This Orange Chicken recipe is easy to make and so delicious! It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and perfect for a family dinner.
You can make dinner at home faster than it would be to go get takeout! This easy orange chicken recipe is adaptable as well. Try adding diced carrots, sliced broccoli, or snow peas. Serve it over white rice, brown rice, or noodles.
In This Post
Orange Chicken Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- Chicken: Choose chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Soy Sauce: Tenderizes and adds flavor.
- Cornstarch: Coats the chicken so that it will get crispy.
- Water: Thins the marinade,
Orange Chicken Sauce
- Orange Juice: Use freshly squeezed if you can.
- Sugar: Dark brown sugar sweetens and adds flavor.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
- Flavoring: Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, orange zest, and sriracha sauce for flavor.
How To Make Orange Chicken
Step One: Marinate
Start by cutting 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts into chunks (about 1 – 1 1/2 cubes). Mix together soy sauce, cornstarch, and water.
Add the chicken and stir to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate for 5 minutes.
Step Two: Orange Sauce
While it is marinating, prepare the orange sauce so that it is ready when you need it later.
Whisk together orange juice, dark brown sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, orange zest, and optional sriracha sauce.
Step Three: Fry Chicken
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and carefully add it to the skillet.
Stir-fry the chicken, over medium-high heat, for 5-7 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Step Four: Add Sauce
Add the orange sauce to the chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.
Your kitchen should be smelling pretty amazing by now and your family will be coming into the kitchen asking what you are making!
Step Five: Garnish
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired, and serve the orange chicken over rice or noodles.
Tonia’s Notes
My daughter’s favorite Chinese take-out dishes are orange chicken and sesame chicken. After my Honey Sesame Chicken was such a huge success with my family, I decided to try making orange chicken next. But instead of making it in a crockpot, I made it in a skillet.
Everyone loved it and we ate the leftovers the next day. Vanessa said that she had never tasted orange chicken that actually tastes like oranges and that she really likes it! I love that the entire meal can be made in less than 30 minutes.
Similar Recipes
- Honey Garlic Chicken includes a sauce made with only four ingredients!
- Sesame Chicken is easy to make and is a family favorite!
- Cashew Chicken includes red bell peppers and crunchy cashews.
- General Tso Chicken is sweet and spicy!
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- sesame seeds and sliced green onions optional garnish
Marinade:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Orange Sauce:
- ¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce optional
Instructions
- First, cut 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts into pieces (about 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes). Mix together soy sauce, cornstarch, and water. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate for 5 minutes.
- While it is marinating, prepare the orange sauce so that it is ready when you need it later. Whisk together fresh squeezed orange juice, dark brown sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, orange zest, and optional sriracha sauce. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and carefully add it to the skillet. Stir-fry the chicken, over medium-high heat, for 5-7 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Add the orange sauce to the chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring often until the sauce has thickened.
- Top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired. Serve over rice or noodles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You can print the recipe where the sauce is made with orange juice concentrate here.
Serve it over white rice, fried rice, or noodles with cream cheese wontons and cooked broccoli on the side.
Whisk orange sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Boil while stirring until thickened. Use the orange chicken sauce to make stir fry or put it on chicken wings.
Scott Morison says
Orange Chicken is my favorite dish. I literally cook this item often.
But, I think cooking this item with air fryer will be more healthy.
I usually follow Air Fryer Orange Chicken Recipe.
Rosy says
Hi,
I made this tonight but my chicken also did not turn orange as your picture showed. Help!
Tonia Larson says
Hi Rosy,
I’m not sure why there is a difference in color. Did you add sriracha sauce? It is an optional ingredient. Other than that, the only thing I can think of it that it depends on what brand ingredients we each used because even in my video (which was shot 2 years after the photos in the post) the sauce is orange. But the most important thing is the taste of the orange chicken! If it’s good, it’s a win! Also, I’ve noticed that some recipes include a drop of red food coloring so you could try that to increase the orange color.
~Tonia