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This Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken is classic, but made at home for a more wholesome approach…and with a little extra sauce. The chicken is pan-fried in a small amount of avocado oil until crispy, then tossed in a yummy sesame orange sauce with fresh orange juice and chili flakes. It’s a little sweet and a little spicy with such great flavor. This is best served over steamed rice with extra green onions on top. A fun homemade take on a popular takeout dish.
One of my favorite things to do is take our favorite takeout dishes and try my best to recreate them at home. There’s just something so fun about homemade takeout, especially when you live in a little town as we do. Our takeout options are more limited, so sometimes the only option is to just make “takeout” at home!
After I made orange cauliflower a few weeks back, my brothers were all over my case to make a more classic crispy orange chicken. They actually loved the cauliflower variation but said that nothing beats the real orange chicken.
I have a hard time saying no to those guys, so I created this recipe pretty much immediately after they requested it. And geez, you guys, this is so good. Just like your favorite takeout, but made at home, and with more wholesome ingredients too!
Traditionally orange chicken is deep-fried and tossed in a spicy, sweet, and tangy orange sauce. The sauce is usually made with a decent amount of sugar, in addition to orange juice and a bit of soy.
To keep this dish and the cooking simple and easy, I made some simple swaps. I used avocado oil for cooking, honey to sweeten, and tamari for the soy (tamari is just gluten-free soy sauce).
But the flavors are ALL there. Lots of orange, a touch of sweetness, and a kick of spice.
Details
I start with the chicken and toss it simply with an egg white, a splash of soy sauce, a pinch of peppers, plus some fresh orange zest. Then dredge the chicken through cornstarch. The cornstarch gives the chicken just the right amount of breading to crisp it up. It also helps the sauce to thicken.
When you’re dredging the chicken through the cornstarch don’t stress if it starts clumping a little on the chicken. Those clumps will get crispy and be delicious in the sweet orange sauce.
Then the sauce…this really is the heart of the recipe. Start with lots of fresh orange zest and juice. Yes, you can use already squeezed orange juice, but with citrus in-season, I would highly recommend fresh juice. Nothing can compare!
So mix the orange zest and juice with tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, and honey. As I mentioned, the honey replaces the sugar usually found in orange chicken. It works perfectly and I love the small amount of flavor it adds to the sauce.
Cook the chicken in avocado oil, which is awesome for high heat cooking. Once the chicken is crispy, pull it out of the skillet and add lots of garlic and ginger, plus some chili flakes (use to your liking, of course).
Pour in the sauce then add the chicken back. Let the sauce bubble around the chicken until it thickens. Simple and quick!
Serve
Serve the chicken with steamed rice and toasted sesame seeds for a complete meal. The boys all agreed, this dish is “fire”, which in their language means REALLY GOOD.
That should tell you what you need to know right there…you gotta give this dish a try…plus it’s just fun!
Looking for other takeout-style recipes? Here are a few to try:
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 425 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- black pepper
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
Orange Sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh orange juice + 2 tablespoons zest
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1/2-1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- green onions and sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, egg white, tamari/soy sauce, orange zest, and pepper. Toss well to coat. In a separate bowl, add the cornstarch.2. Dredge the chicken through the cornstarch to coat. 3. In a glass jar, whisk together the broth, orange juice, tamari/soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. 4. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, working in batches, cook until golden all around, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet. 5. To the skillet, add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the orange sauce. Bring to a boil, boil 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken. Toss with the sauce and cook until the sauce thickens around the chicken, about 5 minutes. 6. Serve the chicken and sauce over steamed rice with sesame seeds and green onions.
Trying to add more vegetables for 2022! If I wanted to add say broccoli when would you suggest? This looks really good 🙂
I’m having roasted broccoli with mine, but I thought green beans too! I’m so excited to try this!
I hope you love the recipe Leigh!!
