A lot of weeknight dinners we make at our house are pretty basic. We make some kind of protein (meat or plant-based) with rice or pasta.
That’s pretty much the formula. So, I like to have easy ways to change this up flavor-wise. And that’s where this orange chicken sauce recipe comes in.
Orange chicken is similar to sweet and sour chicken in that it’s a flavorful sauce that has some sweetness to it. The base of the sauce is orange juice, but it has many other ingredients that balance out the sweetness and flavor.
This orange chicken sauce can be served over baked chicken, fried chicken, or air fryer chicken. You can add steamed rice, fried rice, or cauliflower rice to fill out the meal.
Related: Check out Cashew Chicken Sauce and for more homemade sauce options or give our Easy Chicken Pot Pie a try!
Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Orange juice + zest
- Granulated white sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Red pepper flakes
Directions:
Cook the minced ginger and garlic in the olive oil over medium/high heat for a minute or two. Then, add the orange juice, zest, sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
In a small bowl or glass, stir together the cornstarch with one tablespoon water. This creates a thick slurry mixture. Slowly pour this into the sauce, stirring as you do.
Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more soy sauce or red pepper flakes if needed.
Tips & Substitutions:
- You can substitute honey for the granulated white sugar if you like.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar instead.
- Sauce is like gravy in that if it’s not thickening as much as you want after you’ve added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.
- You can store orange chicken sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week—just rewarm before using.
Serving Suggestions:
- You can use this Springfield-Style Cashew Cauliflower recipe and substitute this orange chicken sauce for a vegetarian-friendly option.
- When we make rice, I always use a rice cooker since it’s so easy, and then I can focus on making the chicken and sauce while the rice cooker does its thing.
- I like to add a few chopped green onions over this sauce just before serving.
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sweet and spicy orange sauce for chicken
Yield 4
Prep 5 minutes mins
Cook 10 minutes mins
Total 15 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup orange juice (and zest from orange)
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
In a sauce pan, cook the minced ginger and garlic in the olive oil over medium/high heat for a minute or two.
Then, add the orange juice, zest, sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the red pepper flakes.
In a small bowl or glass, stir together the cornstarch with one tablespoon water. This creates a thick slurry mixture.
Slowly pour this into the sauce, stirring as you do.
Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more soy sauce or red pepper flakes if needed.
Notes
- You can substitute honey for the granulated white sugar if you like.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar instead.
- Sauce is like gravy in that if it’s not thickening as much as you want after you’ve added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.
- You can store orange chicken sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, just rewarm before using.
© Author Emma Chapman
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Chinese
Keywords orange chicken, sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Orange Chicken Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
79
% Daily Value*
Fat
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
0.2
g
1
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
Sodium
506
mg
22
%
Potassium
162
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
16
g
5
%
Fiber
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
11
g
12
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
161
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
32
mg
39
%
Calcium
14
mg
1
%
Iron
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
