This Baked Orange Chicken tastes better than any Chinese take-out you’ll get at a restaurant. Crispy coating of egg & cornstarch and then it’s baked in a sweet and delicious orange sauce. This is a dish that you will want to make over and over again.
BAKED ORANGE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE
When it comes to dinner recipes I like to keep it simple with easy, 30-minute recipes. But on those activity-free weeknights or weekends I love making this crispy baked orange chicken.
Orange chicken is a restaurant favorite and now you can make it at home. Not only will it be healthier, but it’s so much better and tastes fresh!
HOW TO MAKE BAKED ORANGE CHICKEN
- Cut up 4 chicken breasts into small, bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken and mix it together to make sure that the pieces get coated.
- Place the chicken into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and add the cornstarch. Close the bag and shake to coat the chicken in the cornstarch.
- Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and in several batches coat the chicken pieces in the egg and then place in the pan of hot oil and let it cook.
- You do not need to let it cook all the way through. Only about 2 minutes on each side. You’re looking to get a nice crust on the chicken not to have it cook through.
- Let drain on a plate lined with a paper towel and do another batch.
- Place all the crispy chicken pieces into a 9×13 baking dish. Mix up the simple orange sauce and pour over the chicken pieces.
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring and re-coating the pieces every 15 minutes.
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and orange slices.
MY TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE
-Be sure and cut the chicken into small pieces. You don’t want them too large or else they will take forever to get that crispy coating. I aim for small, bite-sized pieces.
-I use prepared orange juice. I do not juice my own orange for the juice. But, you could do that if you wanted to.
-The recipe will not have tons of extra sauce so if you want it really saucy then maybe make 1 1/2 of the orange sauce recipe and reserve some for drizzling on the chicken when you serve it over rice. We like it as is so I just make the recipe as directed.
-People always comment on the 1 hour cook time. Yes, it is correct. And no the chicken does not get tough and dry. When you fry the small chicken pieces you are just wanting to get a nice crispy coating. You do not need to cook it to temperature.
TRY THESE OTHER CHINESE FOOD RECIPES
- crispy honey chicken
- baked sweet n’ sour chicken
- pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs
- best fried egg rolls
- skillet cashew chicken
Baked Orange Chicken
Ingredients
crispy chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup canole oil
orange sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinager
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- zest of one orange
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
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Heat the canola oil in a large skillet pan over medium-high heat.
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Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken pieces. Add chicken pieces to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag (or you can do this in a bowl) and add the cornstarch. Close the Ziploc bag and shake to mix it together and coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch.
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Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork.
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Take a handful of cornstarch coated chicken pieces out of the bag and place in the egg. Coat both sides of each piece and then place in the hot oil. Let cook for 2-3 minutes per side. You just want a nice crispy crust, you do not have to cook them all the way through. Repeat with the remining chicken pieces in several batches. It takes me about 4 batches to cook them.
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** Once chicken pieces are done place them on a plate lined with paper towels so they can drain.
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Add the crispy chicken pieces to the prepared 9x13 baking pan.
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Combine all the ingredietns for the orange sauce into a small bowl and stir with a whisk until mixed together. Pour over the chicken and stir to coat all the chicken pieces in the sauce.
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Bake, uncovered for 1 hour. Turning and mixing the chicken every 15 minutes to make sure it stays coated in the sauce.
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Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Recipe Notes
I just use prepared orange juice, I do not try to fresh squeeze it from oranges. You can do that if you want to.
An easy way to test if your oil is hot enough to use : grab a small pinch of flour and drop it into the oil, if it sizzles and bubbles then the oil is hot enough to fry and you're good to go.
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