Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe - Orange Chicken or Pheasant (2024)

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5 from 11 votes

By Hank Shaw

December 15, 2017 | Updated June 17, 2020

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Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe - Orange Chicken or Pheasant (2)

“Hi, my name is Hank, and I am addicted to Sad Panda’s orange chicken.”

Hi, Hank…

Yeah, I admit it: I am a sucker for this crack-like approximation of Chinese food sold at Panda Express all over the country. I have no idea whether so-called orange chicken actually exists in China, although there is a vaguely similar dish called tangerine beef I like a lot.

If you somehow have never had it, orange chicken consists of pieces of chicken, usually thigh, marinated and coated in a batter then fried crisp, then tossed in a zippy, citrusy sauce that ranges from pleasantly sweet to cloying depending on who makes it. Some varieties also add chiles to balance things out.

If Panda does this, I can’t tell, so when I am there I always order it with some other entree that has those little dried chiles in it. I then bite off a piece of the chile and take a bite from a piece of orange chicken. The sweet-hot-sour is an addictive combination.

I didn’t set out to mimic Sad Panda’s recipe when I designed this rendition. I actually had a pretty pheasant breast recipe in mind, but found that when I thawed the breasts, they were kinda torn up. Not pretty enough for what I had in mind.

When this happens, Chinese food is one great way to go — everything’s cut into bits! So orange chicken it would be. My recipe is an amalgam of many I read up on, including purported Panda mimics. I also added some actual Chinese elements from what may be the dish’s origin, the tangerine beef I mentioned above.

Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe - Orange Chicken or Pheasant (3)

The result is basically an “adult” version of Panda’s orange chicken. The crust isn’t as thick, but it’s crispier. The sauce isn’t as sweet, there’s significant heat from the chiles, and a bigger orange flavor from the juice, marmalade and the peel.

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What’s more, the slivered peel adds a touch of bitterness that deepens the flavor of it all. If you loathe any sort of bitter, leave out the peel or just don’t eat it — treat it like a bay leaf.

Once you get the hang of this, which takes maybe twice, you will want it more and more and more. It’s addictive…

5 from 11 votes

Chinese Orange Chicken

Clearly orange chicken can be done with any white meat. It will work with boneless rabbit, grouse, partridge, quail or turkey, too. The optional ingredients -- white pepper, tangerine peel and green onions -- give the dish a more Chinese feel. I personally like this dish sweet and hot. But some people just like sweet, and that's OK. You should know this is not as sweet as Panda Express. To get there you will need another tablespoon or even two of honey or marmalade. And if you like a thicker crust, add a couple tablespoons of flour to the corn starch you toss the meat in.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

MARINADE

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine or vermouth or dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

SAUCE

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2/3 cup orange juice, ideally fresh squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • Drizzle of sesame oil
  • 1 to 5 small, dried hot chiles, broken up and seeds discarded
  • 1 tablespoon tangerine peel, thinly sliced (optional)

TO FINISH

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pheasant or other white meat, cubed
  • 2 cups cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoons corn, tapioca or potato starch, mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water
  • Chopped green onions optional

Instructions

  • Mix all the marinade ingredients together with the pheasant pieces; make sure each piece gets coated. Set aside while you prep everything else, about 20 minutes. For the sauce, mix the soy, orange juice, marmalade and vinegar together and set aside. Mix the 1 tablespoon of corn starch with about 2 tablespoons water in a little bowl and set aside.

  • Heat the oil in a wok or small, heavy pot to 350°F to 360°F. Set a baking sheet nearby and line it with paper towels. While the oil is heating, toss the pheasant pieces with the 1/4 cup of corn starch. (This is a messy process, so you'll need to wash your hands at some point.) When the oil is hot, fry the pheasant in 3 to 4 batches until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. As each batch finishes, set it in the baking sheet to drain.

