Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the orange sauce made of in orange chicken? ›

How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Mix 2 tablespoons (16 g) of flour with 1/4 cup (60 mL) of cold water, then add to your sauce and stir over medium heat until it thickens. Alternatively, create a sauce-thickening roux by whisking 1 tbsp (15 g) of butter and 1 tbsp (9 g) of salt together, then adding the mixture to your sauce.

✗ Orange Chicken

In fact, it's one of the highest-calorie, highest-sugar options. (No wonder its sauce is so finger-licking sweet!) The version of this Chinese-American classic at Panda Express comes with 490 calories, 23g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 51g carbohydrate, 25g protein, and 820mg sodium.

What is the difference between orange chicken and General Tso? Orange chicken is crispy fried with a fruity, sweet, and tangy sauce that's caramelized into a glaze. General Tso is stir-fried in a sweet, sour, and spicy umami sauce.

To thicken the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce starts to bubble in the pan on the stovetop, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine.

Orange chicken is a Chinese-American takeout dish made popular by the popular strip mall restaurant, Panda Express. It's deep-fried pieces of chicken, tossed in a sweet and tangy orange citrus sauce.

Easy-to-access alternatives are wheat flour, arrowroot flour, and rice flour. These are good alternatives to cornstarch because they are more nutritious and contain fewer carbohydrates and calories. Xanthan and guar gum are much stronger thickeners than cornstarch, but they can be harder to obtain and use.

Alginate, k-carrageenan, xanthan, guar gum, pectin, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and some modified starches are extensively used in the formulations in the Chinese traditional cereal foods, especially for noodles and CSB.

Though it's virtually flavorless, cornstarch is easily one of the most vital ingredients in a Chinese kitchen, with multiple uses, including thickening sauces, gravies, and soups.

Is Chinese orange chicken unhealthy? ›

Takeout orange chicken is not very healthy because it's loaded with sugar and deep-fried as well. But this homemade version is a healthier alternative made from whole food ingredients with no added sugar and no deep frying involved. When you pair it with some veggies it is a healthy option!

7: Mongolian Chicken 🐔 Another highly requested recipe for all of you! I find this one super similar to Orange Chicken and Sesame Chicken, just with a different ratio of ingredients and no citrus added to the sauce. The dried chilies themselves don't actually add that much spice unless you break them open.

Tangerine chicken tastes fresh and spicy, but orange chicken tastes sweet and sour. Orange chicken is crispy cooked in a sweet and little spicy orange sauce. The sweetness of orange chicken was introduced to cater to American tastes.

Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip for deep-fried dishes such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, fish, or with rice or noodles.

Preparation. Combine mandarin orange juice, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and chili flakes in a sauce pot.

It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name). It's typically made with orange juice and orange zest to achieve the citrus flavor.

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.