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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.
Loved the flavors! My chicken stuck to the skillet and didn’t brown/crisp as much as I thought and was afraid to burn it if I left it longer in the pan. Perhaps if I’d used a coated skillet…?
Thank you! I enjoy making your delicious recipes!
Hi Kat,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it stuck to the pan! What kind of pan did you use? xTieghan
Made this tonight. So much better than the you know who makers of orange chicken! Tiegan this is a keeper! Thank you!
Hi Glenn,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was such a hit! My husband went back for seconds and called dibs on the leftovers! Which is huge because he is so picky with chicken. I thought it came together very easily and was a great choice for a busy weeknight. Can’t wait to make it again!
Hi Haley,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
Wow! My husband said this flavor profile was top notch. This was so delicious!
Hi Judy,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
My family love it! I added some gochujang to the sauce because we like every spicy. Service over rice with a side of broccoli. ?
Hi Jacquie,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
This was fantastic!! We loved it! It has a nice kick of spice which was just perfect. Not too sweet either. It is gluten free and a big win in our GF house! Thank you!
Hi Alicia,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
This was So Delicious!
Made it tonight(Monday)
Fast and easy recipe…
Just the right amount of spice!
Served over rice
Thank you so much for another great recipe..
Hi Vicki,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
This was AWESOME!! The whole family loved it, will definitely make again!!
Hi Samantha,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
Really delicious and easy to make. I went with really small cubes of chicken, which led to the need for a bit more corn starch…but this was another HBH crowd pleaser.
Hi Steve,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
This is AMAZING!! It’s definitely a welcome addition to our dinner rotation.
Would it be possible to air fry the chicken for a healthier option?!
Hi Karleigh,
Sure, that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xx
Hi Beth,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
This was delicious despite me screwing if up! I coated the first batch of chicken in cornstarch and needed a little more for second and third batches. I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t crisping up in the second and third batches as in the first. Then I realized a grabbed the powdered sugar by mistake instead of cornstarch, which I keep in identical containers. The funny thing is that no one knew, and the sugar gave it a carmelized chicken flavor. Thanks Teigan for this recipe – def will make again (correctly next time).?
Hi Lisa,
Lol ooopss!! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about the powdered sugar!! Let me know if you give it another go. xx
Good flavor and loved the spiciness, but also experienced a bitter taste, even though I was careful when zesting. Quite a bit of prep time too, so plan on that.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback. xx
Made this last night for dinner and my son finished it off the next day! Sauce is very good and was easy to put together. Thank you, I have been enjoying your recipes.
Hi Carol,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
It was delicious!!! My sauce didn’t get too thick though, I’m not sure why!
Hi Erin,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! it may have needed to simmer longer. Have a great week:) xx
This was delicious ?
Hey Heather,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx