Name: Chinese Orange Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese/American
Ingredients: Zest of 2 oranges; 1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces; 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour; ½ cup cornflour (corn starch); 1 tsp salt; 125ml ( ½ cup) water; 75ml (1/3 cup) Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry; 1 egg; 6 spring onions (scallions); Rapeseed (canola) oil for deep frying; FOR THE SAUCE; 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or peanut oil; 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped; 4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped; 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes (optional); 70ml (1/4 cup) orange juice; 70ml (1/4 cup) distilled white vinegar; 70ml (1/4 cup) water or unsalted chicken stock plus 2 tbsp; 2 – 3 tbsp light soy sauce, to taste; ½ cup sugar; 1 tsp MSG (optional); 2 tbsp cornflour (corn starch); 2 tbsp sesame oil

Jump to Recipe

Chinese orange chicken just plain gets it! Try this recipe today!

When I lived in California, Chinese orange chicken was one of my favourite Chinese/American dishes at our local Chinese takeaway. It’s one I learned to prepare as a kid and continued making it right through my university days. However, it’s also a dish that I forgot about for a very long time until I recently saw a recipe for it on my friend Kevin O’Leary’s blog SilkRoadRecipes.

I decided it was time to make it again and this recipe is the result. It’s pretty much Kevin’s recipe but with a couple of small changes. Kevin O’Leary writes two outstanding blogs, Kevin is Cooking and Silk Road Recipes. If you’re looking for inspiration in the kitchen, you should really check both of his food blogs out!

What is Chinese orange chicken?

Chinese orange chicken is a hugely popular Chinese/American dish known for its sweet, tangy and midly spicy orange flavoured sauce and crispy battered chicken.

It is now quite popular in other places around the world so there is a good chance you will know why I love it so much. Chinese orange chicken can be prepared in less than 30 minutes and is delicious served simply over jasmin rice or egg fried rice.

Is Chinese orange chicken an authentic Chinese recipe?

No. Although Chinese orange chicken isn’t a dish you are likely to find in China, you are very likely to see it on most Chinese restaurants in the US.

Chinese/American dishes are prepared with the American palate in mind. You will usually find more meat in these dishes and they are often sweeter. Although not considered to be authentic, American/Chinese dishes were developed over time by Chinese immegrants and their descendants, so they really are Chinese and very good Chinese at that.

Getting this recipe right

Your Chinese orange chicken needs to be sweet, tangy and just a bit spicy. These flavours can easily be adjusted to taste. So be sure to taste it before serving!

You can make the sauce sweeter by adding more sugar. For a tangier flavour, stir in more vinegar. You can make it saltier by adding a dash more soy sauce or salt.

Do you have to use the MSG in the recipe?

Absolutely not. In fact, Kevin’s recipe that inspired me to make this Chinese orange chicken does not include MSG. It is optional.

I like to use it as it does an amazing job at enhancing the flavour. If you would like a bit more information about MSG, I have written an information page here. Feel free to google it for more information though.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

This is a recipe that is best eaten when the chicken is hot and crispy. If you do have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for at least three days. Then just heat them back up in a wok or in your microwave. Your Chinese chicken leftovers will still be amazing!

Step by step photographs

Get your ingredients together before starting. It’s a lot easier that way.

Place the ingredients for the batter in a mixing bowl.

Whisk it all until smooth. It should be thick like an American pancake batter. Don’t forget the orange zest.

Place the chicken in the batter. It can marinate overnight like this if time permits.

Heat the oil to 190C/375F. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, you can place a wooden chopstick in it. The oil is ready when thousands of bubbles form around it on contact.

Fry the chicken in batches for about 5 minutes per batch or until golden brown.

Discard all but about 2 tbsp of the cooking oil. Then fry up the garlic, ginger, spring onions (scallions) and dried chilli flakes.

Adding the sauce ingredients and the slurry.

Add the sauce ingredients to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Then pour in the slurry. This will thicken the sauce and give it a glossy appearance.

Add the chicken and orange wedges to the sauce to coat. Serve immediately while the chicken is still crispy.

Enjoy!

Yield: 4 - 6