Peanut Orange Chicken

A quick and easy main perfect for a weeknight dinner at in busy household, this sweet and savoury Peanut Orange Chicken is ready to plate and serve in 45 minutes! The bold flavours in this chicken should shine, so serve it with plain cooked rice and steamed broccoli!

It’s no secret that I love sauce. Any dish prepared with sauce is always going to be a personal favourite of mine. And, I happen to love fried chicken too, so this recipe was perfect for me! This is one of those recipes that I make just for myself. Whenever I find myself at home alone, especially at mealtime, I’ll make something just like this Peanut Orange Chicken. My partner, John.e, is a vegetarian, so that’s one reason to prepare this dish when he’s away.

I still remember the first time I tried it. I was a bit nervous because I thought it was going to taste a little odd. The idea of pairing orange juice with peanut butter did not translate to what might be a flavourful chicken recipe for me. But, I was so wrong!

FRYING THE CHICKEN

When you’re ready to fry the chicken, pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pot. A Dutch oven is great for deep frying! You will want about four inches of oil in your pot. Turn on the heat and bring the oil to optimum frying temperature, which for chicken is 325 degrees. If in doubt, use a kitchen thermometer!

Set a baking sheet with a wire cooling rack on it next to the pot. You will place the fried chicken on the wire rack in a single layer. This will allow air to flow around the fried chicken, allow the excess grease to drip off, and keep the batter crispy and crunchy.

Once you’re all ready to go and the oil is hot enough, it’s time to fry! Using tongs, lower the chicken into the oil one piece at a time. Don’t overcrowd the pot. I tend to fry them off about a dozen pieces at a time. The chicken fries really quickly; it only needs about 4-5 minutes.

Once all of the chicken is fried, there is the option of a second fry. To do so, increase the heat of the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place all of the chicken back into the oil. This is what I refer to as the second fry and it will add further crisp to your chicken and it only needs another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain well.

WHICH CHOICE OF CHICKEN WORKS BEST?

For this Peanut Orange Chicken recipe, I would highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat. I think it’s more flavourful. So, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go in my opinion.

You can certainly use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into slightly larger pieces. The breast meat can dry out rather quickly, especially if you’re planning to immerse it in hot oil. Using a larger piece of breast meat will ensure that it doesn’t become overdone and too dry. There’s nothing worse than dry breast meat!

Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller strips. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: fry the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

For the Chicken and Marinade:

• Chicken – For best results, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Lay the chicken flat and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
• Olive Oil
• Seasonings – You will need onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the key to a light and crispy batter.
• Vegetable Oil

For the Sauce Mixture:

• Orange Juice – Any store-bought bottled orange juice will work here. I used pulp-free.
• Brown Sugar – This will balance the acidity of the orange juice.
• Sesame Oil
• Onion Powder
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best results.
• Ginger – Like the garlic, fresh ginger works best.
• Peanut Butter – I used Kraft smooth peanut butter. I have not tested this sauce with natural peanut butter.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce – If you only have regular soy sauce, use half and top it up with water otherwise the chicken may be too salty.
• Ketchup
• Vinegar – Use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
• Peanuts – I used unsalted roasted peanuts that I finely chopped.
• Green Onions – Don’t skip the green onions! They are so important to getting the flavour profile of this chicken just right.

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT ORANGE CHICKEN

Transfer the prepared chicken to a mixing bowl along with the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Toss well to combine ensuring that the seasonings are evenly distributed. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch to the bowl and toss well to coat the chicken. Set aside.

Next, add enough vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot so that there are two inches of oil. Bring the temperature of the oil up to 325 degrees. Once the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken in batches until the chicken turns a golden brown colour. Once each batch of chicken is fried, remove it from the pot and place it onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Next, measure all of the sauce ingredients into a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. Transfer the fried chicken to the skillet and toss well with the sauce to coat. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to allow the chicken time to reheat and to absorb some of the sauce. When the chicken is done, plate and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped peanuts. Serve and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

When it comes to sides to pair well with Peanut Orange Chicken, it is quite easy to come up with something, because just about everything works well with it. Just be sure to pair it with more muted sides, because it would be a shame to overshadow the flavour of that delicious chicken!

You cannot beat a simple side consisting of steamed white rice and maybe some steamed broccoli too. These two sides pair very well with something as flavourful as this chicken. Plus, the rice is so good with that sweet, buttery sauce!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!