Orange Chicken

Orange chicken is a Chinese American restaurant classic, featuring crispy fried chicken tossed in a sticky, savory citrus sauce and garnished with chiles and green onions. But, if you’ve only ever had it for takeout or delivery, some would argue you’ve been missing out.

“There's something to be said for the delicate balance of take-out-style orange chicken when it comes right out of the pan,” says food writer and cookbook author Genevieve Ko, who developed this recipe. “You get the sauciness and the crunch all at the same time. But a half hour later, forget it. It’s so much better right out of the pan.” Happily, bringing the Chinese take-out staple home is easier than you may think.

Ko devised an easy orange chicken recipe that leans on pantry staples for simplicity without sacrificing flavor. Marinating the chicken in soy sauce and cooking wine gives it a savory intensity that carries through even after it’s coated in cornstarch and shallow-fried until golden brown. Meanwhile, the sauce gets its pronounced citrusy depth from both the juice and the rind of the orange. While some recipes call for Chinese dried orange peel (chen pi), Ko has a brilliant hack: She dries strips of fresh orange zest in a microwave, then finely chops them. With some heat from ginger and chile, the resulting dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. —Kemp Minifie

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published May 1, 2013.