Description
This easy orange chicken recipe delivers a quick and delicious meal in just 20 minutes. Enjoy a panda express style orange chicken homemade sauce that’s perfect for a healthy baked orange chicken air fryer version or a 20 minute orange chicken skillet takeout copycat. It’s a flavorful and convenient dinner option.
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 ½ inch cubes and place them in a bowl. Toss the chicken pieces with flour, corn starch, salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and ginger powder until coated evenly.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the coated chicken in batches until they turn golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Avoid overcooking to keep the chicken tender.
- While frying the chicken, combine all the orange chicken sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a hot non-stick skillet and cook on low heat, letting it simmer gently until it thickens.
- Add the fried chicken pieces into the sauce and stir to coat thoroughly. Let them simmer together for another 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors, then remove from heat.
- Serve your orange chicken with white rice or homemade Lo Mein noodles. Optionally garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions for extra flavor.
Notes
- Use a large non-stick pan or wok
- Choose skinless boneless chicken tenderloins instead of thighs if preferred
- Cut chicken into evenly sized bite pieces for uniform cooking
- Adjust orange zest for a milder sauce flavor as desired
- Save extra sauce for rice or double ingredients for a saucier dish
- Ensure skillet is hot before cooking chicken
- Store-bought orange juice can be used but do not skip the fresh orange zest
- For a quicker version, cook frozen popcorn chicken instead of raw chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 567kcal
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 745mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 166mg