Orange Chicken 30 Minutes Recipe is a fantastic choice for a quick meal. It’s better than take-out. Chicken thighs or breasts are cut into bite-size cubes, trenched into a starchy marinade, fried, and tossed with an orangy sauce. Making it at home will give you peace of mind about what you are feeding your family.
Ingredients for Orange Chicken 30 Minutes Recipe
Chicken
Boneless skinless chicken thighs make a perfect juicy orange chicken. You can also use chicken breast if you’d like, or a combination of both. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes before marinating for the marinade to absorb.
Soy sauce
I used soy sauce in the marinade and sauce. Soy sauce is a key ingredient that you can’t replace, it’s important to realize that it is salty, so be careful when adding any additional salt.
Ginger and garlic paste
I like to use homemade ginger garlic paste in all of my cooking. For this recipe, you can also use freshly chopped ginger and garlic, or store-bought paste can also be used.
Orange zest and orange juice
Wash and clean the orange well and only zest the orangy top layer because the lower white layer of the orange is bitter. I used a cheese grater to zest the orange and squeezed the juice of the same orange. You can also use bottled juice instead of fresh juice if you would like.
Sugar
Homemade sweet and salty chicken with an orange flavor can be adjusted for the sugar level. I use brown or regular white sugar, but you can also use sweeteners if you would like.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch or corn flour is another key ingredient. I used cornstarch for the marinade and also to thicken the gravy. You can also use all-purpose flour however cornstarch will give a crispier texture to the chicken and absorb the sauce better than the all-purpose flour.
How to store leftover chicken?
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave before serving. You can also make a big batch and freeze it to be used later but divide it into small portions for easy reheating.
What to serve with orange chicken?
Orange chicken is usually served with white rice or noodles, but my favorite is white rice. You can make Instant Pot White Rice or use a rice cooker to make white rice to go along. By the time you are done makign orange chicken rice will be ready for you to enjoy.
Must Try Recipes
- Instant Pot White Rice
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Instant Pot Dal
- Roasted Chicken Recipes
- Hot and Sour Soup
Orange Chicken 30 Minutes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
- oil for frying
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredients for Marinade
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 egg or more if needed
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup corn starch
Ingredients for Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or regular sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp corn starch
Garnish
- 2 spring onions
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Cut chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes, and add all the ingredients listed for marinade. Mix and leave it on the side.
Fry the chicken
- Heat oil in a frying pan for shallow frying the chicken.
- Fry chicken in batches and drain on a paper towel.
Prepare Sauce
- To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients except for cornstarch mentioned in the sauce.
- Add this sauce to a pan and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Now add fried chicken to the sauce and mix it.
- To thicken the sauce, mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Add this mixture to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add a splash of sesame oil.
- Garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve with white rice.