Pena Home Recipes

Quick & Easy Orange Chicken

Name: Quick & Easy Orange Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs; 1/4 cup cornstarch (or sub with potato starch); 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil, if you're Air Frying, sub with 2 tbsp of oil); 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (pulp strained, about 4-5 medium sized oranges); 2 tbsp white vinegar (or rice vinegar); 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp regular soy sauce; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1/4 tsp ginger powder (or sub with freshly grated ginger); 1 tbsp cornstarch (or sub with potato starch); 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional if you prefer it spicy); 1/2 green onion (finely chopped); 1 tbsp orange zest (grated); 1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)

3 servings

servings

15 minutes

active time

30 minutes

total time

Start Cooking

Ingredients

1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs

1/4 cup cornstarch (or sub with potato starch)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil, if you're Air Frying, sub with 2 tbsp of oil)

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (pulp strained, about 4-5 medium sized oranges)

2 tbsp white vinegar (or rice vinegar)

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp regular soy sauce

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 tsp ginger powder (or sub with freshly grated ginger)

1 tbsp cornstarch (or sub with potato starch)

1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional if you prefer it spicy)

1/2 green onion (finely chopped)

1 tbsp orange zest (grated)

1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside.

Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces, about 1.5-inch pieces (about 6-8 pcs per thigh, depending on size). Do not pat chicken thighs dry, some moisture is needed so the starch can adhere to the chicken.

Transfer pieces of chicken into a large bowl, followed by cornstarch. Mix to coat each piece evenly with tongs.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Carefully lower coated chicken into the oil and quickly spread apart. Allow the chicken pieces to sear and form a golden crust, about 5-6 minutes on each side and avoid stir-frying them. Flip chicken over and cook on the other side until golden brown. (To air fry the chicken, see the Notes section below).

Remove and transfer fried chicken onto a wire rack resting on a baking sheet or a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil. Pour out any excess oil from pan.

In the same pan set over medium high heat, pour sauce in. Stirring consistently until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2-3 minutes.

Toss in fried chicken until pieces are coated in sauce. Garnish with orange zest, sesame seeds and green onions. Serve & enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving Size

Calories

401 kcal

Total Fat

7 g

Saturated Fat

2 g

Unsaturated Fat

4 g

Trans Fat

0.03 g

Cholesterol

144 mg

Sodium

822 mg

Total Carbohydrate

52 g

Dietary Fiber

1 g

Total Sugars

36 g

Protein

31 g