Homemade Orange Chicken

Crunchy, sweet and satisfying, Orange Chicken is a classic Chinese American dish. You can find it at practically any takeout restaurant in America. But it's also easy to make at home! It cooks in about the time it would take delivery to arrive. If you haven't made your own orange chicken, this recipe will make it easy. You can save a little money, use the ingredients that you want, and adjust the sweetness and flavor of the sauce to your taste.

What is Orange Chicken sauce made of?

Traditionally, Orange Chicken sauce contains orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, stock, and corn starch. The corn starch acts as a thickener. Many recipes use sugar and call for other flavorings, such as chile peppers, toasted sesame oil, garlic, or rice vinegar. We tried to keep our version easy and delicious, without too many ingredients.

What's the difference between Orange Chicken and General Tso's Chicken?

The dishes are similar! Both call for breaded and sautéed or fried chicken in a tasty sauce, served over rice.

Orange Chicken sauce uses orange, of course. General Tso's chicken typically has a spicier sauce. It omits any orange, but has soy, ginger, vinegar, stock, corn starch, and other common spices. It also uses hoisin sauce—a jarred condiment made from soybeans and spices.

What kind of chicken is best for Orange Chicken?

Any cubed chicken meat will work in an Orange Chicken recipe. Many sites will call for breast meat, which is a popular and easy choice. But in our testing we found that breast meat, which is leaner and cooks faster, ended up too dry and chewy. Instead we recommend using boneless chicken thighs, which can handle high temperatures better, and stay tender and delicious when stir-fried.