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Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe

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This Orange Chicken recipe offers a deliciously crispy chicken coated in a tangy, sweet, and slightly savory orange sauce. Perfectly balanced flavors of fresh orange juice, zest, garlic, and ginger come together with a crunchy batter fried to golden perfection. Serve it over fluffy boiled rice for a complete and satisfying meal that your family will love.

  • Author: Chef
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Frying
  • Cuisine: Chinese-inspired

Ingredients

For the Batter and Chicken

  • 90 g (3/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/4 tsp garlic salt
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 90 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) cold water
  • 8 chicken thigh fillets (skinless and boneless), chopped into bite-size chunks
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil (for frying)

For the Orange Sauce

  • Juice of 2 large oranges
  • Zest of half an orange
  • 6 tbsp caster sugar (or superfine sugar)
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to form a slurry (optional)

To Serve

  • Boiled rice
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, egg, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and cold water until smooth. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken; add a little extra water if it’s too thick.
  2. Coat the chicken: Place the chopped chicken thighs in a separate bowl, sprinkle with cornflour, and toss to evenly coat the pieces.
  3. Combine chicken and batter: Add the coated chicken pieces into the batter and mix thoroughly so each piece is well covered.
  4. Heat the oil: Add vegetable oil to a wok or large frying pan and heat over medium-high until hot and shimmering.
  5. Make the orange sauce: While the oil heats, mix together orange juice, orange zest, sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar in a medium bowl; set aside.
  6. Fry the chicken: Fry the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding, cooking each piece for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown and cooked through. Drain cooked chicken on kitchen paper-lined bowl.
  7. Maintain oil temperature: Add more oil if necessary for subsequent batches, keeping the temperature high to keep the oil hot and bubbling.
  8. Cook the sauce: Discard excess oil from the pan, reduce heat to medium, pour in the orange sauce mixture, bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
  9. Thicken the sauce (optional): Slowly add the cornflour slurry to the sauce while stirring to achieve a thicker consistency as desired.
  10. Combine chicken and sauce: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and gently toss using a spatula to coat each piece evenly with the orange sauce.
  11. Serve: Plate the sauced chicken over boiled rice and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Notes

  • For crispiest chicken, do not overcrowd the pan when frying; cook in small batches.
  • The optional cornflour slurry helps to thicken the sauce if a richer coating is preferred.
  • Using chicken thigh fillets keeps the meat juicy and flavorful.
  • If you want a less sweet sauce, reduce the amount of sugar slightly.
  • Serve immediately for best texture as the coating can become soggy when left too long in the sauce.

Find it online: https://cheftinaskitchen.com/crispy-orange-chicken-recipe/