Easy Orange Chicken Recipe in 20 Minutes
This Easy Orange Chicken Recipe is a perfect homemade alternative to takeout with a delicious Panda Express style orange chicken homemade sauce. It’s healthy, quick, and can be made without frying, fitting your busy lifestyle perfectly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Standard
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 whole boneless chicken thighs or 2 lbs. of chicken tenderloins
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- 1 tsp. black pepper or less to taste fresh ground
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. ginger powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. paprika to add color to the chicken
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- 1½ tbsp. corn starch
- 2 tbsps. vegetable oil
- 3 tbsps. low sodium soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp. rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 tbsps. brown sugar
- ½ tbsp. grated ginger
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ½ tsp. black pepper fresh ground
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- Chili flakes optional to add heat
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into small ½ inch cubes then coat evenly with flour, corn starch, salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and ginger powder.
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces until they turn golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, taking care not to overcook them.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour into a hot nonstick skillet set to low heat, simmer the mixture until it thickens up nicely.
- Add the fried chicken to the sauce, stir to coat all pieces well and cook together for another 1 to 2 minutes before removing from the heat.
- Serve the orange chicken with options like homemade Lo Mein noodles or white rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions if desired.
Notes
- Use a large non-stick pan/skillet or wok
- Opt for skinless boneless chicken tenderloins if you prefer over thighs
- Cut chicken into evenly sized pieces to ensure uniform cooking
- Adjust orange zest quantity for milder sauce flavor
- You can save extra sauce for rice or double sauce ingredients for more sauce
- Ensure your skillet is properly heated when cooking
- Store bought orange juice may be used but do not skip the orange zest
- To simplify, cook frozen popcorn chicken instead of cutting raw chicken
Nutrition
- Calories: 567kcal
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 745mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 166mg
Find it online: https://www.amgroyal.com/easy-orange-chicken-recipe/