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Spicy and Crispy Orange Chicken

Our spicy & crispy Chinese orange chicken ticks all the boxes for us! The sauce is the star of the dish, and it's perfectly sticky, sweet and citrus-y. We love to eat it with a steaming bowl of white rice, the perfect level of comfort made right at home. Easier than takeout!
Course dinner, lunch, supper
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword chinese, crispy fried chicken, orange chicken, spicy
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2 people
Calories 481kcal

Ingredients

Crispy Chicken

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • oil for frying

Orange Sauce

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp orange zest grated
  • 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar or depending on sweetness of orange juice
  • 1/2 tbsp sambal oelek or chilli sauce of your choice
  • 7 tbsp water
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch for cornstarch slurry
  • 2 tbsp water for cornstarch slurry
  • green onions chopped, for topping

Instructions

Crispy Chicken

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the cubed chicken thighs, eggs, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.
  • Whisk together the all-purpose flour and the rest of the cornstarch and add them into the bowl marinated chicken. Combine well. Chicken pieces should be covered with sticky batter. 
  • Fill a deep frying pan up to about 1 inch deep with canola oil and heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry for about 2-3 minutes and remove from oil. Place chicken on drying rack for about 5 minutes. Fry the chicken another time on high heat for another 2 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from oil and let cool on a drying rack.

Orange Sauce

  • To make the sauce mixture, in a mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sambal oelek chilli sauce, 7 tbsp of water, and garlic until well mixed and the brown sugar is well dissolved.
  • To make the cornstarch slurry, combine 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl and mix well until there are no more lumps in the mixture. Set aside.
  • Pour sauce mixture into a pan and heat over medium high heat. Once the sauce boils, add the cornstarch slurry while stirring the sauce continuously, making sure to break any lumps that may form. Let sauce come back to a boil and thicken, and remove from heat. If the sauce becomes too thick, add one tablespoon of water at a time to thin the sauce until you reach the desired consistency.

To assemble dish

  • Place fried chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl, and pour the orange sauce over the chicken. Toss until every piece of fried chicken is coated with the sauce and top with chopped green onions.

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 1504mg | Potassium: 552mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg