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overhead photo of homemade orange chicken on top of white rice and topped with green onions on a white plate with a gray and white napkin in the background
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4.48 from 74 votes

Easy Orange Chicken

Crispy orange chicken coated with an einkorn flour mixture is fried until crispy and covered in sweet, fresh, orange sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: orange chicken
Servings: 6
Author: Lisa Bass

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 4 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup einkorn flour can also sub all purpose
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • coconut oil for frying

Sauce:

  • Juice and zest from 3 oranges
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon corn starch + 1 tablespoon water can omit but does help to thicken it up

Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 green onions

Instructions

  • Add rice and water to a saucepan or dutch oven. Cook for about 30 minutes on low heat with the lid on.
  • Turn heat off and allow it to steam with the lid on while you’re frying the chicken and making the sauce.
  • To a cast iron skillet, add oil and place over medium heat.
  • To one bowl (I like using a shallow bowl or dish, like a pie plate), add flour and salt and stir. To another bowl, whisk the egg.
  • Dip chicken in a bowl with egg, coating the chicken on both sides. Then dip the chicken in the bowl with salt and flour mixed together.
  • Place the chicken into the pan with the hot coconut oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
  • Combine all sauce ingredients (except cornstarch) in a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat until combined and achieving a light simmer.
  • Create a cornstarch slurry by mixing together corn starch and cool water.
  • Stir in cornstarch slurry. Cook five more minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens a bit. Take off the heat.
  • Add chicken to sauce and gently toss. Serve it on a bed of rice and top with green onions.

Notes

  • Try not to overcrowd the pan when frying the chicken. It won't get as crispy.
  • I recommend using coconut oil or avocado oil for frying. These are the healthiest oils to fry, since they are non-GMO, have a high smoke point, and are not highly refined.
  • I like to use einkorn flour for a recipe that cannot be fermented. This is because einkorn flour is naturally lower in gluten and is one of the oldest heirloom varieties that hasn’t been hybridized. If you don’t have einkorn, you can just use all-purpose flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1142mg | Potassium: 680mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg