Orange Chicken and Rice

Published: Apr 24, 2025 · Modified: Jun 24, 2025 by Nicole Kendrick · This post may contain affiliate links · 79 Comments

Our easy orange chicken and rice recipe is full of classic take-out flavors you can enjoy at home. It's full of crispy, fried chicken chunks coated in a sweet and savory mix and served over rice with a sweet, savory citrus sauce.

Overhead shot of bowlful of orange chicken with rice.

Quick Look: Orange Chicken and Rice

⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
🍲 Serving: 8 servings
⚡ Calories: 919 calories per serving
🍂 Flavor Profile: Sweet and spicy sauce drizzled on crispy chicken
👌 Difficulty: Easy - Takeout food flavors but keep it healthy in your own kitchen

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We love takeout, but we don't always want to pay for delivery or head out to our local restaurant to pick it up. With this delicious orange chicken recipe, we don't have to.

We also love easy and fun recipes, and just like our air fryer boneless chicken bites and air fryer Greek meatballs, this recipe comes together quickly and leaves everyone asking for more. You can't beat it.

Like our air fryer Mongolian beef and air fryer crispy chilli beef recipes, this sweet, tangy chicken take out dinner recipe is loaded with all the classic flavors we love, and it's as fresh as it can possibly be. After all, it came from your kitchen!

Jump to:

Quick Look: Orange Chicken and Rice
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Fried Chicken Ingredients
Orange Sauce Ingredients
Flavor Variations
Fried Chicken Instructions
Orange Sauce Instructions
Expert Tips
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
Orange Chicken and Rice
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Classic Flavor: This recipe is full of the sweet and savory flavors and crispy texture you love about orange chicken.
As Fresh as It Gets: You can't get any fresher than straight from your kitchen.
Convenient: You'll never have to wait for a delivery guy or head to your local take-out spot.
Simple Ingredients: The flavor of this dish may be complex, but the ingredients aren't. You can find them all at your local grocery store, and some of them are probably in your kitchen right now.
Easy: This is easy orange chicken recipe only takes a few minutes of prep. You make the chicken while your rice simmers, so it's made in just about 30 minutes time.

Fried Chicken Ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: We love Springer Mountain Farms boneless skinless chicken breasts because they never add hormones or antibiotics, and they never use animal by-products in their feed.
Corn Starch and Flour: A mix of corn starch and flour makes a coating that's not too thick and nicely crisp.
Tamari Sauce: Tamari sauce adds a rich, mellow, soy sauce-like flavor with an umami note.
14 Spice All Purpose Seasoning: This seasoning blend is absolutely loaded with flavor and gives the chicken a big kick of savory flavor.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil adds a distinctive nutty flavor to the chicken.

Orange Sauce Ingredients

Orange Juice and Zest: Freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest give the sauce a bright, citrus flavor.
Tamari Sauce: Tamari sauce adds a mellow flavor similar to soy sauce.
Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar gives the sauce a tangy flavor that's perfect with the sweetness of the orange and sugar in the recipe.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce, balancing the acidity of the tamari and the orange.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil adds a savory, nutty note to the sauce.
Ginger Paste: Ginger paste adds a bold kick of spicy, peppery flavor with a hint of sweetness.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.

Flavor Variations

Soy Sauce: Soy sauce has a similar flavor to tamari and works well in this recipe.
Bottled Orange Juice: While freshly squeezed orange juice is preferred, bottled orange juice is a good alternative in a pinch. Be sure it's 100% orange juice with no added sweeteners.
Meat: You can use chicken thighs in place of breasts. You could also use pork or shrimp for a totally different dish with one easy change.
Gluten-Free: If you can't have gluten, just use a 1:1 gluten free flour. It's an easy switch and won't alter the flavor in the slightest.

Fried Chicken Instructions

Whisk the fried chicken ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, add the diced chicken cubes and stir to thoroughly coat them.
Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, placing them on a wire rack over paper towels to catch any excess oil.
Fry the chicken in batches again for about a minute until they are a bit deeper golden brown and extra crispy. Place the cooked chicken back on the wire rack.

Orange Sauce Instructions

While the chicken cooks, whisk all the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup.
Pour the sauce into a large wok or pan over medium heat and stir well.
Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water and add it to the sauce. Then, cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
Turn off the heat and add the chicken, stirring well to evenly coat.
Serve in bowls over white or jasmine rice and top with chopped green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Expert Tips

To ensure your rice is cooked quickly and perfectly, use a rice cooker. Simply rinse 3 cups of rice and add them to a rice cooker along with 3 cups of water.
To ensure your oil is the correct temperature, dip a piece of chicken into it. If the oil sizzles, it's ready to go!
We prefer using a wok for this recipe whenever possible. The curved sides make it easy to ensure the chicken is fully coated in sauce.
When washing chicken, use a deep sink and run the water on a low stream. This reduces splashing and spreading bacteria. Always wash your counters after rinsing chicken.

Pairing Suggestions

Serve this orange chicken with white or jasmine rice. You can also serve it with your favorite fried rice variation, as well. You can also make this part of a larger meal with classic sides like egg rolls and wontons.

For dessert, try these pumpkin cream cheese muffins. The warm, pumpkin flavor and sweet cream cheese frosting work very well with the citrus and savory flavors in the chicken.

FAQ

How do you make fried food crispy?

When it comes to frying, it's all about oil temperature. Your oil should be nice and hot, ideally between 330 to 350 degrees. Hot oil immediately crisps the outside of the batter or coating, forming a physical barrier that prevents the food from soaking up the oil as it cooks.

Why was my fried chicken soggy?

If your fried chicken is soggy, your oil wasn't hot enough. When the oil isn't hot enough, it won't crisp the outside of the food, allowing the coating to soak up the oil and get soggy. Be sure you preheat your oil and work in small batches to keep the oil hot.

Can I make this orange chicken recipe gluten free?

Yes, you can. Simply use a 1:1 gluten free flour in the same amount as regular flour. You'll also want to use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce, as it's naturally gluten free. If you want to use soy sauce, be sure the label specifies gluten free.

Can I use store-bought orange juice in place of freshly squeezed?

You can use store-bought orange juice in place of fresh in almost any recipe so long as it's 100% juice with no added sweeteners.

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