Orange chicken is bite-sized fried chicken tossed in a sticky sauce made from orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar, thickened with cornflour. The chicken is coated and fried until crisp, then tossed through the hot sauce just before serving so the coating stays crunchy rather than turning soggy.
This recipe covers the full method, plus the fix for the most common problem: a sauce that splits or stays too thin to coat the chicken.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Chicken thighs, diced | 500g |
| Cornflour, for coating | 100g |
| Orange juice | 150ml |
| Soy sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| Rice vinegar | 1 tablespoon |
| Brown sugar | 2 tablespoons |
| Cornflour, for the sauce | 1 teaspoon, mixed with water |
Method
- Toss the chicken pieces in cornflour until fully coated.
- Fry in batches in hot oil for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
- In a separate pan, heat the orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in the cornflour and water mixture, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
- Add the fried chicken to the sauce and toss quickly to coat, then serve straight away.
Why the sauce splits or stays thin
A sauce that stays watery usually means the cornflour slurry was added too early, before the liquid was hot enough to activate it, or wasn’t given long enough to simmer and thicken. A sauce that splits or looks greasy is usually a sign the pan was too hot when the chicken went in, which can push oil out of the coating. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, once the chicken is added.
Keeping the coating crisp
Toss the chicken through the sauce for no more than 30 seconds, just enough to coat it. Leaving it in the sauce longer softens the cornflour coating. If serving a crowd, keep the sauce and chicken separate until the last moment and toss individual portions to order.
FAQ
Can I bake orange chicken instead of frying it?
Yes. Bake the coated chicken at 200C for around 20 minutes, turning halfway, though the coating will be lighter than a fried version.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh?
Yes, though thigh stays juicier during frying. If using breast, cut it slightly smaller and check it is not overcooked before adding to the sauce.
What can I use instead of fresh orange juice?
Shop-bought orange juice works fine, as long as it is not from concentrate with added sugar, which changes the balance of the sauce.
Why is my orange chicken coating soggy?
This usually means the chicken sat in the sauce for too long, or the oil was not hot enough when frying, so the coating absorbed oil instead of crisping.
Serve alongside our egg fried rice recipe, or compare it with a similar sticky dish in our honey chilli chicken recipe.
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- Cornflour. For the crisp coating and the thickened sauce.
- Rice vinegar. The sour note that balances the sweet orange sauce.
