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Straightforward Orange Rooster Recipe – Finances Bytes


OMG. This Straightforward Orange Rooster recipe is, certainly, STILL certainly one of my all-time favourite take-out fake-out recipes I’ve ever shared on the weblog! (I’m so comfortable I lastly gave this recipe a strive all the way in which again in 2017 😉 I’ve by no means regarded again since!) The rooster items are tender, juicy, and calmly breaded, and the sauce is nice, tangy, and spicy, with a whoosh of contemporary orangey citrus taste. It’s completely good and SO quick and straightforward!

Overhead view of homemade orange chicken in a bowl with rice.

“That is the most effective orange rooster I’ve ever eaten! I like how pure tasting it’s, not just like the gloppy, neon, super-sugary variety at eating places. That is so contemporary and scrumptious!”

Tom

Straightforward Orange Rooster Recipe

Orange rooster is a Chinese language American dish with juicy chunks of crispy fried rooster drenched in a easy orange chili glaze. The sauce is nice, tangy, salty, and savory, hitting the entire greatest flavors without delay! My orange rooster recipe is the proper dupe, however I’ve modified it a bit to make it simpler for residence kitchens.

I actually don’t like deep-fried meals, however I can’t deny that a little bit little bit of fried taste helps dishes like this really feel extra genuine (and by “genuine,” I imply tasting like your native take-out joint). So, for this recipe, I exploit the identical pan-fry methodology as I do in my simple sesame rooster. I coat the rooster items in a skinny cornstarch and egg batter, then fry them with a small quantity of oil in a skillet till golden brown. This batter and pan-fry methodology offers the sauce one thing to seize onto and actually helps taste the rooster. It’s simple, scrumptious, and fewer messy!


Straightforward Orange Rooster

This simple Orange Rooster recipe would not require deep frying and has the identical tangy, candy, and salty taste as your favourite Chinese language take-out!

Overhead view of homemade orange chicken in a bowl with rice.Overhead view of homemade orange chicken in a bowl with rice.

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Orange Sauce

  • 1 massive orange ($0.70)
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.15)
  • 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.05)
  • 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar* ($0.06)
  • 1 tsp grated contemporary ginger ($0.10)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.04)
  • 1/4 tsp crushed purple pepper ($0.02)
  • 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)

Stir Fried Rooster

  • 4 boneless, skinless rooster thighs (about 1.3 lbs.)** ($4.64)
  • 1 massive egg ($0.67)
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.12)
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil*** ($0.08)
  • 4 cups cooked rice ($0.97)
  • 2 inexperienced onions, sliced ($0.20)

  • Take away the zest from the orange utilizing a zester or small-holed cheese grater, then squeeze the juice from the orange. You’ll want about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice. In a small bowl, mix the juice and 1 tsp zest with the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, purple pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch. Whisk the elements collectively till the cornstarch is totally dissolved. Set the sauce to the facet.

  • Use a pointy knife to take away any extra fats from the rooster thighs, then lower them into small 3/4-inch items.

  • Mix the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk till the combination is clean and frothy. Add the rooster items and stir to coat them within the egg combination.

  • Warmth a big skillet over medium to medium-high warmth. As soon as sizzling, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the underside of the skillet. Add the rooster, ensuring all of the items are touching the floor and never piled on prime of each other. Let the items cook dinner till they’re golden brown on the underside.

  • Flip the rooster items, breaking them aside from each other as you flip them. Allow them to cook dinner till golden brown on the second facet and cooked via (about 5-7 minutes complete cooking). Switch the cooked rooster to a separate plate.

  • Pour the ready orange sauce into the identical skillet and switch the warmth right down to medium-low. Give the sauce a stir and permit it to come back as much as a simmer, at which level it’ll begin to thicken and switch shiny. Proceed to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

  • Add the cooked rooster items again into the skillet and stir to coat the rooster with the sauce. Warmth for 1 extra minute.

  • Serve the rooster and sauce with cooked rice and garnish with sliced inexperienced onions and any leftover orange zest.

See how we calculate recipe prices right here.


*Rice vinegar offers the sauce the proper tangy taste and not using a robust vinegar aftertaste or aroma. You could find rice vinegar within the Asian part of most main grocery shops.
**I exploit rooster thighs as a result of they’re budget-friendly and all the time keep juicy and tender, however you need to use rooster breast when you favor. Simply watch out to not over cook dinner the rooster breast as it may well turn out to be powerful and dry.
***Use a impartial cooking oil that may deal with increased temperatures, like canola, peanut, vegetable, or gentle olive oil.

Serving: 1servingEnergy: 531kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 36gFats: 15gSodium: 919mgFiber: 2g

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The best way to Make Orange Rooster Step-by-Step Images

The ingredients to make homemade orange chicken.The ingredients to make homemade orange chicken.

