American Orange Chicken
Strips of chicken breast in a light, crisp batter, fried twice, then tossed in a bright sweet-and-sour sauce of fresh orange juice, sugar, vinegar and oyster sauce with thin strips of orange peel, on a plate ringed with orange slices.
Orange chicken is the signature dish of Panda Express, and according to the company, its executive chef Andy Kao developed it in 1987, around the time the chain opened its Ala Moana Center restaurant in Honolulu, its first outside California (Wikipedia:). Wikipedia says Panda Express now sells more than 100 million pounds of it a year, and that the dish is rarely found in restaurants in China.
Where the idea came from is less clear. Wikipedia reports three views: that it may descend from a Hunan tangerine peel chicken (see Tangerine Peel Chicken), that it was inspired by Hawaiian dishes like mochiko chicken (a 2007 Honolulu Star-Bulletin report), and that it is a variation on General Tso's chicken, as Panda Express founder Andrew Cherng has said. The journalist Jennifer 8. Lee calls both "Americanized mutations" of Chinese sweet and sour dishes. This version is not Panda's (that one is our Copycat Orange Chicken recipe). It is the restaurant-style orange chicken of Made With Lau's Daddy Lau, a Cantonese chef with more than 60 years of experience: chicken breast for white meat, fresh orange juice for the sauce and a ring of orange slices on the plate.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Strips of chicken breast in a light, crisp batter, fried twice, then tossed in a bright sweet-and-sour sauce of fresh orange juice, sugar, vinegar and oyster sauce with thin strips of orange peel, on a plate ringed with orange slices.
🇨🇳 The original
Chenpi chicken is seasoned with dried tangerine peel, which gives a fragrant, slightly bitter citrus note instead of a sweet glaze. See the Tangerine Peel Chicken (Chenpi Chicken) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
A 3-to-1 batter
Made With Lau says flour alone isn't crunchy enough and cornstarch alone fries rock-hard, so three parts flour to one part starch, plus a little baking powder, gives a light, crisp shell that can hold a sticky sauce.
Two fries
The first, at 300°F, cooks the chicken; the second, at 400°F, dries and crisps the coating so it survives the sauce.
Step by step
- Step 1
Halve the chicken breast horizontally to even its thickness and cut it into 1/2-inch strips. Stir the salt, cornstarch and water together, mix in the chicken, then the half egg.
- Step 2
Cut one orange into eighths, squeeze out the juice and strain it. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, salt and oyster sauce. Mix the slurry in another bowl.
- Step 3
Slice the second orange into 1/4-inch rounds for the plate. If you like, cut the pith off half the juiced peel and slice the orange part into very thin strips.
- Step 4
Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking powder with the water, the quarter egg and the oil into a batter like thin pancake batter.
- Step 5
Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 300°F. Mix the batter into the chicken and fry the pieces in two or more batches, separated, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until pale golden. Lift them out.
- Step 6
Heat the oil to 400°F and fry all the chicken again 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and crisp and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain, and keep a little of the oil for the wok.
- Step 7
Heat a wok over high heat with 1/2 tbsp oil, stir in the peel strips briefly, add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, drizzle in the slurry while stirring, then add 1 tbsp oil. Arrange the orange rounds around a platter.
- Step 8
Turn the heat back up, add the chicken and toss 15 to 20 seconds, then turn off the heat, stir in 1 tsp oil for shine, plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
American Orange Chicken
Serves 4 · 1 platter · 45 min total
Chicken and marinade
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 egg, beaten
Orange sauce
- 2 large oranges (one for juice, one for the plate), or 5 oz pulp-free juice plus 1 orange
- 1 1/3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water
Batter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 tbsp water
- 1/4 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp oil
Frying and finishing
- About 1 lb (2 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying
- 1/2 tbsp, 1 tbsp and 1 tsp oil (from the frying oil is fine), for the wok
- A pinch of sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Halve the chicken breast horizontally to even its thickness and cut it into 1/2-inch strips. Stir the salt, cornstarch and water together, mix in the chicken, then the half egg.
- Cut one orange into eighths, squeeze out the juice and strain it. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, salt and oyster sauce. Mix the slurry in another bowl.
- Slice the second orange into 1/4-inch rounds for the plate. If you like, cut the pith off half the juiced peel and slice the orange part into very thin strips.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking powder with the water, the quarter egg and the oil into a batter like thin pancake batter.
- Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 300°F. Mix the batter into the chicken and fry the pieces in two or more batches, separated, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until pale golden. Lift them out.
- Heat the oil to 400°F and fry all the chicken again 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and crisp and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain, and keep a little of the oil for the wok.
- Heat a wok over high heat with 1/2 tbsp oil, stir in the peel strips briefly, add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, drizzle in the slurry while stirring, then add 1 tbsp oil. Arrange the orange rounds around a platter.
- Turn the heat back up, add the chicken and toss 15 to 20 seconds, then turn off the heat, stir in 1 tsp oil for shine, plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Adapted from Made With Lau (Daddy Lau and Randy Lau), "Orange Chicken" (published February 2022, updated October 2026), serves 4. We follow it as written: 12 oz chicken breast in 1/2-inch strips with salt, cornstarch, water and half a beaten egg; a sauce of the juice of 1 large orange (or 5 oz juice), 1 1/3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp white vinegar, salt and oyster sauce; a slurry of 1 tbsp cornstarch and 3 tbsp water; a batter of 3 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking powder, 5 tbsp water, a quarter of the egg and 1 tsp oil; frying at 300°F for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes and again at 400°F for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes; and 15 to 20 seconds in the sauce. The 165°F check is ours. Made With Lau. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- White sugar and chicken breast keep the sauce bright orange on bright white chicken, Made With Lau says; honey or dark meat taste good but look browner.
- Too much peel turns bitter; use about half and take off all the white pith.
- Swap lemons for oranges and add more sugar for lemon chicken, orange chicken's "lesser-known cousin."
- Reheat leftovers in an air fryer to win back some crunch, Mommy Lau suggests.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Andy Kao of Panda Express invented orange chicken in 1987. Documented as Panda Express's account (Wikipedia; Made With Lau repeats it). We did not read the company's own page.
- Orange chicken came from a Hunan tangerine chicken. Disputed: Wikipedia says it "may"; Made With Lau says Kao drew inspiration from Hunan; Wikipedia also reports a Hawaiian mochiko chicken theory and Andrew Cherng's view that it is a variation of General Tso's chicken.
- Real orange chicken uses orange peel. Disputed: Wikipedia says the American dish uses fresh orange peel or no orange at all; Made With Lau calls the peel optional.
- You can find it in China. Documented as rare: Wikipedia says it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China.
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