Hey Marie,
I would boil your broccoli and then just add that separately, you could double the sauce if you want extra. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Would I be able to bake the chicken in the oven and pour the sauce over it? I’m thinking of how you cook your delicious sweet and sour chicken and baking would be so much easier for me than cooking it on a stove. I can’t wait for my family and I try this recipe!
Hey Miranda,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Absolutely delicious and SO easy! I have just started using your recipes and have not been disappointed – thank you for great dishes that break out of the ‘what can I make for supper’ rut!
Hey there,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Made this tonight, exactly as presented. It was delicious and now going into regular rotation in our house!
Thank you!
Hi Judy,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Absolutely declicous… I like spicy heat, but used 1/2 tsp. chili flakes and …whoa….spicy hot! Just added some orange marmalade to sweeten it up a bit! Love your recipes, photography, family stories and you… Thank YOU ❤️
Hi Mary,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks for your kind message:) xx
I made this tonight. It was delicious!
There were a couple of directions that I had to change. The sauce did not thicken as quickly as stated so it took a bit longer for the sauce to thicken. I just love the sauce ?
Hey Sylvia,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
I was already planning on making stir fry and orange chicken for dinner tonight, and I was about to search for a recipe for the orange chicken but I was just scrolling through my email… what do you know, the recipe lands in my lap from my favorite place to get recipes!!!
Love the timing, thanks for sharing! Recipe looks absolutely perfect!
Thanks so much Catarina!! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
What substitute can I use for Avocado Oil? Also just wondering if I should be switching from Olive Oil to Avocado Oil?
Personally, I like to use avocado oil when frying at high temps, but I still prefer EVOO as an ingredient, or say, when sautéing alliums as a base to a dish.
This looks like a great recipe. I have not made it however I would not try EVOO cause it may give it a different taste, where avocado oil would not.
Hi Chantel,
You can use olive oil in place of avocado oil, either will work:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
How do I find a menu of your recipes? I have a hard time finding things. I have your first cookbook and love some of your recipes. Thank you
Hi Shirley,
You can use the magnifying glass in the top right corner of the page or click “recipes” and choose the category you would like to search by on the left side. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing!
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
Thanks so much!
Wondering if I could do this in my oven-style air fryer?
Hey Julie,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you!! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Need to leave out the egg white, think it will change the recipe too much? Egg allergy, any egg white replacement suggestions?
Hi Suzanne,
The thick water in a can of Garbanzo Beans (also known as Aquafaba) is often used as a vegan substitute for egg white. Cocktail bars have been using it for some time now and I think it might give you the results you’re looking for. Cheers!
Hi Suzanne,
The egg white helps with the coating of the chicken, I would try using something like buttermilk in its place. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
Hello,
Thank you for another awesome recipe. Just a quick question; is cornstarch 1/3 cup or Tablespoon?
I have the same question!
Hi! It calls for dredging the chicken pieces in the cornstarch. 1/3 T.(which would = 1 teaspoon)would be far too little to dredge 1-1/2lb. of chicken. Therefore, I think Tieghan meant 1/3 c.
Be well and stay safe.?
Excellent recipe! I had to make only half the sauce because I didn’t have enough tamari. My daughter helped me and it was so fun! We really enjoyed making and eating this…tastes like amazing restaurant food but no icky tummy!
Thank you!!!
Hey there,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Hey there,
You will want to use 1/3 cup of cornstarch. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I’ve tried that the next day. It was fantastic, as usual:) Thank you again!
Awesome!!
Hello! Just a quick clarifying question- I assume you remove the cooking oil before adding the ginger and garlic? Or is the oil kept for the sauce?
It’s not super clear so I just wanted to check 🙂
Thanks for the recipe inspirations 😀
Hey Leah,
Sorry for the confusion, you will keep the oil in the pan, if there is anything left after cooking the chicken. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love Chinese takeout at made at home! Your recipes are my favourites, they are so good, but a lot less sugary. Making this one soon. X
I hope you love the recipe!!