How To Make Super Crispy Mandarin Chicken At Home!

Bonus: you don’t need to deep fry it.

2020 taught us that anybody can cook. We’ve all spent so much time at home and in our kitchens last year, and it’s been an amazing journey. Food trends have been very popular starting with Dalgona Coffee and everyone making their own Banana Bread. What we’ve really missed though, is takeout.

Not just takeout for its convenience, but because it’s so delicious. Think Chinese takeout with its succulent yet crispy pieces of chicken in a sweet-spicy sauce. Guess what? You can easily cook a Chinese takeout style dish at home. This Mandarin Chicken recipe is easy to follow and ticks all the boxes – succulent yet crispy chicken and a delicious sweet & spicy sauce. Plus, it isn’t deep fried! 

Here are some tips to make super crispy Mandarin Chicken at home!

What cut of chicken to use for Mandarin Chicken?

To make any Chinese dish at home, your best option is boneless chicken breast or boneless chicken thigh. They cook quickly since they’re boneless and are more convenient to eat. You could cut these into cubes or strips based on your recipe. For this recipe, you’ll need 1-inch cubes of chicken. 

How to make Mandarin Chicken crispy without deep frying? 

The trick is in the marinade. Use corn flour to form a coating around the pieces of chicken. Then fry it in a large nonstick pan allowing the chicken to brown on each side before flipping. 

Once the chicken’s cooked, spread it out on a plate, making sure all the pieces aren’t sticking to one another. This will ensure they remain crisp. If you just pile them on one another, they start steaming and the coating will become moist.

Another tip is to cook this right before you eat and serve immediately so you get to enjoy the crispy pieces of chicken. If the chicken sits in the sauce for too long, the coating will get soggy.  

If you’re craving Chinese, and want something really quick, try our Sichuan Chilli Chicken Stir Fry, made with our ready-to-cook Sichuan Chilli Chicken. It’s pre-marinated, so all you have to do is toss it in the pan!

Order fresh chicken from Licious and try our recipe for Mandarin Chicken! Let us know in the comments how you liked it. If you post your recipe on social media, do use #MadeWithLicious. We’d love to see your creations. 

Print Recipe

How To Make Super Crispy Mandarin Chicken At Home!

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Asian

Keyword

Mandarin Chicken Recipe

Servings

Ingredients

Marination:

• 450 g chicken breast boneless or chicken thigh boneless cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp oil of choice
• Salt - to taste
• 1 egg
• ½ cup Corn flour

Sauce:

• ¼ cup Orange juice
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp pepper powder
• 1 tbsp Corn flour

Stir fry:

• ¼ cup oil of choice
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch ginger minced
• 4 in stalks spring onions sliced - use the white partthe stir fry & the green part for garnish
• ½ cup Bell Pepper sliced
• 2 tsp sesame seeds for garnish

Course Main Dish Cuisine Asian Keyword Mandarin Chicken Recipe Servings Ingredients Marination: 450 g chicken breast boneless or chicken thigh boneless cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tbsp oil of choice Salt - to taste 1 egg ½ cup Corn flour Sauce: ¼ cup Orange juice 1 tbsp Soy Sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar ¼ tsp pepper powder 1 tbsp Corn flour Stir fry: ¼ cup oil of choice 6 cloves garlic minced 1 inch ginger minced 4 in stalks spring onions sliced - use the white partthe stir fry & the green part for garnish ½ cup Bell Pepper sliced 2 tsp sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. To make Mandarin Chicken, start by mixing 1 tbsp oil, salt to taste, and an egg in a bowl. Add the chicken cubes and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set it aside.
3. Heat ¼ cup oil in a nonstick skillet. While the oil is heating, add the ½ cup of corn flour to the marinated chicken and mix it well, so the chicken is coated in corn flour. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet making sure all the pieces are well spread around the pan.
4. Allow the chicken pieces to sear on one side for 2-3 minutes and then flip them and let them sear for another 2-3 minutes. The pieces should have cripsed up well because of the corn flour. Remove them on a plate, making sure they are well spread out and set them aside.
5. In the remaining oil in the nonstick skillet, add the minced ginger and garlic and the white part of the sliced spring onions. Allow them to sizzle for a bit and release aroma.
6. Next, stir the sauce again and add it to the skillet. Allow it to reduce for a few minutes till it has thickened well. Add sliced bell peppers and fry them for a minute or so. And then add the fried chicken and mix well until the chicken is coated well with the sauce.
7. Garnish with spring onion greens and sesame seeds and serve hot over steamed rice or noodles.