Orange Chicken

The sweet orange flavor of chicken is a unique and flavorful fusion dish to savor. This chicken dish offers a blend of tangy, sweet, and intense orange flavors. Orange chicken makes a classic takeout lunch meal ideal to make in the comfort of home. 

Orange Chicken Fusion Dish 

Orange chicken is a popular Chinese American fusion dish. This dish offers a tasty blend of Chinese and American flavors all in one tasty dish. Many Chinese restaurants in the states offer orange chicken on their menu. Restaurants such as Panda Express are known for their popular orange chicken dish. A variety of Asian brand frozen foods offer orange chicken in supermarkets, making it ideal for a quick lunch or dinner meal. 

Orange Chicken 

Orange chicken is a classic Chinese American bite-sized fried chicken that is coated in an orange sauce. The orange sauce is an essential ingredient for this dish. The sauce provides the chicken with the orange flavor. Orange chicken is a simple chicken dish to make. The process involves cutting the chicken into cubed pieces and then frying. The orange sauce is made with fresh orange and other ingredients, then coated on the bite-sized fried chicken.

Garnish for Orange Chicken  

There are different garnishes that are used for orange chicken. One of the most common garnishes is scallions. Freshly sliced scallions over orange chicken provide a pop of color to the dish. Other garnishes include fresh cilantro, slices of orange, and sesame seeds. 

For this orange chicken dish, I opted for crushed honey roasted peanuts and fresh orange zest. The crushed honey peanuts add a hint of subtle honey flavor and a slight crunchy texture to the orange chicken. The orange zest enhances the orange flavor of this delicious orange chicken dish. 

Orange Chicken Ingredients 

Chicken: (Chicken Breast) The main protein ingredient for this dish. Cooked chicken breasts have a light, mild, lean flavor and soft texture. Alternative: chicken thighs.  

Eggs: An important ingredient for frying chicken, as the egg mixture binds the flour when coating. 

Cornstarch: A flavorless ingredient that helps create a crispier chicken.  

Flour: A mild and neutral ingredient for frying that is the base ingredient for frying chicken.  

Vegetable Oil: A common cooking oil used for deep frying. Alternative: corn oil.  

Salt: Adds a hint of salty flavor to the chicken. 

Garlic Salt: Mild garlic flavor seasoning. Alternative: garlic powder. 

Orange: A vital ingredient to this orange chicken recipe. Refreshing, citrusy, sweet, flavored fruit that adds a burst of flavor to this orange chicken dish.

Brown Sugar: A sweet type of sugar that has a slight caramel flavor with a grainy texture. Alternative: coconut sugar.  

Rice Vinegar: Mellow and mild acidity flavor. Alternative: white wine vinegar. 

Soy Sauce: A popular and common ingredient used in a variety of Asian dishes. Rich and strong salty flavor. 

Red Chili Powder: Smoky with a hint of sweetness with a fine-textured seasoning that adds spicy flavor to the food. Alternatives: cayenne pepper or paprika.  

Sesame Oil: Earthy with a slight toasted flavor. Alternatives: peanut or walnut oil.  

Peanuts (Honey Roasted): Sweet honey-flavored peanuts with a crunchy texture that adds a texture and subtle sweet flavor to this orange chicken. 

Water: Adding a few tablespoons of water to the orange sauce helps with the consistency.  

Orange Chicken Instructions 

Orange Sauce 

Grated Orange Zest

Zest an orange by scraping the outer layer of the orange peel. (I used a box grater to zest the orange. Other kitchen tools that can be used are a vegetable peeler or citrus zester.) (About 2 oranges for the orange sauce and garnish.)

1. Orange. (About 4-5 oranges for the orange sauce and egg-orange mixture.)
2. Cut the orange in half.
3. Squeeze the orange slices to obtain fresh orange juice.

1. In a cup or bowl, add the brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic salt, red chili powder, fresh orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and water. 
2. Mix until the orange sauce ingredients are combined. 

Chicken 

1. Add the chicken breasts to a cutting board.  
2. Season chicken with garlic salt and salt for taste.
3. Cut into cubes. 

Egg-Orange Juice Mixture 

1. In a bowl, add the eggs and orange juice.
2. Whisk the egg-orange mixture until combined. 
3. Add the cubed chicken pieces to the egg orange juice mixture. Marinate the cubed chicken pieces for at least half an hour prior to frying. 

Cornstarch and Flour Mixture with Chicken

1. In a bowl, add the cornstarch and flour. Mix until combined.
2. Add the marinated cubed chicken pieces in small batches. Coat the chicken evenly. 

