Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the orange chicken sauce made of? ›

How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Tangerine is used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as cooking. Tangerine chicken tastes fresh and spicy, but orange chicken tastes sweet and sour. Orange chicken is crispy cooked in a sweet and little spicy orange sauce. The sweetness of orange chicken was introduced to cater to American tastes.

Choosing by taste:

General Tso if you like a bit of spice. Orange chicken if you want something a bit sweeter.

Orange chicken's flavors focus on the tang of oranges, which is complemented by spices like dried red chili flakes or chili sauce for a little kick. Sweet and Sour Chicken can be spicier, with chili paste or extra spices added for a stronger taste.

The original “Orange Chicken” had no breading around each piece of chicken and the sauce was made of leftover orange or lemon peels cooked with soy sauce, chilis and garlic. The sauce had a citrus element, but it wasn't as pronounced or sweet like you would think of today.

Sauce is like gravy in that if it's not thickening as much as you want after you've added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.

General Tso's chicken and orange chicken are two popular Chinese-American dishes that are often compared. While both dishes feature crispy fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and savory sauce, there are some key differences between the two.

If you have never tried it, it has been called the spicy cousin to Orange Chicken. In the American Chinese takeout versions, they are both deep-fried (except in our version is crunch baked) but General Tso's Chicken is characterized by the sweet and spicy sauce that is kicking with garlic and ginger.

While the orange chicken is one of the most famous Chinese dishes in America, it is a purely American invention, with no authentic Chinese resturants or restaurants in China serving this dish.

Peng named the chicken after the Hunanese Qing Dynasty General Tso Tsung-t'ang (now transliterated as Zuo Zongtang). The future general began his military career fighting for the Qing in the Taiping Rebellion, a 14-year civil war waged by the Han Chinese against the Qing emperor.

Does orange chicken have more sugar than sesame chicken? ›

The sauces are substantially different, starting with the fact that orange chicken contains orange juice and a TON of sugar, and is decidedly spicier due to the added chilis, so it's both spicy and sweet, while Sesame chicken sauce is more savory-sweet, with soy sauce as the primary ingredient, accented by sesame oil ...

What's the difference between General Tso and Kung Pao Chicken? General Tso's is sweeter with a milder spice, featuring deep-fried battered chicken. Kung Pao is spicier with stir-fried chicken, vegetables, and peanuts.

By the fall of 2022, Panda Express fans had something new to clamor about at all of its 2,300 locations with the national launch of Beyond the Original Orange Orange Chicken (BTOOC), a plant-based take on its most popular dish made together with vegan company Beyond Meat.

One distinct characteristic of orange chicken is that it is sweet, and that comes from the addition of brown sugar (and honey), which gives the sauce it's sticky, caramelized glaze. The addition of brown sugar in many Asian recipes helps to balance out sour flavors and spices added to the dish.

Panda Express orange chicken is what people think of when they hear the words “orange chicken.” It's so tart and sweet and fatty. It pairs perfectly with their lo mein. Honestly, I could eat an entire large container of it by myself. Something about it is so crave-able.

Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip for deep-fried dishes such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, fish, or with rice or noodles.

Ingredients: dark meat chicken, water, sugar, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, corn starch, potato starch, contains less than 2% of: wheat, orange extract, caramel color, salt, garlic, phosphoric acid, rice wine, sesame oil. *The dish uses a proprietary batter and sauce.

Orange chicken is a popular item at Chinese restaurants. It consists of small cubes of chicken that are breaded, pan-fried, and coated in an orange sauce. The orange sauce is sweet with a little tang and a hint of spice. It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name).

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.