Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe (2024)

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This post is all about how to make a copycat version of the Cheesecake Factory orange chicken. One of the most popular dishes that this restaurant serves, you can now make this dish at home in just 30 minutes! Plus it’s even tastier 🙂

My copycat Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken is sweet and tangy with a strong orange-essence that derives from the zest and juice of fresh oranges.

In this recipe, I’ll show you my tips and tricks to get an extra crunchy puffy batter to ensure a stay-crisp coating, just like we experience at the restaurant.

This addictively delicious crowd-favorite tastes just like the Orange Chicken that’s served up at the Cheesecake Factory (and better than any takeout restaurants for that matter).

This post is all about how to make the perfect copycat recipe for Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken

Is the Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken any good?

Why am I making an Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe from The Cheesecake Factory of all places? I realize it’s a bit random to be sharing an orange chicken recipe from the Cheesecake Factory. After all, it’s not an authentic Chinese restaurant or even a Chinese restaurant for that matter. But they do have a really good version that’s widely adored.

Consistently delicious from location to location. Their chicken is always super crispy and hot, the sauce is tangy, sweet, with a kick of spice and has a strong real orange scent that permeates from the plate. So although this is certainly an americanized dish, it’s one that is exceptionally delicious and crave-able.

So I decided to create a recipe for this dish so I can help all the people that LOVE this dish (myself included) make this at home!

The Key To Extra Crispy Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken:

To get the ultimate crispiness on your chicken pieces for this dish and others, the key is a double deep fry. There is nothing worse than breaded, fried chicken pieces that turns mushy after it’s coated in sauce. You want that chicken coating to withstand the saucy moisture and still keep a crunch.

Looking for another great Asian-inspired chicken recipe?

Try my Sesame Chicken Recipe that was inspired by a local Mandarin/Cantonese restaurant in my hometown in Oregon.

Chinese Takeout Sesame Chicken

Sticky Chili Apricot Chicken

The Best Crispy General Tso’s Chicken

PF Changs Crispy Honey Chicken

Mom’s Famous Egg Rolls

I look forward to your comments and any questions you may have! Please feel free to list them below and don’t forget to tag me on social media if you make this recipe @BadBatchBaking and use #BadBatchBaking.

Print Recipe

Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe

Sticky coated orange chicken with an ultra crispy batter served over a bed of rice.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
Oil for frying about 2-3 cups

Orange Chicken Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp ginger grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Zest from 1 orange avoid the white part
Slurry- 2 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

Dredging

1/2 cup cornstarch

Wet Batter

6 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp flour
7-8 tbsp cold soda water
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 cups vegetable oil

prepared rice for serving (optional)
Garnish - orange zest and sliced green onions

Instructions

Preheat oil to 350 degrees in a fry safe skillet. For best results, use a thermometer to maintain accurate oil temperature. Nearby, place a cooling rack atop of baking sheet as a landing space for cooked chicken.
Prepare sauce by combining all sauce ingredients into a saucepan (withholding cornstarch slurry). Bring to a simmering boil until sugar dissolves. Combine the cornstarch+water slurry and add to the sauce, whisk to incorporate and simmer until thickened. Keep warm while preparing the chicken.
Dust Chicken: Place 1/2 cup of cornstarch into a medium bowl and toss chicken chunks in the cornstarch to coat.
Make cold batter by whisking together flour, salt, cornstarch and baking powder in a separate medium bowl. Pour in about ~7 tablespoons of COLD soda water then whisk just a few times until combined, a few lumps are ok - don’t overmix.
1st Fry: dunk a handful of chicken pieces into the batter, turning to coat each piece, place one at a time into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes until light golden brown, remove them and drain on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.
2nd Fry: bring oil back to temperature (this takes about 5 minutes or so) and again working in batches, add the chicken back into the oil to fry 90 seconds or until medium-golden brown and return to cooling rack to drain excess oil.
Add handfuls of fully coated chicken into prepared warm sauce, tumbling around quickly to coat, repeating with remaining chicken.
Serve over a bed of warm rice and top with grated orange peel and diced green onions and a few spoonfuls of extra sauce.

Notes

For best results, use a thermometer when frying to maintain accurate temperature as the oil with fluctuate.

This calls for a double fry method to ensure maximum crispiness.

It’s imperative to use cold soda water in order to ensure to proper crisp texture of the chicken pieces.

Double the sauce recipe if you tend to like extra sauce to drizzle over the rice when serving.

FAQs

Is cheesecake factory orange chicken spicy? ›

Deep Fried Pieces of Chicken Breast Covered in a Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce.

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What is Cheesecake Factory crust made of? ›

The crust for the Cheesecake Factory original cheesecake is made with a combination of pecans, almonds, walnuts, chopped vanilla wafers, and butter.

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How many calories are in Cheesecake Factory orange chicken? ›

There are 1750 calories in 1 serving of Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken. * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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Can you buy Cheesecake Factory sauces? ›

You can buy any sauce you desire if it's available

While the menu boasts over 100 varieties of freshly made sauces, according to The Cheesecake Factory location we spoke to, roughly 35 sauces are available to purchase from the restaurant, depending on availability.

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Is orange chicken spicier than General Tso? ›

Compared to General Tso's, orange chicken usually has a lighter-colored sweet, sour, savory glaze. It's not as spicy-hot because dried red chiles aren't as common or used as heavily in this dish. All recipes ask for orange in some form — juice, zest, dried peel, or a combination thereof.

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Why is Cheesecake Factory cake so high in calories? ›

Cheesecake is typically made with high calorie ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. For this reason, cheesecake can pack in a surprising amount of calories. For example, a slice of Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake from the popular chain restaurant The Cheesecake Factory packs 1,330 calories.

How many calories are in a piece of regular plain cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory? ›

A single slice of The Cheesecake Factory's Original Cheesecake contains 707 calories, 29 g of saturated fat, 425 mg of sodium and 62 g of carbohydrates. The restaurant also offers a low-carb version flavored with Splenda that has 570 calories.

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How many calories in one slice of cheesecake Cheesecake Factory? ›

Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake (1 slice) contains 47g total carbs, 47g net carbs, 30g fat, 8g protein, and 490 calories.

Is orange chicken considered spicy? ›

While the Original Orange Chicken is crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce, it only has one chili pepper next to the menu description, meaning mild spice levels.

What does original orange chicken taste like? ›

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.