Save time and money by skipping the take-out and whipping up this easy Chinese orange sauce instead! It's naturally gluten-free and packed with tart, tangy flavor. And you control the spice level by adding as much or as few red chili flakes as you like. Coat your favorite stir-fry vegetables in the sauce, or batter and fry small chicken pieces for glazing. However you decide, eating well doesn't mean giving up the delights of classic convenience meals that are inconvenient for your health.
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The Story
Most Chinese-style orange sauces served in restaurants or bottled are a perfect example of what happens to international dishes when they land in America. Sugar. Processed ingredients. Unnecessary starches. The good news here is that with this easy recipe you can replicate the sauce from your favorite Chinese takeout joint. And make it even better. Better for your health, and better for your taste buds.
The Ingredients
The ingredients are straightforward. And you can find them anywhere you grocery shop or of course an Asian market. Chock-full-of-umami, fermented soy sauce is the quintessential Chinese condiment. And garlic, ginger, and scallions are ubiquitous in Chinese cuisine. In a pinch, you can replace the orange juice and zest with orange marmalade. If so, you may find you want to cut back on the sugar or eliminate it since marmalade is very sweet.
- sesame oil
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- scallions or green onion
- soy sauce
- rice wine vinegar
- pure or fresh-squeezed orange juice
- brown sugar, coconut sugar or honey
- grated mandarin, orange, or tangerine peel
- cornstarch (or even arrowroot or potato starch)
- red chili flakes
- sesame seeds, optional
Fresh orange juice along with the grated rind will bring the best citrus spunk. If you choose juice from concentrate, the orange flavor will be less pronounced (and will add sugar). But you can certainly use any orange juice you have on hand.
Choosing Vinegar
I love using Mirin when looking to add sour flavor to homemade Asian sauces. However, rice wine vinegar is the most legit choice for Chinese cuisine. Japanese Mirin is sweeter than typical rice wine vinegar. And I find I need less sugar in the recipe (or none at all) when using it.
"GGS"
The aromatic trifecta of Chinese cooking! Professional line cooks and chefs ofter refer to these three ingredients as GGS: garlic, ginger, and scallions. And no stir-fry dish is complete without them. The garlic and fresh ginger are minced, and the scallions are traditionally sliced thin.
Cornstarch Slurry
Slurry is the name given to any refined starch mixed with a small amount of water. The proper consistency for a slurry is about that of heavy cream. While many sauce recipes will provide the measurement for the starch like cornstarch or arrowroot, the water amount typically isn't listed. I find equal parts by volume of cornstarch and water to be a good starting point.
How to Peel Ginger
Ginger is a pungent root with medicinal properties that is a signature flavor of Chinese cooking. The skin on the whole ginger root is very thin and can be easily peeled away. To remove the skin, use the edge of a spoon to scrape it off. Remove any large knobbly bumps before cutting and mincing. Whole ginger root can be peeled and stored in the freezer. Frozen ginger root is very easy to grate with a microplane.
Equipment
Truly, you don't need a single ounce of specific equipment for any copycat Chinese sauce. You can simply eyeball amounts of the liquid ingredients with any cup or glass in your kitchen. A measuring glass and spoons, however, will certainly let you strike the perfect balance of flavors.
Chinese orange sauces are frequently enjoyed as a classic stir-fry dish. And for that, you may enjoy cooking with a traditional wok. Any shallow sauté pan or large skillet work in place of a wok. If you are only simmering up the sauce, a standard small or medium pot will do.
To create a one-pot stir-fry dish, first cook your chosen vegetables, meats, or proteins in a small amount of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the garlic, ginger, and scallions along with the vegetables. Then add the sauce liquids, orange zest, red chili flakes, and cornstarch slurry at the end. Bring it all to boil while stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.
The Ratio
Salty, sour, sweet, and hot. Chinese food is so satisfying because it makes every last one of your taste buds happy. And equally.
For one pound of meat or vegetables, start with half of a cup of each liquid ingredient. To enjoy a super saucy stir-fry or for a larger crowd, use a cup or even two of each for every pound of meat or vegetables.
Orange Sauce Formula
1 part soy sauce + 1 part rice vinegar + 1 part sugar + 1 part pure orange juice
*Spice can be added to taste, begin with ½ teaspoon of red pepper flake for every cup of sauce for average heat. The zest from oranges packs the most zing. Grate the rind off at least two large oranges for smaller batches of sauce.
The Method
Bringing together a delicious Chinese sauce of any kind is so easy a five-year-old can do it (knife work, aside). For most stir-fry sauces of takeout fame, the ingredients are whisked together, brought to a strong simmer, then thickened with a cornstarch slurry. Easy, peasy, orange squeezy. Most sauce recipes are one-pot wonders. Everybody in, whisk, cook, enjoy!
The Steps
Gather your equipment, tools, and ingredients. Mince and slice all of the vegetables accordingly. Mise en place! Everything in place! Small steps can make a big difference in enjoyable and seamless cooking.
- Mix the cornstarch with water a little at a time until you reach the consistency of heavy cream. Set it next to the stove.
- Optional: In a small sauté pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium-high heat. Shake the pan gently and fairly often, until the seeds turn a golden brown. Remove the seeds immediately from the pan and set them aside.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the sliced scallions and sauté until the vegetables begin to brown.
- Gently pour in the remaining ingredients, whisk gently to combine, and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and whisk to incorporate. Bring the sauce back to a boil, this will gelatinize the cornstarch and the sauce will thicken.
- Once the sauce is thick, remove it from the heat and mix in the toasted sesame seeds and green slices of scallions. You can also save the seeds to garnish your final dish.
- Toss the sauce in with your stir-fry dish or noodles, or use it as a dipping sauce for deep-fried pieces of chicken, wontons, or spring rolls.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or freeze.
Dietary Variations
An authentic orange sauce is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
For Paleo or GAPS Diet. Swap out the brown sugar for half the amount in honey. Replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos. For the GAPS diet, replace the rice wine vinegar with white vinegar that is GAPS-legal. Serve the sauce over sliced, sautéed lean meats, shrimp, or a plateful of traditional Chinese vegetables like water chestnuts, bok choy, and snow peas.
For Keto, Low-Carb. If you follow a strict keto or grain-free diet, skip sugar in the sauce. While you will lose the sweetness factor, the tangy orange sauce without sugar is still delicious. And less guilt-inducing. Serve the orange sauce over fattier cuts of cooked beef, chicken, salmon, or shellfish. Riced cauliflower instead of rice is a great low-carb substitute for a copycat takeout dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mandarin orange sauce is simply an orange sauce made with the juice and segments of mandarin fruit. However, the phrase mandarin sauce can refer to a more authentic Chinese brown sauce with endless variations. Ingredients such as hoisin, oyster sauce, fermented bean paste, and soy sauce are common in traditional recipes.
The dishes are designed to balance the ingredients. Sweet with spicy, hot with cold ingredients, and so on. The orange sauces served at Chinese restaurants in America are not authentic Chinese cuisine. But evolved over time as a result of taste preferences, popularity, and ingredient availability. True Mandarin cuisine is native to Northern China, including the metropolis of Beijing.
Orange sauce as it is enjoyed in modern times is an entirely American invention and is often called duck sauce. When Chinese cooks and chefs first began serving Peking duck in the United States, the traditional savory, brown sauce evolved to accommodate Americans' preference for sweetness. As such, this orange-scented, sweet sauce came to be called duck sauce. And is often offered at Chinese-American restaurants as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, wontons, and potstickers.
Edible Epilogue
Whatever your fancy when it comes to recreating your favorite PF Changs or Panda Express dish at home, it's bound to be healthier than what comes in the carton. Especially if you swap out white rice for brown, black, purple rice, or riced cauliflower. All offer more fiber and nutrients, and when served with sliced, cooked chicken breast or thighs make for an easy orange chicken recipe.
And if you play your cards right, you'll be enjoying a second helping before any delivery can make it to your door.
📖 Recipe
Chinese Orange Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: About 1½ cups of sauce 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Sweet, salty, spicy, and sour, and brimming with umami! This simple, tangy orange sauce is the perfect glaze or dipping medium for any stir-fry dish, cooked meat, wontons, spring rolls, or egg rolls. And way more wholesome than a processed, bottled sauce or one from your average Chinese takeout restaurant.