Collect your entire elements.

Two orange halves on a cutting board with orange zest and a zester.Two orange halves on a cutting board with orange zest and a zester.

Make the orange sauce: Start by making the orange sauce in order that it’s able to go while you want it. Zest one massive orange, then squeeze as a lot juice out of it as you’ll be able to. You’ll want about 1 tsp zest and 1/2 cup juice. 

The orange sauce for orange chicken.The orange sauce for orange chicken.

Mix the orange juice and orange zest in a small sauce pot with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp grated contemporary ginger, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/4 tsp purple pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch. Whisk all of them collectively till the cornstarch is totally dissolved and put aside.

Diced chicken thighs on a cutting mat.Diced chicken thighs on a cutting mat.

Reduce the rooster: Trim any extra fats from 4 boneless, skinless rooster thighs, then lower them into 3/4-inch items. This was about 1.33 kilos of rooster.

Corn starch, egg, and seasonings in a mixing bowl.Corn starch, egg, and seasonings in a mixing bowl.

Make the cornstarch combination: Whisk collectively one massive egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper till it’s gentle and frothy. The combination could seem dry at first, however the cornstarch will start to soften into the moisture from the egg.

Diced chicken thigh pieces in a cornstarch and egg mixture in a mixing bowl.Diced chicken thigh pieces in a cornstarch and egg mixture in a mixing bowl.

Coat the rooster: Add the rooster items and toss them till they’re coated within the egg combination.

Chicken thigh pieces cooking in a skillet.Chicken thigh pieces cooking in a skillet.

Cook dinner the rooster: Warmth a big skillet over medium to medium-high warmth, then add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Add the rooster items to the skillet in order that they’re in a single layer and never piled on prime each other. Allow them to cook dinner till golden brown on the underside, then start to show the rooster items, breaking them aside from each other as you flip.

Let the rooster cook dinner on the second facet till golden as properly and the items are cooked via. Strive to not stir the rooster an excessive amount of to keep away from the batter falling off. Whole cooking time must be about 5-7 minutes. Switch the cooked rooster to a separate plate.

Orange sauce simmering in a skillet.Orange sauce simmering in a skillet.

Simmer the sauce: Add the ready orange sauce to the identical skillet you cooked the rooster in. Flip the warmth right down to medium low and stir the sauce. Let it come to a simmer, at which level it’ll begin to thicken and switch shiny. Proceed to simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

Cooked chicken added to the orange sauce in a skillet.Cooked chicken added to the orange sauce in a skillet.

Coat the rooster: Return the cooked rooster items to the skillet with the sauce.

Finished orange chicken in a skillet, garnished with sliced green onions.Finished orange chicken in a skillet, garnished with sliced green onions.

Stir to coat the rooster within the sauce and warmth for 1 extra minute. Garnish the rooster with sliced inexperienced onions and any leftover orange zest (that orange zest on prime actually makes the orange taste POP! ✨) Serve with the cooked rice, and revel in!

Overhead view of orange chicken in a bowl with rice, with chopsticks taking a piece of chicken.Overhead view of orange chicken in a bowl with rice, with chopsticks taking a piece of chicken.

Some folks have had hassle with the battered pan fry methodology, so I wish to provide you with a few suggestions right here:

  1. Be certain your skillet is good and sizzling. If it’s too cool the egg batter will slide off the rooster and switch into scrambled eggs in your skillet.
  2. Don’t stir the rooster an excessive amount of whereas it cooks. After including the rooster to your skillet, don’t contact it till it’s golden on the underside, then flip, and cook dinner once more. Stirring an excessive amount of can knock the cooked batter off the rooster, leaving you once more with separate cooked eggs and rooster.
  3. For those who’re a newbie, use a non-stick skillet. For those who favor to make use of stainless-steel, let the skillet warmth up earlier than including the oil. This helps stop the egg from sticking.

This cornstarch-egg frying methodology offers the rooster items only a contact of breading and fried taste whereas leaving the dish tasting gentle and contemporary. IMHO, it’s completely good.

Serving Strategies

Once I serve this selfmade orange rooster, I wish to pair it with jasmine rice for a simple but scrumptious meal. Nonetheless, I feel my coconut rice can be an amazingly flavorful various to plain rice! This sesame cucumber salad is one other favourite of mine as a result of it’s gentle, crunchy, and full of taste. For one thing a little bit additional, I’d make my sesame roasted inexperienced beans or our contemporary kimchi spring rolls and add them to my plate, too!

Storage & Reheating

As soon as cooled, retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-4 days. I usually reheat any leftovers within the microwave till totally heated via. You may also strive freezing the rooster and sauce for as much as 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Let it thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.

Our Straightforward Orange Rooster recipe was initially printed 2/23/17. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 3/21/25.

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