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Orange Chicken - Better Than Take Out!

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Close-up of homemade orange chicken in a white bowl, topped with fresh chopped green onions. The chicken is golden brown, coated in a glossy orange sauce, and labeled 'Better Than Takeout' at the top of the image

Orange Chicken is one of those take out dishes that I will order from any Chinese Food restaurant - anywhere. I know it will always be good and with such a specific taste, there isn't much room for them to "mess it up." The comfort feeling this dish brings is what makes it a Chinese-American dish.


I learned to make this dish while working as a chef at a busy Downtown Boston Hotel. Fresh fruit was available as a complimentary side with all breakfasts. Bananas and apples were always a huge hit, perhaps because they were easier to eat on the go. To reduce food waste, I decided to learn this recipe to incorporate these oranges into my daily complimentary staff meal. It just so happened 90% of our housekeeping staff were immigrants from China - they took turns popping into the kitchen to teach me various techniques with my limited equipment!


Close up of fried chicken bites cooling on a wire rack. Vibrant and fresh orange slices in the foreground, a main ingredient for better than take out orange chicken chinese food

Ingredients for Orange Chicken

  1. Oranges

    • Tell me you were todays years old learning there was actual oranges in the famous Orange Chicken dish?! I've tried this recipe with all sorts of varieties including the little Cuties - they all work great. Don't have any oranges? Orange juice will work just fine!

  2. Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce

    • These two are a must have in many of my Chinese inspired dishes. At home, my pantry space is small, so I cant possibly store every ingredient ever. Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce have an incredibly long shelf life due to the amount of salt in them so I highly recommend keeping these two, if any at all.

  3. Garlic and Ginger

    • You'll get the most out of these flavors if grated from fresh produce - this micro-planer came in handy for these small pieces to grate. Garlic powder and Ground Ginger work just fine too! As a general rule of thumb, 1/4 tsp of the powder will equal one garlic clove.. same amount for the ginger in this recipe!

  4. Oil

    • You'll want an oil that is best for frying. This means it is able to get hotter than other oils with out burning.. Oils with high smoke points are peanut oil, avocado oil, and vegetable oil. I use lard or tallow when it is available to me.

  5. Cornstarch

    • I could not replicate that unique crunch Chinese Takeout Food has. I'm certain it was this that caused my coworkers to collectively agree to start sneaking into my kitchen and teach me how to cook Chinese food! Flour and Egg coating works in a pinch, but it was the cornstarch I was missing to create that uniquely addicting crunch that Chinese Take Out has.


Close-up of homemade orange chicken in a white bowl, topped with fresh chopped green onions. The chicken is golden brown, coated in a sticky orange sauce

Orange Chicken Pairings

If this is your first time making orange chicken, I highly recommend doubling down on the sauce and enjoying with a plain bowl of white rice. Once you get comfortable with the frying, it will go much faster - I promise! Orange chicken pairs well with steamed veggies, like carrots and broccoli. I can't go with out fried wontons when I have this dish - you can find them in the freezer isle!


Close-up of homemade orange chicken in a white bowl, topped with fresh chopped green onions. The chicken is golden brown, coated in a sticky orange sauce.

How Long Does Orange Chicken Last in the Fridge?

These are all the ways I've experimented with left overs of this recipe

  1. Making Extra Orange Chicken On Purpose

    • Hold off on saucing the chicken. Store the fried chicken and sauce separately. This will allow you to air fry the chicken bites again to get their crisp back. The chicken and sauce will keep for about 5-7 days in the fridge this way.

  2. Accidental Left Overs

    • If the chicken is already sauced, I find it keeps for about 2-3 days in the fridge. You'll lose the crunch but the flavor is still popping. I like to enjoy cold orange chicken bites on salad the next day.

  3. Save The Sauce

    • I must admit, I quadruple this sauce recipe! Freezing this sauce comes in handy when your eating the kids' left over chicken nuggets all week. I use these soup freezer molds to freeze sauces in portions. Simply reheat in the microwave to enjoy again!

 

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Orange Chicken Recipe





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Joanne
Joanne
19 hours ago

This sounds delicious! My husband loves orange chicken.

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