This orange sesame chicken recipe is delicious, healthy and easy to make. Serve with vegetables, rice or noodles.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Healthier, oven-baked orange chicken, tossed in a delicious sticky orange citrusy sauce! For this recipe, I used orange juice (freshly squeezed or shop-bought). Orange chicken is usually served with white rice, broccoli, green beans or noodles.
Orange chicken was created by Chef Andy Kho at the American restaurant Panda express in 1987. It is inspired by flavors from the Hunan Province in China and has been on the menu ever since! It is no surprise that the mouthwatering orange-flavored chili sauce has led to so many ‘copycat’ recipes.
Flavors of Different Regions in China
One of the things I love about being a foodie is that there are always so many opportunities to try new dishes and learn about their origins. The first time I tried orange chicken was when I visited the states as a teen and the delicious dish has stuck with me ever since. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Panda Express restaurants in London (I know shock horror right) so I’ve been making the dish myself ever since.
While I was a student at university/college, I shared a flat with a lovely student from China. She would always make delicious authentic Chinese meals and fill our kitchen with divine aromas. We’d often sit in the kitchen and chat about our love for food in the communal kitchen on our study breaks. She introduced me to kimchi and educated me about the different meals that are enjoyed in different regions of China. For example, the North of China is known for simple salty dishes, dishes from the East are usually sweet and light, central Chinese dishes are spicy, Southern dishes are sour and Western dishes are halal.
How the Orange Chicken Recipe was Created
One day we were talking about some of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants and orange chicken came up. To my amazement she had never heard of it and she let me know that a lot of dishes sold in Chinese restaurants are not actually eaten in China! I was very shocked and I admitted that some of my favorite dishes were in fact the inauthentic.
At the time I had just embarked on my healthy eating and fitness journey and I was looking for ways to be healthy and still enjoy my favourite dishes without the guilt. I began to try lots of for my favourite Chinese recipes and my flatmate very helpfully pointed out that instead of frying the meat (poultry and seafood) in Chinese dishes you can always BOIL them (duh-why didn’t I think of this!). However, when it came to my orange chicken recipe boiling the chicken chunks wasn’t cutting it. I was missing crispiness from the flour so I decided to try the oven method and the results were phenomenal!!
So if you are looking for a TRIED and TESTED HEALTHIER Panda express Orange chicken recipe this is the recipe for you!
Orange-Sesame Chicken Recipe
Recipe (serves 2-3):
- Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease an oven tray with a splash of oil and set it aside.
- Chop 2 chicken fillets into square chunks and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on the chicken chunks.
- Add 1/2 c of flour and 1/4 c of cornstarch into a bowl. Season cornstarch mix with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Then crack open 2 eggs into another bowl and whisk.
- Dip a chicken chunk into the cornstarch mix, then into the egg, then back into the cornstarch mix and add the chicken chunk into the tray. Repeat this step for all of the chicken chunks, drizzle sunflower oil on top and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until done.
Orange Sauce:
- While the chicken is baking add 1/2 a cup of orange juice to a bowl, 2-3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2-5 tbsp of brown sugar, 2-3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, a pinch of garlic seasoning, a pinch of red chilli flakes, 1/2 the zest of one orange and stir all of the ingredients together (adjust seasoning if necessary).
- Pour orange sauce into a pan and cook for 5-8 minutes. Once the chicken chunks have finished baking add them to the sauce, toss, sprinkle sesame seeds and spring onions on top and serve!
Note: To thicken orange sauce, add 1 tbsp of cornstarch, 2 tbsp of water to a cup, stir and pour into the orange sauce and cook for 5-8 minutes.
Top Tip: Dab chicken chunks with a paper towel to make sure they are dry before coating them in the cornflour mix. This will make the chicken crispier!
Potential Pitfalls
- To stop the chicken chunks from getting stuck to the oven tray make sure you grease the tray with oil and lightly brush oil on top of the chunks that are facing upwards.
- The sauce. Taste the orange sauce as you go along because everyone has different tastes. The beauty about making things at home is that you can make them to your taste.
How to Store Orange Sesame Chicken Recipe
Sticky orange chicken can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Microwave or heat in saucepan when serving again.
Alternatives to the Orange Sesame Chicken Recipe
- Alter your heat level! If you are a spicy food lover like me then double the amount of chilli you add! If you want a sweeter sauce then add more brown sugar. It really is up to you!
- You can also try this dish with different proteins. For example swap the chicken chunks with prawns, pork, squid and beef. Vegan options: tofu, tempeh and broccoli!
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Orange Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken fillets
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2-5 tbsp brown sugar
- 2-3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
- A pinch of garlic seasoning
- A pinch of red chilli flakes
- 1/2 zest of one orange
- sesame seeds
- 1/4-1/2 spring onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 160C. Grease an oven tray with a splash of oil and set aside.
- Chop 2 chicken fillets into square chunks and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on the chicken chunks.
- Add 1/2 c and 1/4 c of cornstarch into a bowl. Season cornstarch mix with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Then crack open 2 eggs into another bowl and whisk.
- Dip a chicken chunk into the cornstarch mix, then into the egg, then back into the cornstarch mix and add the chicken chunk into the tray. Repeat this step for all of the chicken chunks, drizzle sunflower oil on top and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until done.
- While the chicken is baking add 1/2 a cup of orange juice to a bowl, 2-3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2-5 tbsp of brown sugar, 2-3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, a pinch of garlic seasoning, a pinch of red chilli flakes, 1/2 the zest of one orange and stir all of the ingredients together (adjust seasoning if necessary).
- Pour orange sauce into a pan and cook for 5-8 minutes. Once the chicken chunks have finished baking add them to the sauce, toss, sprinkle sesame seeds and spring onions on top and serve!
Notes
- Alter your heat level! If you are a spicy food lover like me then double the amount of chilli you add! If you want a sweeter sauce then add more brown sugar. It really is up to you!
- You can also try this dish with different proteins. For example swap the chicken chunks with prawns, pork, squid and beef. Vegan options: tofu, tempeh and broccoli!
For more copycat recipes click the following link https://www.allfreecopycatrecipes.com/
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