Gluten Free Sweet & Tangy Orange Chicken

Who doesn’t love the tangy sweetness of Orange Chicken? Don’t worry that your favorite take-out restaurant might not make a gluten-free version, because you can easily make delicious Gluten Free Orange Chicken at home. Just be sure to make enough to serve, and also to have left-overs, because you’ll want some again tomorrow! ​

Makes: 4 servings (about 40 pieces)

Show Me How

Walk Me Through It

1

Finely chop the green onion. Set aside.

2

Mince the garlic. Set aside.

3

Grate the ginger. Set aside.

4

Trim chicken, and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

5

Set chicken in refrigerator.

6

Set out 2 medium-sized bowls and a large zip-lock bag.

7

Add a Tbsp. of water.

8

Whisk thoroughly.

9

Into one bowl, crack the eggs.

10

To the other bowl, add the white rice flour,

11

1/2 cup of the cornstarch,

12

and the salt.

13

Whisk well.

14

Put the remaining ¼ cup cornstarch into the ziplock bag.

15

Lay down a paper towel.

16

Put chicken pieces onto paper towel.

17

​Lay another paper towel on top, and pat chicken dry.

18

Put all chicken pieces into the ziplock bag and zip it shut. 

19

Shake/roll the bag around to lightly coat the chicken.

20

Create an assembly line in the order shown above. 

21

Remove chicken from bag a few pieces at a time, shaking off excess flour, and dip into the egg.

22

​Roll egg-dipped chicken pieces in the flour bowl to coat. Gently pat flour into pieces. 

23

Remove chicken pieces and place on large plate. Repeat process until all chicken is coated.

24

Refrigerate coated chicken for 30 minutes prior to frying. 

25

To a large saute pan or frying pan, over medium heat, add the following:

26

Oil,

27

sesame oil,

28

red pepper,

29

garlic,

30

and ginger.

31

Stir and cook for about a minute.

32

Add in brown sugar,

33

granulated sugar,

34

orange juice,

35

gluten free soy sauce,

36

and vinegar.

37

Whisk and bring to a simmer. Sauce will still be thin. We will thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Make the slurry in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

38

Pour the cornstarch slurry slowly into the sauce while whisking sauce. Sauce will thicken slightly at first, and will continue to thicken as sauce simmers. 

39

Add a little bit more slurry, if necessary, to bring sauce to desired consistency. When sauce is at desired consistency, remove from heat and cover.

40

Set out a wok or large pot. Attach thermometer.

41

Add oil. Heat over medium heat. I like to use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is at about 350°. (It should be hot enough to sizzle nicely, but not so hot that it burns your chicken!) Do not cover pan.

42

Carefully add chicken (If you like, use tongs or a spoon to keep hands safely away from oil). Cook chicken in two or three separate batches to avoid overcrowding pan.

43

Turn all chicken pieces half-way through cooking. ​Cooking times will vary depending on temperature of oil and thickness of chicken pieces. I cook my chicken nuggets for about 4 minutes. (2 minutes each side.)

44

Use slotted spoon to remove chicken when done. Set onto paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

45

Add cooked chicken into sauce pan.

46

Gently stir chicken and spoon sauce over pieces to fully coat. 

47

Transfer chicken to serving platter.

48

Top with green onion, sesame seeds, or both!

Yay! Time to eat!

Enjoy your Sweet & Tangy Orange Chicken!

Ready to Make Some Gluten Orange Chicken?

Make sure to start with all the right tools! Shop for cutting boards, serving dishes, and cookware in my Amazon shop!

The Recipe:

GLUTEN FREE SWEET & TANGY ORANGE CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast, approx. 3 large pieces)
​
Coating:
½ cup white rice flour
¾ cup cornstarch
2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
 
For Frying:
2 cups oil (or enough for about ½ to 1 in. depth in your pan)

Orange Sauce:
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. ginger, grated
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup gluten free soy sauce                                                         
Slurry for thickening:
2 Tbsps. water
3 Tbsps. cornstarch
 
Garnish (optional):
Sesame seeds
Diced green onion

DIRECTIONS

Getting Ready

  1. Trim chicken, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set in refrigerator.

  2. Set out 2 medium-sized bowls and a large zip-lock bag.

  3. Put wok or large pot on stove for frying. Add your oil. Do not heat yet.

  4. Set out a saute pan or large frying pan for the sauce. Chicken will be transferred into this pan later.

  5. Mince garlic. Set aside.

  6. Grate ginger. Set aside.

  7. Finely chop green onion (if using any). Set aside.  ​ 

 
Let’s Get Started

  1. Put ¼ cup of the cornstarch into the ziplock bag. Set aside.

  2. To one of the bowls, add the white rice flour, the remaining ½ cup of cornstarch, and salt. Whisk together.

  3. In the other bowl, crack 2 eggs. Add 1 Tbsp. water. Whisk.

  4. Pat chicken pieces dry. (I use paper towels). This step is important! It will ensure that the coating sticks to your  chicken. 

  5. Put all chicken pieces into the ziplock bag and zip it shut.

  6. Shake/roll the bag around to lightly coat the chicken.

  7. Remove chicken from bag a few pieces at a time, shaking off excess flour, and drop into the egg bowl.

  8. Roll egg-dipped chicken pieces in the flour bowl to coat. Gently pat flour into pieces.

  9. Remove chicken pieces and place on large plate. Repeat process until all chicken is coated.

  10. Refrigerate coated chicken for 30 minutes prior to frying. 

  11. PREPARE THE SAUCE AS FOLLOWS: To a large saute pan or frying pan, over medium heat, add the following: 2 Tbsp. oil, sesame oil, red pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for about a minute.

  12. Add in brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange juice, gluten free soy sauce, and vinegar. Stir, and bring to a simmer.

  13. In a small bowl or cup, make a slurry of 2 Tbsp. water and 3 Tbsp. cornstarch. Stir until smooth.

  14. Pour the slurry slowly into the sauce while whisking sauce. Sauce will thicken slightly at first, and will continue to thicken as sauce simmers. Add a little bit more slurry, if necessary, to bring sauce to desired consistency.

  15. When sauce is at desired consistency, remove from heat and cover. 

  16. COOKING THE CHICKEN: In a wok or large pot, heat oil over medium heat. I like to use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is at about 350 degrees. (It should be hot enough to sizzle nicely, but not so hot that it burns your chicken!). Do not cover pan.

  17. Carefully add chicken (If you like, use tongs or a spoon to keep hands safely away from oil). Cook chicken in two or three separate batches to avoid overcrowding pan. 

  18. Cooking times will vary depending on temperature of oil and thickness of chicken pieces. I cook my chicken nuggets for about 4 minutes. (2 minutes each side.)

  19. Cut open thickest piece of chicken to check for doneness.   

  20. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken when done. Set onto paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

  21. Repeat process until all chicken is cooked.

  22. Add cooked chicken into sauce pan.

  23. Gently stir chicken and spoon sauce over pieces to fully coat.

  24. Top with green onion and sesame, if desired.

  25. Serve!

Tip: Please follow all directions exactly!! If you skip steps or swap ingredients then you may or may not like the end result :)

Tip: I like to have about an inch of oil to fry in. For my pan, this is about 2 cups of oil. To get the depth of oil that you prefer, your amount of oil may be different, depending on the width of your pan.

Tip: You can customize the sauce to your own taste preference…Do you want it a little sweeter? Less tangy? Hotter? It’s easy to do. Have fun experimenting with the sauce ingredients!

Looking for Comments?

Please leave and read comments in the "Comments" section of the YouTube video above.

I can’t wait to hear from you!