Orange chicken is one of those classic Chinese-American dishes that makes you wonder, how did it get to America? What happened to it along the way that turned it from a citrus-flavored chicken stir-fry to the crispy, sweet and flavorful dish we CRAVE whenever we step into a Chinese restaurant?
In Chinese, this dish is known as “陳皮雞”, literally “dried citrus peel chicken”, referring to dried orange or tangerine peel. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ due to cultural and geographical factors.
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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. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
How It Started – Orange Peel
In the 1800s, Chinese immigrants from the Guandong district immigrated to America seeking better opportunities. At the time, their district was ravaged from a rebellion and an unstable economy.
Their cuisinehad some sweet elemenets, but overall was made of vegetables and meat stir-fryed and served with rice.
The original “Orange Chicken” had no breading around each piece of chicken and the sauce was made of leftover orange or lemon peels cooked with soy sauce, chilis and garlic. The sauce had a citrus element, but it wasn’t as pronounced or sweet like you would think of today.
“Chow Chow” Restaurants were the first restaurants by Chinese immigrants in America. They were known for their inexpensive food, such as a dollar-all-you-can-eat menu.
Chefs had to make substitutions to accomodate the food that was available, such as using broccoli, carrots and peas instead of more common Chinese ingredients including Shitake mushrooms and mustard greens.
Some Americans were disgusted by how these chefs would use every part of the animal, such as dishes that featured chicken feet and head.
In the mid-1900s, Chinese restaurants began to adapt to American palates, which favored bolder flavors with more sweetness. Sodas were increasingly popular and that hunger for sugar in drinks drifted into Chinese cuisine.
Fat adds a lot of flavor and Chinese restaurants began to adapt chicken recipes to involve deep frying each piece of meaet.
With added sugar and corn starch to help thicken and sweeten Chinese sauces, dishes such as General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken and, of course, Orange Chicken became very popular.
In 2013, Panda Express reported that it sold than 65 million pounds of Orange Chicken alone!
The Original Orange Chicken by Panda Express
FAQ
Is orange chicken the same as General Tso?
Is Chinese sweet and sour chicken the same as orange chicken?
What is Chinese crispy chicken called?
Is mandarin chicken the same as orange chicken?
Is orange chicken Chinese food?
Orange chicken is called Chinese food in North America, but orange chicken is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China. Andrew Cherng, owner and founder of Panda Express, said that orange chicken is just a variation of General Tso’s chicken, another dish that is almost unknown in China. Journalist Jennifer 8.
Is orange chicken a Chinese version of General Tso’s chicken?
Andrew Cherng, owner and founder of Panda Express, said that orange chicken is just a variation of General Tso’s chicken, another dish that is almost unknown in China. Journalist Jennifer 8. Lee says that both “General Tso’s chicken and Orange Chicken are Americanized mutations of sweet and sour dishes found in China.”
What is orange chicken?
Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish of fried chicken in a sweet orange-flavored chili sauce glaze. The variety of orange chicken most commonly found at North American Chinese restaurants consists of chopped, battered and fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet orange-flavored chili sauce, which thickens or caramelizes to a glaze.
What is Chinese-style orange chicken?
Authentic Chinese-style orange chicken isn’t battered and fried, and it’s not sauced with fresh oranges or orange juice either, using dried orange peel instead. But we’ll stick with the juice or zest for the homemade version. Oh, and Tso was statesman in the Qing Dynasty who had nothing to do with this chicken. Some guy just named it after him.