If you’ve ever tried making orange chicken at home and ended up with watery sauce or chicken that didn’t have much flavor, I get it. Let’s be honest, a lot of orange chicken stir fry recipes sound easy until you end up with soggy chicken and a sauce that tastes like straight sugar. I’ve tested this one plenty of times over the years on Stay Snatched to make sure that doesn’t happen. The sauce has the right balance of orange, garlic, soy sauce, and sweetness so it actually tastes like the dish you were craving, not a bottle of syrup.
Orange Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients
- Fresh Oranges
- Orange Juice
- Sweetener or Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil (Optional, but it's my star ingredient for immense flavor)
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cornstarch and Water to thicken the sauce
- Chicken: You'll want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Chicken breasts are leaner and will result in a slightly firmer texture. They are a popular choice if you prefer a lighter option. Chicken thighs are juicier and more flavorful due to their higher fat content. They tend to stay moist during cooking, making them a great choice if you want tender and succulent pieces.
- Vegetables: Vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, snow peas, water chestnuts, and carrots will work well. I like to use Trader Joe’s Asian Vegetable Stir fry. It’s affordable and saves me a lot of time without the need to slice and dice vegetables. The key is to balance a variety of textures and flavors. Feel free to mix and match these vegetables based on what you like.
How to Make Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the chicken with the spices and then coat each piece with flour. Bake or air fry.
- Place a skillet on the stove at medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and sautee until soft and fragrant.
- Add in the orange sauce ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Combine cornstarch and water in a bowl and stir well to fully incorporate. This will create a slurry to thicken the sauce.
- Add the slurry to the sauce mixture. Stir.
- Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and serve.
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Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also grab your FREE ebook with my best 30-minute one-pot meals! Dinner stress stops here.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts Cut into 1 inch chunks.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼-1/2 cup all-purpose flour Use enough to fully coat the chicken.
- cooking oil
Orange Sauce
- ⅓ cup sweetener or sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger If using ground ginger start with ⅛ teaspoon and add more/adjust to taste if necessary.
- 2-3 garlic cloves Minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the spices and then coat each piece with flour.
Air Fryer Chicken
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil.
- Add the seasoned chicken to the air fryer basket. Spray the chicken with oil.
- Air fry the chicken at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Open the air fryer and flip the chicken. If you see any white spots on the chicken from the flour, spray the areas with cooking oil.
- Air fry for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is crisp.
Baked Chicken
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the chicken on a parchment paper lined sheet pan or baking sheet. Spray the chicken with oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the chicken in crisp. If you see any white spots on the chicken from the flour, spray the areas with cooking oil as the chicken bakes.
Sauce and Stir Fry
- Place a skillet on the stove at medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and sautee until soft and fragrant. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Depending on the type of pan you use, you may need to oil the pan for this step.
- Add in all of the ingredients for the sauce (except the cornstarch and water). Stir to combine. Mix well until the sugar or sweetener has dissolved.The orange zest will mostly dissolve once the sauce has simmered. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can strain out the orange zest.
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a bowl and stir well to fully incorporate. This will create a slurry to thicken the sauce.
- Add the slurry to the sauce mixture. Stir repeatedly to avoid clumping. The sauce will take a few minutes to thicken.
- Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Recipe Pro Tips
Orange chicken hits that perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and savory. The sweetness usually comes from orange juice and sugar or sweetener in the sauce, which helps balance the tang from the fresh orange juice, zest, and a little rice vinegar. Soy sauce, garlic, and ginger bring in that rich savory flavor that ties everything together.
And of course the oranges are the star, adding that bright citrus flavor that makes the whole dish pop.
Most orange chicken you find in a restaurant is made with crispy breaded chicken. If you don't want breaded chicken, that's easy to accomplish. You won't need to bread the chicken with flour. Instead you can sear the chicken in the pan before you cook the vegetables.
Either cornstarch or flour can be used to thicken the sauce. Cornstarch creates a clear, glossy sauce. It thickens quickly and effectively, usually requiring less time to cook than flour. It will have a slightly more "gel-like" texture when thickening sauces compared to flour.
Flour can withstand longer cooking times without breaking down, making it suitable for dishes that require extended simmering or baking like gravy, stews, or soups. It requires more heat and cooking time to reach its full thickening potential compared to cornstarch.
Whichever ingredient you choose to use, be sure to mix it well and fully incorporate it with water. If you don't mix it well you will notice white clumps in your sauce.
It is also crucial to stir the sauce continuously once you've added the thickening agent to the sauce to prevent lumps and ensure even thickening. Thickening may take a few minutes, so be patient and allow the sauce to simmer gently while stirring.
I am always a fan of making a dish spicy! You can add cayenne pepper to your chicken or the sauce (even both) to amplify the flavor and add a kick.
You can store the dish tightly covered and sealed for 3-4 days.
Both work great. Chicken breasts are lean and cook quickly, while chicken thighs tend to stay a little juicier and more forgiving if you cook them a bit longer. Use what you prefer or what you already have in the fridge.
Cut the chicken into small, even pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly. Also avoid overcrowding the pan. Cooking the chicken in a single layer over medium-high heat helps it sear instead of steam.
Balance is key. The sweetness from the orange juice and sweetener should be balanced with savory soy sauce and a little tang from vinegar or fresh citrus. If it tastes too sweet, add a splash more soy sauce or vinegar.
There are few things to think about when you reheat the dish. If you have crispy chicken and you want to serve it crisp, then you will need to reheat the chicken in the air fryer or oven at 350 degrees until crisp and warm.
You can reheat leftover sauce and vegetables in the air fryer or oven as well, along with in the microwave or on the stove.
You can freeze the dish tightly covered and sealed in the freezer for up to 3 months without significant loss of quality. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions and Ideas for Add-Ins
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Sesame Seeds
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Red Onions
- Carrots
- Bell Peppers
- Zucchini
- Green Onions
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pineapple
- Cilantro
Pair With These Recipes
Chipotle Rice Recipe
Shrimp Egg Rolls
Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Linda Brouwer says
It says to sauté the vegetables, but I am not finding vegetables mentioned in the recipe. What and how much is used???
staysnatched says
They are listed in the recipe card. Scroll and read the entire post.
Chloe says
This was a delicious healthier take on orange chicken! I used arrowroot instead of cornstarch and it thickened more than expected so I added chicken broth to thin the sauce out. I also added more orange juice and soy sauce to taste, but the sauce was already good!
I also only had like two tablespoons of honey left to sweeten and that was plenty!
I’ll definitely be making this again; the baked chicken is delicious on its own even before I added it to the sauce, so I’ll be using it again for sure! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
staysnatched says
You're welcome!
Chloe says
Forgot to rate it lol