (fat is life, but in moderation).
If you want leftovers, keep some of the crispy chicken separate from the sauce. Reheat the chicken and sauce on their own so the dish retains both flavor and texture.
For easy meal prep, freeze the chicken after the first fry, then reheat it in the fryer – just like frozen French fries.
You can use chicken breast if you prefer, but thigh meat delivers the best flavor.
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 170 g sugar
- 174 g rice vinegar
- 100 g light soy sauce
- 60 g water
- 100 g orange juice with pulp
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch + 1 of water for thickening
CHICKEN
- 400 g diced chicken
- 1 portion my universal batter
Procédé
- In a bowl, combine the breadcrumb ingredients and then coat the chicken
- Deep-fry once at 160 °C until lightly golden, then fry a second time at 180 °C until nicely browned
- In a saucepan over high heat, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil (except the cornstarch/water), then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes
- Add the water/cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened
- Toss the chicken in the sauce
