Sliced chicken thighs coated in egg and flour, deep fried, then covered in a delicious sticky orange sauce. Serve with freshly steamed rice and spring onion. A fun twist on sticky lemon chicken!
This recipe for Sticky Orange Chicken was inspired by a similar dish from Panda Express, one of my favourite takeaway spots when I lived in the US in my early 20s! I fantasise about it often, so I thought it was high-time I created my own version. It delivered! The chicken is coated in a mixture of egg, plain flour and cornflour which gives it a lovely, crispy texture once deep fried. The sticky orange sauce is everything you want it to be - sweet, tangy and nicely thickened.
If you like the look of this, you'll also enjoy my original Sticky Lemon Chicken.
Ingredient notes:
- Chicken:This is a great recipe to use chicken thighs in. They fry up nicely without drying out.
- Oranges: The sweetness of the oranges adds a lovely twist to the original lemon chicken variety.
- Cornflour + flour coating : Creates that signature crispy coating that soaks up the sticky sauce beautifully.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sesame oil, salt and white pepper. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces then add to the bowl and stir to coat. Place in the fridge while you prepare the sauce. Add all of the sticky orange sauce ingredients to a jug and whisk until well combined.
Add enough oil to deep fry to a saucepan or frying pan with high sides (I used about 800ml) and heat until hot. In a shallow dish, mix together the flour and cornflour. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture. Cook the chicken in batches for around 5 minutes each, until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
Once all of the chicken is cooked, pour the sauce into a large frying pan on a medium heat. Cook, stirring, until it thickens and starts bubbling.
Add the cooked chicken to the pan and toss until evenly coated in the sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onion and sesame seeds then serve in bowls with steamed white rice.
Recipe FAQs:
You can, however chicken thighs really are best for flavour and tenderness!
You can bake or air fry the chicken, but it won't be quite as crispy as the fried version.
This recipe isn't overly sweet, in my opinion. However you can reduce or omit the brown sugar if you prefer!
Storage:
This recipe is best eaten fresh on the day it is made. You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container, it just won't be as crispy as it was on the first day!
Top tips:
- Keep the oil hot: Make sure your oil is properly heated before frying so the chicken turns crispy, not soggy.
- Cook in batches: Avoid overcrowding the pan to ensure even cooking and crispiness.
- Double coating option: For extra crunch, dip the chicken back into the egg mixture and flour again before frying.
- Thicken the sauce properly: Stir continuously as it heats so the cornflour activates and creates a glossy finish.
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Sticky Orange Chicken Thighs
Sliced chicken thighs coated in an easy homemade batter, deep fried, then covered in a delicious sticky orange sauce. Serve with freshly steamed rice and spring onion.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 900g boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ¾ cup plain flour
- ¾ cup cornflour
- Oil, for deep frying (I used 800ml rice bran oil)
Sticky Orange Sauce
- Zest of 1 orange
- 200ml fresh orange juice (approx 3 oranges)
- 3 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp crushed ginger
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or other vinegar)
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- ½ cup water
To serve
- Steamed white rice
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sesame oil, salt and white pepper.
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces then add to the bowl and stir to coat. Place in the fridge while you prepare the sauce.
- Add all of the sticky orange sauce ingredients to a jug and whisk until well combined.
- Add enough oil to deep fry to a saucepan or frying pan with high sides (I used about 800ml) and heat until hot.
- In a shallow dish, mix together the flour and cornflour. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture.
- Cook the chicken in batches for around 5 minutes each, until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Once all of the chicken is cooked, pour the sauce into a large frying pan on a medium heat. Cook, stirring, until it thickens and starts bubbling.
- Add the cooked chicken to the pan and toss until evenly coated in the sauce.
- Sprinkle over the spring onion and sesame seeds then serve in bowls with steamed white rice.
Notes
- This recipe is inspired by the orange chicken at Panda Express, one of my favourite takeaway spots when I lived in the US years ago.
- This recipe is best eaten fresh. But you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 580Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 1026mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 45g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
eleanor says
a lovely dish for an evening treat, i will have to try the lemon chicken one now. Thank you.
VJ cooks says
Awesome, thanks so much for the feedback, Eleanor!