Frying the Chicken 

1. On high heat, heat a frying skillet with vegetable oil.  
2. Once heated, add a batch of the cubed chicken pieces to the frying skillet. Repeat for each batch.  
3. Cook each batch until a light golden brown. 

Fried Chicken Cubed Pieces

Placing fried chicken on a paper towel helps to absorb the cooking oil.

Simmer the Orange Sauce 

1. Add the orange sauce to a frying pan. Add the orange zest. Cook on a medium-high heat setting.  
2. Stir until the sauce thickens. Simmer the orange sauce for about 10 minutes before adding the chicken, reducing the heat to a low heat setting. (When the sauce begins to boil, then reduce the heat.) 

Chicken and Orange Sauce

Once the orange sauce has thickened, add the fried chicken cubed pieces. Coat the chicken and the sauce until completely coated. 

Garnish 

1. Add the honey-roasted peanuts to a food processor.  
2. Process the peanuts until they are processed into crumbs. 

Side Dishes for Orange Chicken

There are different side dishes that pair well with orange chicken. Many of the side dishes are simple to make and taste great with orange chicken. A few dishes include egg noodles, ramen noodle salad, fried rice, brown rice, and spicy cucumber salad.

White rice is a common and classic side dish for orange chicken. The mild, neutral flavor of the white rice and the sweet orange flavor of orange chicken create a nice balance of sweet and tangy chicken dish. I opted for white rice for this chicken dish. The soft yet subtle flavor of white rice and the moist, orange-flavored chicken was a delicious combination. I also added fresh slices of oranges. This adds a nice visual appeal to the dish.

Storage 

When orange chicken is cool, the chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freezer bags or airtight containers work for freezer storage. 

Thoughts 

Orange chicken is a flavorful protein dish. This is a great fusion chicken dish that I like to make at home compared to ordering at the local Chinese takeout restaurant. I can customize this orange chicken dish to my preference by adding additional ingredients that I like. Orange chicken is a delicious chicken dish that makes a great lunch or dinner dish. This fusion orange chicken recipe offers a unique blend of tangy yet sweet orange flavors, making it an ideal chicken dish. 

Recipe 

Ingredients

Orange Sauce 

• ½ cup brown sugar  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch  
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder  
• 1 cup orange juice  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce  
• ¼ cup rice vinegar  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil  
• 2 tablespoons water  
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 

Chicken

• 3 chicken breasts 
  
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
  
• salt to taste
  
• 2 eggs 
  
• ¼ cup orange juice 
  
• ½ cup cornstarch 
  
• ½ cup flour 
  
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Garnish 

• ¼ cup crushed honey-roasted peanuts 
  
• 1 tablespoon orange zest 
• orange slices

Instructions 

Orange. Zest an orange by scraping the outer layer of the orange peel. Reserve a tablespoon of zest for garnish. Squeeze the orange to obtain a fresh orange juice for the egg and orange juice mixture and orange sauce. 

Orange sauce. In a cup or bowl, add the brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic salt, red chili powder, fresh orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and water. Mix until combined.  

Chicken. Season the chicken breasts with garlic salt and salt. Then cut the chicken into cubed pieces.

Egg and orange juice mixture. In a bowl, add the eggs and orange juice. Whisk the eggs and orange juice until combined. Then add the cut cubed chicken pieces. Marinate the cubed chicken pieces for half an hour.

Flour and cornstarch. In a bowl, add flour and cornstarch. Mix until combined. Add small batches of the marinated cubed chicken pieces to the flour and cornstarch mixture. Coat the cubed chicken pieces evenly.

Frying the chicken. Heat a skillet on high heat. Add the vegetable oil. Then add a batch of the cubed chicken pieces to the skillet. Fry until a light golden brown. Place the fried, cubed chicken pieces on a paper towel. Repeat each batch until all the cubed chicken pieces have been fried. 

Simmer the orange sauce. On medium-high heat, add the orange sauce to the skillet. Then add the orange zest. Stir the sauce until it thickens. Simmer the orange sauce for about 10 minutes before adding the fried chicken cubed pieces, reducing the heat to a low heat setting. 

Chicken and sauce. Once the sauce has thickened, add the fried chicken cubed pieces to the sauce. Coat the chicken and sauce until completely coated. 

Garnish. In a food processor, add the peanuts. Process into crumbs. Garnish the orange chicken with peanut crumbs, orange zest, and orange slices.