Jake Harper
Orange chicken is a dish of fried chicken coated in a sweet orange-flavoured chilli sauce. It is commonly found in Chinese restaurants in North America and Europe, and is especially associated with the fast-food chain Panda Express, which sells over 100 million pounds of it every year. However, it is not a traditional Chinese dish, and is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China. Instead, it is an example of American Chinese cuisine, which began with the first mass migration of Chinese immigrants to the US West Coast in the mid-1800s.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish that originated in 1987. |
| Creator | The dish was created by Taiwanese-born, French-trained chef Andy Kao, who worked for the Chinese takeout chain Panda Express. |
| Ingredients | Fried chicken, sweet orange-flavored chili sauce, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, orange zest, flour, cornstarch, eggs, salt, and pepper. |
| Taste | Sweet and sour, mildly spicy, crispy. |
| Variations | Orange peel chicken, orange-flavored chicken, tangerine chicken, chen pi ji, cheng hua ji, cheng zi ji. |
| Availability | Widely available in North American Chinese restaurants and as frozen dinner products in grocery stores. |
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What You'll Learn
Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish
Orange chicken is a dish of fried chicken coated in an orange-flavoured chilli sauce. It is commonly found in North American Chinese restaurants, but it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China. It is believed to have originated in 1987 at Panda Express, a Chinese takeout chain, by Taiwanese-born, French-trained chef Andy Kao.
The dish is said to be an adaptation of General Tso's chicken, another dish invented by Panda Express, which itself was inspired by a tangerine chicken dish from Hunan, China. The tangerine chicken dish from Hunan differs in taste and recipe due to cultural and geographical factors. In American Chinese restaurants, the use of tangerine was changed to the use of fresh orange peel or no orange at all. The sweetness of orange chicken was also introduced to cater to American tastes.
Panda Express is closely associated with orange chicken, and the dish is often used as a promotional tool by the company. It is also the signature dish of the fast-food chain, which sells over 100 million pounds of it every year.
While orange chicken may be inspired by authentic Chinese flavours, it is a product of Chinese American cuisine, which is a fusion of East and West. This cuisine came about due to the migration of Chinese immigrants to the West Coast in the mid-1800s, who attempted to recreate familiar Chinese dishes with American ingredients.
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It was created by a Taiwanese-born chef
Orange chicken is a Chinese-American dish of fried chicken coated in a sweet orange-flavoured chilli sauce. It is commonly found in North American Chinese restaurants, but it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China. It is the signature dish of the American fast-food chain Panda Express, which sells over 100 million pounds of it every year.
The dish was invented in 1987 by Andy Kao, a Taiwanese-born, French-trained chef working for Panda Express. Kao claims to have developed the original Chinese-American orange chicken recipe at a Panda Express in Hawaii. He was inspired by a sour tangerine chicken dish from China's Hunan province, which he began serving as a bone-in specialty. However, once he applied the boneless, battered, and fried preparation of General Tso's chicken (another Panda Express invention) to the dish, orange chicken became the staple it is today.
The sweetness of orange chicken was introduced to cater to American tastes. In most countries in the Western hemisphere, the names "orange chicken", "orange peel chicken", "orange-flavoured chicken", and "tangerine chicken" are used for this dish. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ due to cultural and geographical factors. For example, in American Chinese restaurants, the use of tangerine was changed to the use of fresh orange peel or no orange at all.
While orange chicken may not be a traditional Chinese dish, Chinese-American cuisine is a unique fusion of East and West. It began with the first mass migration of Chinese immigrants to the West Coast in the mid-1800s, when Chinese miners attempted to recreate familiar Chinese dishes with American ingredients. The newer generation of immigrants in the 1960s, primarily from Taiwan and Hong Kong, popularized the fried, sweet and sour, and spicy and sour dishes characteristic of the Hunan and Sichuan provinces.
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It's inspired by Hunan, China's tangerine chicken dish
Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish of fried chicken coated in a sweet orange-flavoured chilli sauce. While it is commonly found in North American Chinese restaurants, it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China.
Orange chicken was popularized by the Chinese takeout chain Panda Express, with chef Andy Kao claiming to have developed the original recipe in 1987. According to Kao, the dish was inspired by a tangerine chicken dish from Hunan, China. In Chinese, this dish is known as "陳皮雞" ("chenpi chicken"), which refers to dried orange or tangerine peel. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ due to cultural and geographical factors.
