Description
Orange Chicken brings zesty comfort right to your dinner table, making weeknight meals a breeze. Crispy, golden chicken pieces coated in tangy sauce deliver pure restaurant-quality flavor without leaving your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Sauce and Flavor Enhancers:
- 10 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons white vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Aromatics and Spices:
- 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Zest of 1 orange
- Cooking spray or vegetable oil for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for perfect chicken placement.
- Pulse panko breadcrumbs in a food processor until they become finely textured, creating a more delicate coating.
- Set up four separate bowls: one with ½ cup flour, another with 2 beaten eggs, the third with processed panko, and the last for your 2-pound chicken chunks.
- Coat each chicken piece by first rolling in flour, then dipping in eggs, and finally covering completely with panko breadcrumbs.
- Arrange breaded chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they do not touch each other.
- Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil to help achieve golden crispiness.
- Bake the chicken for 22 minutes, checking for a rich golden-brown color and crisp exterior.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté 1½ tablespoons ginger and 2 teaspoons garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons rice wine, ¼ cup orange juice, and other sauce ingredients to the pan.
- Whisk sauce ingredients together, bringing to a boil and then simmering for 3 minutes until it thickens nicely.
- Remove chicken from oven and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour warm orange sauce over chicken, gently tossing to ensure every piece gets an even, delicious coating.
Notes
- Get the panko breadcrumbs extra crispy by pulsing them in a food processor, which creates a finer texture that adheres better to the chicken.
- Pressing the breadcrumbs gently onto the chicken ensures a more even and complete coating for maximum crunchiness.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular flour with almond flour or gluten-free flour blend, and use gluten-free panko or crushed rice cereal for breading.
- Make the sauce ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to three days, which helps develop deeper flavor and saves preparation time when cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-28 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 374 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 515 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg