Orange chicken is a popular dish to order in restaurants but I love making this dish at home. My version of orange chicken has plenty of fresh orange peels and juice, with pan fried chicken. Broccoli is not usually part of orange chicken but I added broccoli florets for extra color and crunchiness.
Tableaware
Pagoda is one of the plates from Spode’s Blue Room Collection and I thought it was perfect for my Asian dish. This pattern like other patterns in the Blue Room collection have been discontinued, but you can usually find pieces for sale through sites like Etsy.

Chicken Prep
Whenever I cook with chicken breasts, I score them just like I did with my chicken parmesan so it doesn’t get tough and dry when it cooks. I also marinade the chicken with sake to ensure extra tenderness and for umami factor. No need to marinade the chicken with sake for hours, just few minutes will do but it makes a huge difference in terms of flavor.

Orange Chicken Sauce
I like my orange chicken to have fresh, citrus flavors. Lot of orange chicken dishes I’ve had don’t have any orange flavors. Instead, you get a fried chicken coated in sauce that’s too sweet and heavy.
Using fresh orange peel and juice from fresh oranges will ensure you’ll taste oranges with your chicken. But oranges alone won’t make this sauce complete. Add chilis, ginger, garlic and some apple cider vinegar for flavorful, tangy Asian flavors.


Pan Fried Chicken
Instead of deep frying your chicken, you can pan fry them instead. Coat your chicken pieces lightly in some flour and pan fry until golden brown. You end up with very tender chicken that’s not heavy in oil and when you add your sauce and other ingredients, all the flavors will coat the chicken nicely.



Serving Options
Asian dish taste delicious with almost any carbs. Try it with traditional sticky rice, brown or jasmine rice, even noodles. I had mine with couscous because I happened to be all out of rice at the time and it was delicious!

Orange Peel Chicken with Broccoli
Ingredients
Orange Chicken Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- juice of 2 small oranges
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 fresno chili, chopped
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves freshly grated garlic
Orange Chicken
- 3 organic chicken breasts scored and cut in 2 inch pieces
- peel from 2 small oranges, julienned
- 2 small heads of broccoli, washed and cut in florets
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup sake
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups basil leaves (Optional)
Instructions
For the Orange Chicken Sauce
- In a small bowl, add soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, ginger, vinegar, chili, and water. Whisk ingredients together and set it aside.
For the Orange Chicken
- Steam broccoli florets 3-4 minutes in a bamboo steamer over high heat. If using microwave, place broccoli in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water to the broccoli, place cover and heat for 4 minutes and set it aside.
- Place chicken pieces on a plate, add salt and sake to the chicken mix well and marinade for 2-3 minutes. Add flour to the chicken and evenly coat chicken with flour.
- Place large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once skillet is heated, place chicken pieces flat in the skillet and panfry until both side of the chicken is golden brown.
- Stir in orange sauce to the chicken and coat chicken with sauce. Add broccoli and orange peel to the skillet and mix well. Transfer to a serving plate and add chiffonade basil (optional) on top.
This is a great one!