10 Recipes

Orange Chicken Recipes

Panda-Express-style crispy orange chicken and lighter homemade takes the Pepper community fries, air-fries, and stir-fries when the takeout craving hits.

Contributors
Tineke Younger
Cheyenne Bailey
Caitlin Harman
+7

Dinner

Orange ChickenDinner

Orange Chicken

30 min620 cal35 g proteinServes 53,386 saves
Tineke YoungerTineke Younger

Ingredients

  • For Chicken
  • 2.5lbs Boneless Chicken Thighs
  • 2 tsp Ground ginger (Divided in two)
  • 2 tsp Onion powder (divided in two)
  • 2 tsp Garlic powder (divided in two)
  • 2 tsp Salt (divided into two)
  • 2 tsp Pepper (divided in two)
  • 1 cup Corn starch
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • Splash of fresh orange juice
  • Orange Chicken Sauce
  • Juice of 2 oranges
  • 1 tsp Orange zest
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Fresh grated ginger
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Corn starch
  • 2 tbsp Water
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

  1. 1Cut your chicken into bite size cubes. In a bowl combine flour, cornstarch, half of your salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger (1tsp) and mix together. In another bowl whisk together eggs, splash of orange juice, and the remaining half of your seasonings.
  2. 2Heat oil for frying to 350 degrees. Place chicken in egg mixture, the coat in flour and cornstarch mixture. Fry until golden brown, cut a piece of chicken open to make sure it’s fully cooked. About 5-7 minutes
  3. 3Whole chicken is frying make your sauce. Add everything in a pot but the cornstarch and water. Cook on a medium high heat until a soft boil, mixing to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, in a separate cup add the water and cornstarch (Slurry) and mix. You’re going to slowly pour the slurry into the mixture while whisking, pour half first. The sauce should be a syrup thick consistency so you may not need all of the slurry, add little at a time.
  4. 4Once the sauce and chicken are done cooking, place chicken in a bowl and pour sauce over chicken. Mixing until the sauce covers all the chicken.

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Why Orange Chicken Beats Any Takeout Container

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, a splash of rice vinegar, and a spoon of brown sugar — the homemade sauce runs circles around the sticky-sweet stuff that ships in a plastic tub.

Cooks on Pepper double-fry the chicken or use the air fryer to hold that shattery crust after the sauce goes on — the single-fry version turns soggy in five minutes.

The recipes here are the community's favorites for scratching the Panda Express itch on a Tuesday, minus the drive-thru line.

Quick Tips

  1. 1

    Fresh orange juice only

    Bottled OJ tastes flat — one fresh orange gives brighter zing than a whole cup of the carton stuff.

  2. 2

    Double-dredge for crunch

    Flour, egg, flour again — the second coat is why restaurant orange chicken shatters.

  3. 3

    Sauce off the heat

    Toss the crispy chicken in warm sauce off the burner — high heat turns the sugar bitter fast.

  4. 4

    Garnish with zest

    A little orange zest on the finished dish doubles the citrus perception without adding sweetness.

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