We love making fake-out take-out at home! Some of our favorites include Better Than Take Out Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork, Easy Honey Walnut Shrimp, Easy, Classic Chinese Beef with Broccoli, and Easy Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry! They’re all so easy and ready in 30 minutes or less! My family is obsessed with Panda Express, and specifically their orange chicken. It’s always at the top of the list when I ask what everybody wants for dinner when I’m not planning to cook. But I have to confess that it’s not my favorite, even though my husband and kids enjoy it. Too often the pieces of chicken seem like all breading and very little meat or the texture is off or the sauce ratio is wrong…. I’m sorry, but it’s just not my thing. Now, making it at home from scratch on the other hand? Now that’s some orange chicken I can get behind.
Fake-Out Take-Out at Home
Asian food is some of the easiest and most flavorful food that I enjoy making at home and I almost always prefer it over the restaurant versions. Generally, everything comes together in about 30 minutes, and you can easily load it with whatever veggies you have on hand, ensuring a healthy and really tasty meal for your family. The flavor of this Orange Chicken sauce is absolutely mouthwatering! It mixes sweetness from the sugar, with saltiness from the soy sauce, richness comes in the form of sesame oil, a kick of spice is brought by the ginger, pepper, and chili flakes, and to top it off, it packs a tangy, zesty punch from the orange and vinegar. Salt, fat, acid, heat? I think we nailed it! Although this Orange Chicken recipe does have sugar and is lightly fried, it is still much healthier than take out! Frying this way actually absorbs less oil than you would think and it skips out on added ingredients which aren’t great for you and you really don’t need it. Overall, there is less sugar, less salt, and less oil, and more fresh, healthy nutrition from the chicken and real oranges in my copycat version.
Orange Chicken Ingredients
Chicken breasts: I cut them into 1/2-inch pieces – bite-sized! This makes it easier for kids to chew, without making the pieces so small that it’s mostly the batter and less chicken. Large eggs: Eggs help the flour and cornstarch to stick to the chicken. Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the secret to extra crispy chicken! It really helps to add that crunch we love! Flour: One of the main parts of the batter! There is less flour than cornstarch, but the flour helps to bulk up the batter coating. Seasoning: I added salt, onion powder, ginger powder, and black pepper to give the chicken pieces flavor. The added ginger really helps to give it more of an Asian flavor, rather than regular chicken nuggets.
Oranges: Both orange juice and orange zest are used in my recipe. You can use homemade or store-bought orange juice. Leaving the zest out of this recipe will make it taste closer to the Panda Express version, but I love how it tastes with it added in! Sugar: I used granulated white sugar to add extra sweetness. This helps to bring out the zesty orange flavor! Cornstarch: This is the ingredient that will thicken up the sauce. Vinegar: You can use either rice vinegar or white vinegar. Rice vinegar has a little more going on than white vinegar, but the important part is having the tartness in there to cut through the sugar. Soy sauce: Using soy sauce instead of salt not only adds saltiness but also flavor! It is a key ingredient in Chinese cooking. Sesame oil: Sesame oil is one of the best-tasting oils out there! It has a rich, nutty taste, and goes perfectly in stir-frys and other Asian sauces like this Orange Chicken. Ginger & red chili flakes: Here’s where the hint of heat comes in! Ginger also packs a powerful umami. Feel free to add a little more of either for extra heat and taste! Garlic: More flavor? Yes please! Garlic is absolutely essential in so many Chinese recipes, and you can really tell if it’s not there!
How to Make Orange Chicken
- Whip up the sauce. Whisk the orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic, and red chili flakes together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Fry. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Work in batches to cook the chicken, being careful not to crowd the pan which will cause the oil temperature to drop significantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turning frequently until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked through. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to drain and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Drain, sauté, and heat. Drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving only about 1 tablespoon in the bottom. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then pour in the sauce mixture. Heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.
- Put it all together. Toss the cooked chicken pieces with the orange sauce. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and orange zest, then serve with rice or noodles.
What kind of orange juice should I use?
You can use either store-bought or homemade if you have a juicer! If you’re using a store-bought version, make sure it’s pulp-free, or at least less pulp. At home, both manual and electric juicers will do the job well!
Can I add in extra vegetables?
Yes! I would add them in right after the garlic and before adding the sauce. You’ll want to stir-fry them for a few minutes just to soften them up a little. Here are some great vegetables to add into stir-frys:
Onions (white, yellow, red) Bell Peppers (any color) Carrots Broccoli Baby Corn Water Chestnuts Bamboo Shoots Sugar Snap Peas/Snow Peas Mushrooms Bean Sprouts
You could also try adding in nuts like cashews or peanuts.
What should I serve this orange chicken with?
Plain White rice, brown rice, or wild rice Fried Rice Brazilian Rice Garlic Rice with Fried Egg (with or without the egg)
Cauliflower Rice Fried Cauliflower Rice Oven Roasted Broccoli Easy Oven Roasted Cauliflower Tender Roasted Green Beans Oven Roasted Asparagus
Zucchini Salad Chopped Kale Salad
Storage and freezing
Orange chicken stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it thoroughly on the stove or in the oven before consuming.
More Copycat recipes you will love:
Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls Sweet & Sticky Copycat J Dawg’s Hot Dog Sauce Copycat Costco Mac & Cheese Cafe Rio Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice Copycat Waffle Love Liege Waffles Cast Iron Pan Pizza (Copycat Pizza Hut) Better-Than-Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
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