Mandarin Orange Chicken

This Mandarin Orange Chicken is my twist on one of our favorite Chinese food recipes! This is the best take out at home recipe ever!

mandarin orange chicken in a bowl with sides

Why You’ll Love This Mandarin Orange Chicken Recipe

And it’s our latest Food Fanatic creation, not a cocktail today, but dinner.

There are so many great recipes for making orange chicken at home. We’ve tried a bunch and love them all, but this one is our new favorite – with pieces of mandarin orange right in the recipe to kick up that orange flavor even more.

Don’t look at the ingredient list and freak out at all, it comes together a lot quicker that you think. And most Asian inspired recipes do have a few ingredients to get through which is why they taste so darn good.

Also…there is going to be frying involved. Don’t freak about that either, the only thing I’d recommend is a thermometer to get the oil to the right temperature, but other than that all you need is a deep pot and a few cups of oil.

This Mandarin Orange Chicken recipe is a little different than most that I’ve seen. The marinade has flour and cornstarch in it – weird to have either of those in a marinade – but there’s a reason. This key to this recipe is a coating on the chicken that’s so ridiculously good you might never order take out again.

We’ve definitely mastered our favorite Stir-Fry Sauce that we literally put on everything. Chicken, steak, or any vegetable (even brussels sprouts!) that we want to get the boys to eat – this sauce goes on.

How To Make Mandarin Orange Chicken

All you need to do is make up a quick marinade for the chicken and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then you can start to fry.

frying pieces of orange chicken

After the chicken is fried you’re going to toss it all together with the mandarin oranges and a quick orange sauce…

orange sauce being poured over orange chicken

And then you’re going to eat. And I can bet you’re going to eat a whole lot.

You can also head over to Food Fanatic for this Mandarin Orange Chicken recipe and tons of other great dinner ideas!

orange chicken in a serving bowl

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orange chicken in a white serving bowl

Mandarin Orange Chicken

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

This Mandarin Orange Chicken is so good, you can throw away your take-out menu! Crispy, fried chicken bites coated in a savory and sweet sauce!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
  • 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
  • Chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish

For The Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For The Orange Sauce:

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon grated or minced garlic

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken to a resealable bag, large dish or bowl. Whisk the ingredients together for the marinade and then pour over the chicken, tossing to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.
  2. Heat a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to only fill the pot up halfway, any more that that might cause the oil to boil over when you add the chicken. Once the oil reaches 375 degrees, you can start to fry the chicken. Drain the chicken from the marinade and carefully add a few pieces at a time to the oil. Fry until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining chicken until all the chicken is cooked. Cover the chicken with foil to keep warm.
  3. Make the sauce by adding a tablespoon of sesame oil to a skillet. Add the ginger and garlic and toast for 15 seconds, stirring. Pour in the chicken broth, soy sauce, sriracha and sugar and whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Once the sauce comes to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
  4. Add the fried chicken to a large bowl along with the drained mandarin oranges. Pour the sauce in a little at a time and toss until the sauce is to your liking.
  5. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds if desired.
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American / Asian

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