Description
Making 3 ingredient orange chicken means you can have restaurant-quality takeout on your table in minutes with just chicken, orange juice, and soy sauce. Your dinner comes together quickly and tastes amazing because those three simple ingredients work together perfectly.
Ingredients
Scale
Coating and frying:
- 1 cup flour or cornstarch (or a mix of both)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
Sauce:
- 1 cup barbecue sauce (e.g., Sweet Baby Ray’s)
- 1 cup sweet orange marmalade (e.g., Smucker’s)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Protein:
- 3 chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1 cup orange marmalade, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a medium saucepan over low heat, letting it simmer for 20 minutes while you stir occasionally to meld the flavors together.
- Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl until fully combined, then place 1 cup flour or cornstarch (or a mixture of both) in another bowl for your coating station.
- Take each piece from your 3 to 4 cubed chicken breasts and dip it into the beaten egg, then roll it through the flour mixture until all sides are covered.
- Heat enough vegetable oil in your frying pan to coat the bottom, then fry your coated chicken pieces over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until the outside turns golden and the meat cooks through completely.
- Drain your fried chicken on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- Transfer your cooked chicken to a large bowl and pour the warm sauce you prepared earlier over the pieces, tossing everything together so each piece gets coated evenly.
- Plate your orange chicken over white rice and add steamed or stir-fried vegetables like green peppers or broccoli if you prefer a more complete dish.
Notes
- Let the sauce simmer gently for the full 20 minutes so the orange and BBQ flavors marry together rather than tasting separate.
- Mix your flour and cornstarch together instead of using just one ingredient, as this combination gives you a crispier exterior than flour alone.
- Fry your chicken in batches rather than crowding the pan, which keeps the oil temperature steady and ensures each piece browns evenly.
- Toss the chicken with the sauce right before serving so the coating stays crispy instead of getting soggy from sitting in the liquid.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: More Fried Chicken
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American-Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 452 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 820 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg