Orange Chicken

If you just can't get enough of the beloved Panda Express dish, then my copycat recipe is a game-changer. Skip the drive-thru tonight—this homemade orange chicken is sweet, sour, and perfectly sticky enough to curb any takeout craving. Ready in under an hour with all of the same sweet and savory flavors you love, staying in for weeknight dinner has never been easier. Here’s everything you need to know:

What People Are Saying:
“I love this recipe ... the orange chicken turned out delicious and much appreciated by the family. Easy to make!” - pal8106

“Absolutely loved it. Will make it again and again” - OliveFan

How To Make Orange Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• Eggs & Flour: Before frying our chicken, we’re going to dredge the pieces in an egg then flour and cornstarch mixture. This will ensure our chicken has a crisp coating that stays on while frying.
• Cornstarch: You can, but your chicken won't be quite as crunchy. Cornstarch is all starch, which will give you extra crunch as well as a nice golden color. All the crispiest fried foods use cornstarch, and it's a great secret ingredient for taking your breading to the next level.
• Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts in our recipe, but you can also use chicken thighs if you prefer. Just remember that dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat, so I'd recommend upping the cook time by a few minutes.
• The Sauce: We’ll create our sticky-sweet orange sauce from a mixture of garlic, ginger, a pinch of red pepper flakes, orange juice, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
• White Rice: You can serve this chicken however you’d like, but I think it’s complete over a bowl of white rice.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, we’ll create our dredging station by beating eggs in one shallow bowl until blended, then mixing flour and cornstarch in another separate bowl, seasoned with salt and pepper. Coat each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, then toss in the flour mixture, making sure to coat well and tap off any excess.

Then, we can get to frying. In a large, deep skillet, add canola oil (choose an oil that can take to a high heat). Heat the oil until it shimmers—you can also tell the oil is ready to go when the chicken sizzles when added. Fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy, making sure to work in batches. Once done, place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.

While the chicken sets aside, we’ll make our sauce. In a separate medium saucepan, heat more oil, then add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Cook while stirring until the mixture is fragrant—this should only take a couple of minutes. Whisk in the orange juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a simmer.

While that’s simmering, whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Once combined, slowly whisk the mixture into the sauce as it simmers. Stir it occasionally until the sauce is syrupy and thick. This should take around 5 minutes, but keep going until it reaches your desired thickness.

Once done, transfer the fried chicken to a platter then add the sauce, tossing to combine. Top with scallions, and serve as you’d like (over rice is my choice).

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Orange Chicken Variations

Don't feel like dealing with frying? Turn to our air fryer orange chicken instead.

How To Serve Orange Chicken

Rice is a classic choice for this chicken, but on top of greens or noodles would also be great pairings. If you want to go the rice route but you're trying to cut carbs, try our cauliflower rice instead. Looking for sides? Crab rangoon, chow mein, and scallion pancakes would all be perfect alongside this dinner.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3-4 days.