Eggless Orange Chicken
Crispy, saucy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor, this homemade orange chicken is the kind of takeout-style dinner that makes everyone at the table genuinely excited. The batter is built from cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and cold water — no eggs needed — and it fries up beautifully golden and crunchy around every piece of juicy chicken thigh. That's the real win here: a coating that delivers serious crunch without any egg wash or egg-based dredge in sight. The sauce is where things get really good — freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic come together into a glossy, sticky glaze with just enough heat from red pepper flakes to keep it interesting. Everything comes together in one skillet and one saucepan, making cleanup surprisingly manageable for a dish that tastes this impressive. Serve it over rice with a scatter of green onions and sesame seeds and it looks like something you'd order at a restaurant — except you made it at home, for four, and you know exactly what went into it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the chicken
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3–4 tbsp cold water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, for frying
For the sauce
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
For serving
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons of cold water and stir until a thick, shaggy batter forms — it should cling to the chicken without dripping off. Add the remaining tablespoon of water only if the batter seems too thick to coat. Add the chicken pieces and toss until every piece is evenly coated.
- 2
Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. Heat the vegetable oil in a large (12-inch) skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, add the coated chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and cooked through to 165°F (74°C) at the center. Transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining pieces.
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