The Mabnol

Orange chicken is a popular entree at many Chinese restaurants, like Panda Express. If you’re not in the mood to leave your home, treat yourself to some homemade orange chicken instead! While the chicken needs to marinate for 2 hours, the actual preparation and cooking process only takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.^[1]

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Orange Sauce

of water
of orange juice
of lemon juice
of white rice vinegar
of soy sauce
1 tbsp (6 g) of orange peel, raw
1 cup (200 g) of brown sugar
½ tsp (1 g) of raw ginger root
½ tsp (1.64 g) of raw garlic
2 tbsp (13 g) of spring onions or scallions
¼ tsp (0.45 g) of dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp (22.5 g) of cornstarch
of water

[Edit]Breading

2 skinless chicken breasts
1 cup (120 g) of all-purpose wheat flour, bleached
¼ tsp (1.25 g) of salt
¼ tsp (0.6 g) of pepper
of olive oil

Makes 4 servings

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Creating the Orange Sauce

Combine water, citrus juices, soy sauce, and vinegar in a saucepan. Pick out a large saucepan and set it on your stovetop. Pour in of water, of orange juice, of lemon juice, of white rice vinegar, and of soy sauce into the saucepan and stir the ingredients together.^[2]
Heat the mixture over medium-high temperature. Set your stovetop to medium-high heat, so your ingredients can begin to warm up. Keep stirring the ingredients until they form a consistent liquid base.^[3]
Mix the remaining sauce ingredients into the liquid mixture. Stir in 1 tbsp (6 g) of orange peel, along with 1 cup (200 g) of brown sugar, ½ tsp (1 g) of raw ginger root, ½ tsp (1.64 g) of raw garlic, 2 tbsp (13 g) of spring onions, and ¼ tsp (0.45 g) of dried pepper flakes. Continue mixing the dry ingredients into the liquid base until they're fully combined.^[4]
Turn the heat to high and bring the sauce to boil. Adjust your stovetop to high heat and wait for sauce to start bubbling. Once the sauce comes to a boil, turn off the heat and move your saucepan to a cool burner.^[5]
Allow the sauce to cool off for 10 minutes before using it. Give your sauce at least 10 minutes so it can completely cool off. Since you’ll be pouring the sauce into a plastic bag, you don’t want it to still be hot.^[6]

[Edit]Marinating the Meat

Slice the chicken breasts into cubes. Lay out your chicken breasts and cut them up small chunks. When you’re enjoying your orange chicken later, you’ll want the pieces to be small enough to enjoy within a few bites.^[7]
- Always wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken. Additionally, dedicate a specific cutting board for your meat, so the raw juice doesn’t spread through your kitchen.^[8]
Arrange the raw chicken pieces in a sealable bag. Slide the chicken into a large, plastic bag, letting the chicken settle along the bottom. Check that the bag is large enough to hold all of your chicken, so you can marinate all of the pieces easily.^[9]
Pour of cooled sauce into the bag. Double-check that the orange sauce is cool, then pour a small amount into the bag. Check that all the pieces of chicken are completely coated with the sauce, so they all taste equally citrusy.^[10]
- Don’t pour the sauce in until it’s completely cooled off.
- Pour out the orange sauce into a separate, reusable container, which you can store in the refrigerator as well. You’ll be using the rest of the sauce after you’ve cooked the chicken.
Store the sealed bag in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Seal off the top of the bag, making sure that no extra air is caught inside. Slide your chicken into the refrigerator, where it can marinate for 2 hours.^[11]
- It may help to set a timer, or make a mental note of when you put the chicken in the refrigerator originally.

[Edit]Breading and Cooking the Chicken

Combine flour, pepper, and salt in a separate sealable plastic bag. Open up a large, resealable plastic bag and pour 1 cup (120 g) of flour into it. Mix in ¼ tsp (1.25 g) of salt and ¼ tsp (0.6 g) of pepper to form the breading that’ll go on top of your chicken.^[12]
- Since your chicken is marinated, you don’t need to worry about creating an egg mixture.
Place the marinated chicken in the breading bag. Slide the pieces of chicken into the bag. Check that they’re all along the bottom, so they’ll all be evenly coated with the breading mixture.^[13]
Close and shake the bag until all the pieces are coated. Squeeze any extra out of the bag and seal off the top. Once your bag is super secure, shake it around to spread the flour mixture over the marinated chicken. Continue shaking until the meat is completely covered with the breading.^[14]
Drizzle olive over a heated skillet. Set your stovetop to a medium temperature and pour of olive oil overtop, so the chicken can cook easily. Give the skillet a few moments to heat up, so your chicken can cook evenly.^[15]
Brown the chicken on both sides. Place your marinated chicken pieces on the oiled stovetop. Let each side cook for around 5 minutes, or until it looks browned. Check the inside of the chicken to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly before taking it off the sauté skillet.^[16]
- Once the chicken is cooked, you can set it on a paper towel-lined plate and then cover it up with a sheet of foil.
Wipe out the skillet and pour in the remaining orange sauce. Clean out the extra oil with a clean rag or paper towel to soak up any leftover oil. At this point, pour the leftover orange sauce into the cookware. Turn up your stovetop to the highest heat setting and wait for the sauce to reach a boil.^[17]
- If you don’t feel like wiping out the skillet, you can always use a clean one.
Mix a little cornstarch and water to finish the sauce. Spoon 3 tbsp (22.5 g) of cornstarch along with of water into the boiling sauce. At this point, lower your stovetop to medium-low heat so the orange sauce stays at a gentle simmer.^[18]
Let the cooked chicken simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken into the sauce so each piece is fully coated. Leave the chicken in the skillet for a few minutes so it can really soak into the orange sauce. At this point, you’re ready to serve and enjoy your orange chicken!^[19]
- Store any leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.^[20]

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

You can garnish your orange chicken with zested orange peel and a small handful of green onions.^[21]

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

Saucepan
Spatula
Knife
2 plastic bags
Skillet
Plate
Paper towels

[Edit]Related wikiHows

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

[_note-1] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-2] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-3] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-4] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-5] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-6] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-7] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-8] ttps://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/chicken.html

[_note-9] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-10] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-11] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-12] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-13] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-14] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-15] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-16] ttps://tasty.co/recipe/original-orange-chicken-by-panda-express

[_note-17] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-18] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-19] ttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/

[_note-20] ttps://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-long-can-you-keep-cooked-chicken

[_note-21] ttps://www.modernhoney.com/chinese-orange-chicken/

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