We love ourselves a good takeaway. More often than not takeaways are ideal for busy days and tired evenings when you simply cannot bring yourself to cook. But, I’ve got a super simple and easy 20-min Orange Chicken recipe for you, that comes together in 20 mins tops.
Now you can skip the takeaway, and just whip this sweet, sticky, and tangy orange chicken meal right in your kitchen.
What makes this Orange Chicken slap?
The flavors that dance together in this recipe make it stand out. It’s sweet and sticky, zesty and tangy, and can easily be adjusted to be spicy as well. Simply packed with flavors!
Can I make this Orange Chicken spicy?
Yes, absolutely. This super versatile recipe can be altered to your liking. If you’d like to increase the spice levels in this dish, just add sriracha or red pepper flakes to the recipe.
Of course, I won’t tell you how much to add. You can do that based on your flavor palate.
Try these simple 2-ingredient Nutella Puffs!
Will I need to use my entire kitchen’s crockery?
That is a very fair question and to be honest, I tend to steer clear of recipes that require an entire cabinet’s worth of pots and pans. The simple answer is NO. You only need one pan for this recipe.
What can I pair this recipe with?
I personally love having orange chicken with white rice. But that is not the only combination to go for. You can also pair it with noodles, egg fried rice, or have it all on its own. Trust me, you’ll find it hard to stop once you start.
Pair this recipe with a refreshing Watermelon Limeade!
You can check the process of making this Orange Chicken on my Instagram Highlights!
20-min Orange Chicken
2
servings20
minutesKeep your device screen on
Ingredients
- For the chicken
4 boneless chicken thighs
3 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic paste
oil for frying
- For the orange sauce
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp corn starch
1/2 cup water
- For garnishing
julienne ginger
red pepper flakes
sesame seeds
scallions
Directions
- For the chicken
- Start by chopping up your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
- Add your chicken pieces, salt, pepper, and garlic paste in a bowl alongside the corn flour. Mix well to combine, making sure all the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
- In a wok or saucepan, add your oil and place on high heat. You can shallow fry or deep fry – both methods work but deep frying gives you a crispier and more golden finish.
- When your oil is hot, lower the flame to medium and add in your chicken pieces and fry until golden. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan as it slows down the frying process and doesn’t yield perfectly crispy and golden pieces.
- Cook your chicken for 5-8 minutes on all sides until it’s cooked through. Drain and set aside on paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
- For the orange sauce
- Remove the excess oil from the pan (read Notes) and place back on medium heat. It is time to prepare your orange sauce.
- Add your orange juice to the pan and heat it up until it starts to simmer.
- Now add the orange zest, soya sauce, garlic and ginger paste.
- To a cup, add half a cup of water and combine the corn starch to it forming a slurry,
- Pour your slurry into the simmering sauce and stir well. Make sure to continue stirring constantly otherwise the corn starch will clump up.
- Once your sauce thickens beautifully, add your chicken pieces back to the pan.
- Toss carefully to make sure all the pieces are well coated in the delicious orange sauce.
- Serve with your favorite sides and garnish with scallions, red chili flakes or sesame seeds.
Notes
- If you are deep frying your chicken, be sure to save the oil in a heat-proof jar or bowl for use another time. It is less wasteful and saves you a lot of cleanup. Oil can be reused for frying 3-4 times.
