Orange Chicken | Best Gluten Free Recipes

Orange Chicken is easier to make at home than you may think. And boy is it irresistibly good.

Chopped chicken thighs are coated in gluten-free flour (use regular all purpose if not GF), fried golden and crispy, tossed in the best ever homemade Orange Chicken Sauce, and then baked to a sticky, shiny bliss.

If you didn't think it was possible to ever have gluten free orange chicken, think again.

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I served this homemade orange chicken with my Easy Fried Rice | Best Gluten Free Dinner Side

How to Make the Best Homemade Orange Chicken:

Gluten Free Orange Chicken is simple to make, but it does have a lot of prep steps that should be done before you fire up the fryer.

• Prepare the Orange Chicken Sauce ahead of time, and refrigerate until needed. I like to make it the day or morning before. This takes a lot of headache out of managing a fryer and a sauce. Plus, the sauce gets even better over time as it sits. Alternatively, you can use store-bought orange sauce. But this homemade version is super good.
• Prep your battering station: Set out a cutting board piled with chopped chicken thighs (fat left intact - this fries up nicely and gives it an authentic taste and texture), a bowl of cold water, and a seal-able container of flour. If you prefer to fry your chicken with egg, you can sub this for the water. I just find its less messy/quicker to use water. KFC does it for a reason.
• If making fried rice to go alongside the orange chicken, dice the onion and set aside in a bowl.

You're now ready to proceed!

Ingredients for Gluten Free Orange Chicken:

For the Orange Chicken:

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• High quality gluten-free all purpose flour, or substitute for regular AP flour if not GF. I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag).
• Water
• Neutral oil for frying at 350 F. I used canola oil.
• Sesame seeds, optional
• One recipe for Homemade Fried Rice, if making. You could make plain white rice to keep it simple.

For the Orange Chicken Sauce:

• Zest and freshly-squeezed juice of 2 navel oranges. Leave whatever pulp falls in for a delicious texture.
• Minced ginger
• Minced garlic
• Rice wine vinegar
• Soy sauce or tamari. (Be sure to use gluten-free if needed) I use San-J GF Tamari.
• Sesame oil
• Water
• Sherry (replaces Japanese sake/mirin)
• Granulated sugar
• Honey
• Chili flakes
• Cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce

How to Make Gluten Free Orange Chicken:

For the Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce:

• To a medium-sized pot, add the minced ginger and the zest of the oranges.

• Add the freshly-squeezed juice of the oranges. Leave whatever pulp falls in for a delicious texture.

• Add all of the remaining ingredients (except for the cornstarch slurry) to the same pot. Don't judge the consistency of the sauce at this stage. All of the pieces will break down while simmering.

• Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, add in the cornstarch slurry while constantly stirring, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The mixture will thicken some more as it cools.

• Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool for 10 minutes before pouring into a glass jar. Allow it to cool completely before covering and refrigerating.

For the Gluten Free Orange Chicken:

• Prep your battering station: Set out a cutting board piled with chopped chicken thighs (fat left intact - this fries up nicely and gives it an authentic taste and texture), a bowl of cold water, and a seal-able container of flour.
• Heat the frying oil to a steady 350 F. You want the oil to be at-least two to three inches deep. I use a Dutch oven.
• Dip the chopped chicken thighs in the cold water and then lay spaced out in the flour. Seal the container, and shake to coat. Set aside. Repeat in batches as necessary.

• Fry the chicken in batches, being sure to not overcrowd the pan. Fry on one side until golden, about 5 minutes, flip, and then fry the other side until golden, an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon, and place onto a wire cooling rack to drain. Tip: Place a cookie sheet with parchment paper underneath the wire rack for easy clean-up. Cover the chicken with foil to keep warm as you fry the remaining batches.
• Once halfway through frying the chicken, preheat the oven to 350 F.

• After all the chicken has been fried and drained, place it in a nonstick or greased 9x13 pan. Pour the orange sauce over-top of the chicken, and use a spatula to spread it around to really coat all sides.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is hot and glaze-y.

• Top with sesame seeds (optional) and serve with rice. Enjoy!

Equipment

You don't need any special equipment to make Homemade Orange Chicken, but I recommend:

• A deep fryer helps to keep the oil temperature a consistent 350 F, which makes it cook evenly and turn golden.
• If you don't have a deep fryer, you'll need a Dutch oven or deep-dish pot.
• A spider strainer is really useful for getting the chicken out of the oil while draining excess oil.
• Frying oil such as peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil.
• A wire cooling rack is useful for setting the fried chicken on to drain excess oil.
• You'll need a 9x13 ceramic casserole dish or other baking vessel. If you use glass, the baking time might need to be reduced.

How to Reheat Homemade Orange Chicken:

To reheat: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the desired amount of orange chicken in a nonstick baking dish (and/or greased with nonstick spray). Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot. You can also broil on Low for 1-2 minutes. Just be careful that the sauce doesn't burn. Since it contains sugars, it won't be able to be reheated for long.

Do I Have to Use Cornstarch in the Orange Chicken Sauce?

No, you don't have to use cornstarch to thicken the orange chicken sauce. However, it's my preferred method since it guarantees a thick, shiny sauce quickly. Alternatively, you can simmer the sauce for longer to reduce. As it reduces, it will begin to thicken on its own.

You could also try using arrowroot starch instead.

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