Easy Orange Chicken
This easy orange chicken recipe is easy to make and delicious. The crispy chicken thighs are tossed with the most delicious sticky orange sauce. Topped with green onion, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, this dish is perfect any night of the week. Enjoy it with a side of rice for the ultimate homemade meal.
This post is sponsored by Smart Chicken. I was compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.
For this recipe, I used Smart Chicken’s boneless skinless chicken thighs. The thigh meat offers a lot of flavor and is super tender. If you’re new here, Smart Chicken is the reason I started eating meat again after 9 years.
Smart Chicken’s chickens are fed a high-quality diet, humanely handled, and never given antibiotics, hormones, or animal by-products. The result is the best product I’ve ever tried.
Ingredients Needed for Orange Chicken
Chicken Thighs – For this recipe, you will want to use Smart Chicken’s chicken thighs. The thigh meat offers more flavor for this type of recipe. Be sure to cut the thighs into bite sized pieces, season them with salt and pepper. Then, you will toss them with cornstarch before frying.
Cornstarch – You will dust the chicken in cornstarch salt and pepper before frying.
Oil – You will need vegetable oil or avocado oil for frying the chicken. Once the chicken is crispy and cooked through remove it from the pan. Wipe out any excess oil from the pan using a paper towel.
Orange Sauce – Whisk together orange juice, brown sugar, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, and cornstarch.
Rice – Enjoy this chicken over a bed of cooked rice. White, brown or basmati would all work great.
How to Make Homemade Orange Chicken
Grab a large mixing bowl, combine orange juice, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, light brown sugar, orange zest, and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined and set it aside.
Cube your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces using poultry scissors or a knife. Add the chicken to a bowl. Dust the chicken with salt, pepper and cornstarch. Toss until the chicken is well coated in the cornstarch and seasonings. Shake off any excess cornstarch.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan. Fry the chicken until crispy or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the crispy chicken from the pan and place it on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Carefully, use a paper towel to wipe out any excess oil from the pan. Next, add the chicken back into the same pan, and pour the orange sauce over it. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens to your liking. Serve hot over rice.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave. Looking for more chicken recipes?
Easy Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 1 lb. chicken thighs, cubed into bite sized pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, toss the chicken until well coated
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, for shallow frying chicken
Orange Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice, pulp free
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced small 1-2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon ginger, peel and mince small
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Rice
- 1 cup cooked rice
Equipment
- 1 saute pan
- 2 mixing bowls
Instructions
- Grab a large mixing bowl, combine orange juice, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, light brown sugar, orange zest, and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined and set it aside.
- Cube your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces using poultry scissors or a knife. Add the chicken to a mixing bowl. Dust the chicken with salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Toss until well coated. Shake off any excess cornstarch.
- Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Shallow fry the chicken until crispy or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the crispy chicken from the pan and place it on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Carefully, use a paper towel to soak up any excess oil from the pan. Next, add the crispy chicken back into the pan, and pour the orange sauce over it.
- Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens to your liking. Serve hot over cooked rice.
One Comment on “Easy Orange Chicken”
Just like what I get from my favorite take-out place and I had everything in my fridge or pantry already. I just wish I had more leftovers! Double this recipe, you won’t regret it.