  • After you've fried all the pheasant, pour out the oil into a glass or metal container; you can strain and reuse it later. Rinse the wok and wipe it out with paper towels, then set it back on very high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil from the container you just used. When it's hot, add the chiles and tangerine peel and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the pheasant back to the wok and the ingredients for the sauce you mixed together earlier. Stir fry this for a few seconds. Now, start stirring the corn starch slurry, and, while still stirring, pour it over the meat. Stir fry until it gets thick, a couple seconds. Drizzle the sesame oil over everything, give it one more toss and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 854mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Asian, Featured, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe - Orange Chicken or Pheasant (2024)

FAQs

What is Chinese orange chicken made of? ›

This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest.

What is the difference between General Tso's and orange chicken? ›

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.

What is the difference between orange chicken and tangerine chicken? ›

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.

Is sweet and sour chicken the same as orange chicken? ›

Orange Chicken is crispy and light due to its thin glaze. Meanwhile, Sweet and Sour Chicken is crispy with a thicker and more indulgent sauce. Their different textures make them both a delicious choice when you are craving Chinese food.

What is the orange sauce at Chinese restaurants? ›

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.

What is orange chicken made of at Panda Express? ›

Ingredients: dark meat chicken, water, sugar, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, corn starch, potato starch, contains less than 2% of: wheat, orange extract, caramel color, salt, garlic, phosphoric acid, rice wine, sesame oil. *The dish uses a proprietary batter and sauce.

What is the difference between orange chicken and kung pao chicken? ›

What's the difference between Kung Pao chicken and orange chicken? Orange chicken is made with, well, oranges! A combination of orange juice and zest, to be exact. It's certainly stickier and sweeter than Kung Pao chicken!

Is Szechuan chicken better than General Tso? ›

General Tso's chicken is about the most dangerous Chinese dish on the menu—dark meat battered and deep-fried, then cooked with vegetables in a sweet, spicy sauce. Szechuan chicken, made with leaner, white meat and sautéed with vegetables, is a far better choice.

Is mandarin orange chicken the same as orange chicken? ›

Although they're both made with an orange-based sauce, mandarin chicken and orange chicken are different dishes. Mandarin chicken is typically sweeter because it uses more dark brown sugar than orange chicken. The sauce for mandarin chicken also tends to be thicker and much stickier.

Why does orange chicken taste so good? ›

One distinct characteristic of orange chicken is that it is sweet, and that comes from the addition of brown sugar (and honey), which gives the sauce it's sticky, caramelized glaze. The addition of brown sugar in many Asian recipes helps to balance out sour flavors and spices added to the dish.

What is kung bo? ›

Gong Bao or Kung Po) is a stir-fried Chinese dish that consists of cubed chicken in a sweet, spicy, and savory sauce. It originated in southwestern China in the early 1800s.

What is the Chinese version of orange chicken? ›

True Chinese-style orange chicken is made with sliced fresh chicken—not the battered and fried stuff you'll find in the US—and is flavored not with fresh orange, but with dried orange or tangerine peel.

What is orange chicken sauce made of? ›

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.

What is most similar to orange chicken? ›

General Tso's chicken and orange chicken are two popular Chinese-American dishes that are often compared. While both dishes feature crispy fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and savory sauce, there are some key differences between the two.

Is orange chicken good for you? ›

Traditional preparations of orange chicken involve battering and deep-frying the chicken pieces. And they usually add a significant amount of sugar. My healthier version, is light on sugar, and doesn't use batter, and skips the frying so it's high in protein and can fit into a healthy diet.

What is orange chicken supposed to taste like? ›

Orange chicken is a popular item at Chinese restaurants. It consists of small cubes of chicken that are breaded, pan-fried, and coated in an orange sauce. The orange sauce is sweet with a little tang and a hint of spice. It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name).

Is orange chicken the same as lemon chicken? ›

Have you heard of orange chicken's lesser-known cousin, lemon chicken? It's nearly the same recipe, but with lemons instead of oranges, of course. Since you're already learning to adjust the amounts of sugar and vinegar to suit your taste, try making this recipe with a lemony twist!

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