Our family’s go-to dish for homemade Chinese is this cheesecake factory orange chicken, created with handmade boneless chicken bits and a homemade orange chicken sauce. The preparation of this dish requires only half an hour!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Made With Delectable Homemade Orange Sauce. At home, you can whip up this sweet and savory sauce using freshly squeezed orange juice and other ingredients that are familiar to you.
• A Simple Stir Fried Dish. This quick orange chicken takes less than half an hour to prepare and is created using items that are most often found in kitchen pantries and refrigerators.
• Even Better Than Ordering Takeout. If this orange chicken with its intense taste appears on the menu, there is no way you will want to get takeaway. At one-half the price and with no additional calories or guilt from added additives!

What Differs Orange Chicken From General Tso Chicken?

In both cases, the chicken is breaded and fried, and the sauce is on the sweeter side; however, the sauce used for general Tso’s chicken has more of a chili foundation, and the dish itself is darker. Orange chicken often has a glaze that is lighter in color and includes flavors of sweet, acidic, and salty. Because dried red chiles are not used in the preparation of this meal, the heat level is significantly reduced.

What Ingredients Go Into Orange Chicken Sauce?

The majority of orange chicken sauces contain the following ingredients: orange juice, rice vinegar, fresh garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and optionally, red chili flakes. Orange zest may also be used.

Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients

• Orange Juice. For this cheesecake factory recipe, I prefer to use freshly squeezed orange juice, but you are more than free to use squeezed orange juice purchased from the supermarket instead.
• Soy Sauce. Grab the low-sodium version, but feel free to substitute the salt with amino liquids if you choose.
• Vinegar. You may substitute normal white vinegar or rice vinegar in this recipe.
• Spices. Cracked black pepper, ideally freshly ground.
• Thickening Agent. Corn starch is what’s used to make the orange chicken sauce more thick and creamy.
• Sweetener. To sweeten the sauce, brown sugar is often used, but you may also substitute honey for it if you want.
• Herbs. Adding fresh garlic and ginger that has been grated, both of which are fresh ingredients, makes a significant impact.
• Spicy. You may make the cheesecake factory orange chicken dish spicier by adding cayenne pepper or chili flakes to the sauce. This is an option available to you whenever you cook the recipe. (optional)
• Oil. You may use sesame oil or vegetable oil, but the flavor of sesame oil is not to my liking, so I go with vegetable oil. You can also use sesame oil. There is also the option of using flavorless coconut oil.

Does Cooking Your Own Orange Chicken Beat Over Ordering In?

For me, the answer is an obvious yes because homemade alternatives are always cleaner than delivery. When you cook anything from scratch, you know it has been produced with high-quality ingredients and isn’t loaded down with fillers and preservatives. You won’t have any issues with this Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Recipe because it just requires a few basic ingredients and 30 minutes to prepare.

How Can I Create A Healthy Orange Chicken?

You may make a few adjustments to this recipe from Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken to make it a little bit healthier. For example, you can air fry the chicken instead of deep frying it if you’re making it using chicken. Honey can be used instead of brown sugar in this recipe.

How To Make Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Sauce

• Cut the chicken breast into cubes measuring half an inch on a side and lay them in a basin. To coat the chicken, mix together some flour, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and ginger powder. Add this mixture to the chicken.
• The oil should be heated to a medium-high temperature in a deep frying pan. Fry the chicken for around 2–3 minutes, or until it reaches a golden brown color. It will get chewy if you overcook it, so be careful not to do that.
• In the meantime, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Next, transfer the mixture to a heated nonstick skillet or frying pan, and continue to cook it over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken.
• After the chicken has been cooked, place it in the sauce and stir it so that it is evenly coated. After allowing the sauce and the chicken to boil together for one to two minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
• You may serve this dish with white rice or homemade lo mein noodles. To finish, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and some chopped green onion on top. (optional)

What To Serve With Orange Chicken?

In my opinion, orange chicken tastes best when it is accompanied by rice or lo mein noodles. You have the choice of using plain white rice or fried rice for the rice in this dish. Other types of noodles that are comparable to Lo Mein or other types of noodles are also excellent alternatives.

However, in addition to these additional sides, you may serve your orange chicken with:

• Egg noodles
• Steamed broccoli
• Soy marinated eggs
• Cucumber salad
• Baby bok choi
• Hot and sour soup.

How To Store Orange Chicken?

• In The Fridge. The orange chicken may be preserved in the refrigerator for up to three to four days in an airtight container if there are any leftovers. Because the sauce is already on the chicken, the chicken will lose some of its crispiness over time compared to when it was served immediately.
• In The Freezer. You may also freeze orange chicken by placing it in a container that will keep out air and doing so for up to one month.
• To Reheat. You may reheat the chicken by making a fresh batch of orange sauce and warming the chicken in a skillet with the sauce, or you can just reheat the leftovers in the microwave for a few minutes until they are well-cooked.

Recipe Tips

• Use a big non-stick pan/skillet or wok.
• If you don’t like chicken thighs, a good alternative might be boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins.
• Your chicken should be cut into even pieces that are biting in size. Because of this, they will cook uniformly.
• You may easily change the amount of orange zest called for in the recipe to achieve the desired flavor intensity for the sauce.
• You may save aside some of the sauce to drizzle over the rice, or you could increase the quantity of the ingredients in the sauce to make it saucier.
• Check that the temperature in your skillet is nice and high.
• If you absolutely cannot find fresh orange juice, you can substitute store-bought orange juice instead; nevertheless, you should not omit the orange zest.

Try More Recipes:

• Chicken Marbella Ina Garten
• Tex-Mex Chicken Spaghetti Pioneer Woman

Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 1690
• Total Fat 59g
• Saturated Fat 10g
• Cholesterol 155mg
• Sodium 2780mg
• Total Carbohydrate 218g
• Dietary Fiber 5g
• Sugars 77g
• Protein 74g