All you need are a couple of oranges and basic Asian condiments. Many of which are typical pantry staples if you enjoy cooking at home. The sauce is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. And as always here at Edible Times, dietary accommodations for the most popular diets are included.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, optional
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca)
- 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced
- 2 scallions (green onions), sliced, keeping the white and green pieces separated
- ½ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar or Mirin
- ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar, coconut sugar or ¼ raw honey (omit for keto/low-carb)
- 2 large oranges, juiced and zested (the rind grated with a microplane or the tiny holes of a box grater)
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Serving Ideas
- stir-fried vegetables like snow peas, Napa cabbage, bok choy, and water chestnets
- cooked whole-grain rice or cauliflower rice
- sautéed shrimp
- cooked or fried meats
- tofu dusted with cornstarch and fried in sesame oil
Instructions
Gather your ingredients, equipment, and tools. Measure and prep your ingredients as they will be used in the sauce. If the garlic needs to be minced, mince it. If the orange rind needs to be grated, grate it. This is a professional chef's mise en place, which means everything is in place. And the practice is just as helpful when cooking at home.
- Mix the cornstarch with water a little at a time until you reach the consistency of heavy cream. Set it next to the stove.
- Optional: In a small sauté pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium-high heat. Shake the pan gently and fairly often, until the seeds turn a golden brown. Remove the seeds immediately from the pan and set them aside.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the sliced scallions and sauté until the vegetables begin to brown.
- Gently pour in the remaining ingredients, whisk gently to combine, and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and whisk to incorporate. Bring the sauce back to a boil, this will gelatinize the cornstarch and the sauce will thicken.
- Once the sauce is thick, remove it from the heat and mix in the toasted sesame seeds and green slices of scallions. You can also save the seeds to garnish your final dish.
- Toss the sauce in with your stir-fry dish or noodles, or use it as a dipping sauce for deep-fried pieces of chicken, wontons, or spring rolls.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or freeze.
Notes
On orange marmalade... If you don't have orange juice or oranges, you can replace them with orange marmalade. Use the measurement for orange juice - so a half of a cup for the recipe as written. You may want to reduce or cut out the sugar entirely if adding marmalade.
On sauce thickness... You can adjust the consistency of the sauce by how much cornstarch slurry you add. As written, the sauce is on the thicker side, and perfect for dipping and glazing meat and vegetables. For a thinner sauce, use ½ to 1 tablespoon less cornstarch.
One-Pot Stir-Fry
If you stir-fry meat and vegetables in a pan or wok, you can cook the sauce in the same pot. Cook the garlic, ginger, and scallions with the meat and vegetables. Then add the sauce liquids, orange zest, red chili flakes, and cornstarch slurry at the end. Bring it all to boil while stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.
Dietary Variations
For Paleo or GAPS Diet. Serve the sauce over sliced, sautéed lean meats, shrimp, or a plateful of traditional Chinese vegetables like water chestnuts, bok choy, and snow peas. Swap out the brown sugar for coconut sugar, or half the amount in honey. And replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
For Keto, Low-Carb. If you follow a strict keto or grain-free diet, skip sugar in the sauce. While you will lose the sweetness factor, the tangy orange sauce without sugar is still delicious. And less guilt-inducing. Serve the orange sauce over fattier cuts of cooked beef, chicken, salmon, or shellfish. Riced cauliflower instead of rice is a great low-carb substitute for a copycat takeout dish.
On Nutrition Information
The amounts below are based on the sauce as prepared with the full ingredient list. If you omit the cornstarch and sugar for a low-carb or ketogenic diet or use honey, the carbohydrate amount will be much less.
Keywords: Chinese orange sauce recipe, cornstarch slurry, stir-fry sauce, copycat Panda Express orange sauce
Don T
Thank you for this recipe! I love orange chicken but we don’t have a good Chinese restaurant near us anymore and I’ve been craving this’
★★★★★
Gloria P.
I will definitely add this to our list since we can't get takeout from our favorite place anymore because they aren't gluten-safe. Thanks for sharing this!
Heather H.
Looks yummy! Never tried spicy bean paste, either. On the grocery list for next week...