In adapting the Hunan dish to American tastes, Kao replaced the use of tangerine with fresh orange peel or no orange at all. The tangerine chicken dish from Hunan is described as fresh and spicy, while orange chicken is known for its sweet and sour taste. This alteration is indicative of the Americanization of Chinese cuisine, where dishes are often transformed to cater to American preferences.
The creation of orange chicken by a Taiwanese American chef further highlights the fusion of East and West that characterizes Chinese American cuisine. The dish can be seen as an interpretation of classic Hunan cuisine, adapted to the ingredients and flavours favoured in the West. While it may not be a traditional Chinese dish, orange chicken exemplifies the creativity and innovation that arises from cultural exchange and migration.
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It's not a typical Chinese dish
Orange chicken is a Chinese-American dish that is not commonly found in China. It is believed to have originated in 1987 when Chef Andy Kao, a Taiwanese-born, French-trained chef working for the iconic Chinese takeout chain Panda Express, created it. According to Kao, orange chicken was inspired by a tangerine chicken dish from China's Hunan province. However, he modified the dish by using fresh orange peel instead of tangerine and applying the boneless, battered, and fried preparation of General Tso's chicken, another Panda Express invention.
While orange chicken is often labelled as "Chinese food" in North America, it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China. Andrew Cherng, the owner and founder of Panda Express, has stated that orange chicken is just a variation of General Tso's chicken, which is also almost unknown in China. The dish has been adapted to cater to American tastes, resulting in a sweeter flavour profile compared to the original tangerine chicken from Hunan, which is typically fresh and spicy.
The creation of orange chicken can be traced back to the fusion of Chinese and American cuisines that occurred with the mass migration of Chinese immigrants to the West Coast in the mid-1800s. These immigrants, craving a taste of home, attempted to recreate familiar Chinese dishes with American ingredients, resulting in the first Americanized Chinese food called chop suey, meaning leftovers in Chinese. Over time, Chinese-American food evolved further with subsequent waves of immigration, particularly in the 1960s when a newer generation of immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong popularized fried, sweet and sour, and spicy and sour dishes.
While orange chicken may be inspired by authentic Chinese flavours and the tangerine chicken dish from Hunan, it is important to recognize that it is a unique creation that has been adapted to suit American tastes and culinary preferences. Therefore, it is not a typical Chinese dish, but rather a delicious example of Chinese-American fusion cuisine.
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It's rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China
Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish of fried chicken coated in a sweet orange-flavoured chilli sauce. It is commonly found at North American Chinese restaurants, but it is rarely found in Chinese restaurants in China.
The dish was invented in 1987 by Andy Kao, a Taiwanese-born, French-trained chef working for the iconic Chinese takeout chain Panda Express. Kao claims to have developed the original Chinese-American orange chicken recipe at a Panda Express in Hawaii. Since then, orange chicken has become Panda Express's signature dish, with the chain selling over 100 million pounds of it every year.
Orange chicken was inspired by a tangerine chicken dish from China's Hunan province. In Chinese, the dish is known as "陳皮雞" ("chenpi chicken"), which refers to dried orange or tangerine peel. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ from orange chicken due to cultural and geographical factors. For example, in American Chinese restaurants, the use of tangerine was changed to the use of fresh orange peel or no orange at all.
While orange chicken is not a typical Chinese dish, it is an example of Chinese American cuisine, which is a fusion of Chinese and American flavours. Chinese American food as we know it today came about in the 1960s with the second large wave of immigration from Taiwan and Hong Kong. This newer generation of immigrants popularized the fried, sweet and sour, and spicy and sour dishes characteristic of the Hunan and Sichuan provinces.
Some people have noted that orange chicken can be found in China, but it is not very common. It is possible that the dish is gaining popularity in China due to its similarity to the sweet and sour sauces that are already popular in many Chinese cuisines.
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Frequently asked questions
Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish. It is not a typical Chinese dish, but it was inspired by the flavours of authentic Chinese food.
No, orange chicken is not an Indian dish. It is not served in Indian restaurants.
Orange chicken is made with boneless, battered, and deep-fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet orange-flavoured chilli sauce.
The chicken pieces are marinated in a sauce and coated in flour, salt, and pepper. They are then fried until golden brown. The sauce is made by combining orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chilli flakes.
Orange chicken is commonly found at North American Chinese restaurants. It is also available as a frozen dinner product in grocery stores and is sometimes served in school lunch programs.
