Homemade Takeout: Orange Chicken
Kendra Vaculin
Test Kitchen-Approved
Photo by Linda Xiao
- Serves
- 4
- Prep Time
- 20 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 Minutes
Put down the takeout menu and the forlorn look of someone settling for second best. Today we recreate the real thing: Panda Express' orange chicken.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
- 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, divided
- 2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes (thighs work great here, too, but to me takeout tastes like a basic-b breast)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch), divided
- canola (or other neutral oil) oil, for frying
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
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Directions
- Step 1
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, and the grated ginger and garlic. Add cubed chicken and set aside to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 2
Using a large slotted spoon or strainer, transfer the marinated chicken to new large bowl, discarding the excess marinade. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup cornstarch and toss to coat.
- Step 3
In a large pot, heat 1/2 inch of oil over medium-high. Working in batches, add the coated chicken in a single layer and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Move to a large paper towel-lined plate or wire rack set in a baking sheet to cool. Cubes will be crunchy looking nuggets of magic, and just get crunchier as they cool. Resist urge to eat them all from the baking sheet.
- Step 4
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to form a slurry. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, honey, orange juice, marmalade, ketchup, remaining 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Heat over medium until just starting to bubble at the edges, then add the slurry, a spoonful at a time, while whisking, to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat. Add the chicken cubes to the pan and toss to coat.
- Step 5
Serve the chicken and remaining sauce from the pan with rice and broccoli like the homemade takeout champ you ARE.