Name: Crispy Orange Chicken with Fresh Zest
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb plain boneless, skinless chicken breast, portioned within the guide’s size limits; Salt and black pepper; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp for the sauce; 3 pasteurized eggs, beaten; Neutral oil for frying, plus 1 tsp for the sauce; 1 garlic clove, minced; 2 tsp finely grated ginger; 3/4 cup fresh orange juice; 1 tsp finely grated orange zest, divided; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp cold water; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; Freshly prepared rice, for serving

Back to Orange Chicken

Last updated Oct 20, 2026

How we review our content Sources for this method

Prep: 25 min
Bath: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total: 2 hr 30 min
Yield: 4 servings

Main Coursechickencrispyorange

From the guide

Cooking settings

This recipe follows one reviewed setting from the Orange Chicken guide.

Bath setting: 160°F
Bath time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Best for: Up to 1 1/2 inches thick; the whole piece must fit within 1 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 3 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest

For the breast option, use boneless, skinless chicken breast portions that fit within 1 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 3 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest. All three dimensions matter. Trim into shorter natural portions if needed; do not pound, butterfly, or flatten them. Keep the portions whole until the bath method is complete. Use plain, fully thawed meat without injection, mechanical tenderizing, added solution, brining, curing, or marinade. Season with salt and pepper only. Keep oil, sauce, citrus, wine, and other finishing ingredients outside the pouch. Verify a 41°F starting temperature and the selected bath setting with a thermometer. Seal one portion per bag in its natural shape, without folding, rolling, tying, or overlap. Fully submerge each sealed pouch in a verified, preheated circulating bath, leaving water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. The listed time is the complete bath time, including heating. Do not replace it with a center-temperature reading or add another heating interval. Use clean utensils, discard all pouch liquid, and keep cooked food away from raw-food juices, used bags, and utensils that touched raw meat. Dry the cooked chicken, then cut into bite-size pieces with a clean knife. Mix flour and cornstarch for the dry coating. Coat with this mixture, then pasteurized beaten egg, then the dry mixture again. Fry promptly in oil at 350°F until the coating is golden and crisp. Drain, toss briefly with the separately cooked sauce, and serve immediately. Frying firms the center; these are cut choices, not promises of different final doneness. Coating color never substitutes for the completed chicken method. These methods cover immediate service only. Frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, and holding need separate methods. Colder or unknown starts, larger pieces, bone-in breast, pre-cut strips or cubes, stuffing, and stacked portions are excluded. The breast conditions do not apply to thighs. If any timed-method condition cannot be met, use a separately checked cooking method: Insert the thermometer from the side into the thickest center of every piece, keeping its full sensing area inside the meat; check uneven areas and avoid bone and fat. Every measured spot must reach 165°F before cutting or finishing. Cook any cooler piece further in a skillet or oven and recheck it. Bath time, color, texture, and browning do not replace this check. Expect a firmer result. This fallback is not an extra step in a completed timed method. These timed methods do not provide advice for vulnerable diners. Read the food safety guide.

View the complete Orange Chicken guide →

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb plain boneless, skinless chicken breast, portioned within the guide’s size limits
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp for the sauce
3 pasteurized eggs, beaten
Neutral oil for frying, plus 1 tsp for the sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp finely grated ginger
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp finely grated orange zest, divided
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cold water
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Freshly prepared rice, for serving

Method

Prepare

Trim breast portions to fit all three dimensions below without pounding or butterflying. Keep the portions whole and verify the starting conditions.
Season with salt and pepper and seal each portion separately. Keep sauce, citrus, coating ingredients, and oil outside the pouch.

Cook

Set the water bath to 160°F.
For the breast option, use boneless, skinless chicken breast portions that fit within 1 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 3 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest. All three dimensions matter. Trim into shorter natural portions if needed; do not pound, butterfly, or flatten them. Keep the portions whole until the bath method is complete. Use plain, fully thawed meat without injection, mechanical tenderizing, added solution, brining, curing, or marinade. Season with salt and pepper only. Keep oil, sauce, citrus, wine, and other finishing ingredients outside the pouch. Verify a 41°F starting temperature and the selected bath setting with a thermometer. Seal one portion per bag in its natural shape, without folding, rolling, tying, or overlap. Fully submerge each sealed pouch in a verified, preheated circulating bath, leaving water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. The listed time is the complete bath time, including heating. Do not replace it with a center-temperature reading or add another heating interval. Use clean utensils, discard all pouch liquid, and keep cooked food away from raw-food juices, used bags, and utensils that touched raw meat. Dry the cooked chicken, then cut into bite-size pieces with a clean knife. Mix flour and cornstarch for the dry coating. Coat with this mixture, then pasteurized beaten egg, then the dry mixture again. Fry promptly in oil at 350°F until the coating is golden and crisp. Drain, toss briefly with the separately cooked sauce, and serve immediately. Frying firms the center; these are cut choices, not promises of different final doneness. Coating color never substitutes for the completed chicken method. These methods cover immediate service only. Frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, and holding need separate methods. Colder or unknown starts, larger pieces, bone-in breast, pre-cut strips or cubes, stuffing, and stacked portions are excluded. The breast conditions do not apply to thighs.
Cook for 1 hour 45 minutes for up to 1 1/2 inches thick; the whole piece must fit within 1 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 3 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest.
Near serving time, soften the garlic and ginger in the teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. Add orange juice, half the zest, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar and bring to a simmer.
Mix the tablespoon of cornstarch with the cold water. Stir it into the sauce and simmer until glossy, then stir in the remaining zest off the heat.
Prepare the rice and scallions. Mix the flour and remaining cornstarch in one clean shallow dish and put the pasteurized beaten eggs in another. Prepare the frying oil, thermometer, and draining rack.

Finish

After the complete timed cook, discard the pouch liquid and dry the chicken. Cut into bite-size pieces with a clean knife.
Coat with flour-cornstarch, dip in pasteurized egg, then coat again. Fry promptly in small batches as directed in the guide’s method until golden and crisp, then drain briefly.
Toss with the warm orange sauce just before serving.

Serve

Add scallions and serve immediately with the freshly prepared rice.

Want another texture or thickness?

The complete guide has all reviewed settings, safety context, and finishing options.

Explore the Orange Chicken guide