Chef special H5
Tangerine chicken, made to order since 1999.
Breaded chicken breast fried crisp, tossed in our house sauce with orange peel marinated in honey and sugar, served with broccoli. It is number H5 on the menu, and it is the dish some people call orange chicken. Order it by number and we will start it when you call.
Tangerine chicken is the one some people call orange chicken
Plenty of people call and ask for orange chicken. The kitchen takes orders by number, so the thing to say is number H5, Tangerine Chicken. It is the dish you are thinking of: crisp breaded chicken in a sweet citrus sauce. The name on the paper menu has not changed in 27 years and the kitchen fills it by that number, which is why we have not renamed it.
What is in it
The same breaded chicken breast we use for Sesame Chicken and General Tso's, cut and breaded in our kitchen rather than bought pre-coated. It is fried once to cook through, rested, then fried again to crisp the coating.
What makes it its own dish is the orange peel that goes into the sauce, marinated in honey and sugar. That is where the citrus comes from, and the honey is why this one tastes brighter and rounder than the other two. Broccoli is the only vegetable in the box.
How it compares
All three start the same way: the same breaded chicken breast in the same base sauce. What changes is what goes in the pan with it.
Tangerine Chicken
- Sauce
- Same base, with honey-marinated orange peel
- Vegetables
- Broccoli
- On top
- Nothing
- Heat
- A touch
- Price
- $13.15 chef special only
Sesame Chicken
- Sauce
- Our house sauce
- Vegetables
- Broccoli
- On top
- Sesame seeds
- Heat
- A touch
- Price
- $8.65 lunch · $13.15 chef special
General Tso's Chicken
- Sauce
- Our house sauce
- Vegetables
- Broccoli, green pepper, carrots
- On top
- Nothing
- Heat
- A touch
- Price
- $8.65 lunch · $13.15 chef special
Read more about Sesame Chicken or General Tso's Chicken. Both of those are also on the lunch special and combination platter lists; this one is a chef special only.
Making it at home
People ask, so here is roughly how it goes. It will not come out quite like ours; a home range cannot get as hot as a wok burner, and that heat does a lot of the work. It will still be good.
- Cut and bread the chicken. Bite-size pieces of breast, dredged so each one is evenly coated. Let them sit a few minutes before they go near oil.
- Marinate the orange peel in honey and sugar. That is the whole marinade, nothing else in it. Let the peel sit in it until it softens and turns syrupy, then chop it fine. This is the step that makes it Tangerine Chicken rather than Sesame Chicken without the seeds.
- Make the sauce. Soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, a few dried red chilis and the marinated peel, syrup and all. Whisk in cornstarch so it turns glossy and clings instead of running to the bottom of the box.
- Fry once, rest, fry again. Moderate heat until cooked through, rest the pieces, then a second hotter and shorter fry. That second fry is the step most people skip, and it is the one that makes the coating crisp.
- Sauce and broccoli, fast. Get the pan hot, add the sauce, let it thicken a few seconds, then add the chicken and broccoli. Toss only long enough to coat and eat it right away.
Or skip all of that and call us at (518) 271-9034.
Common questions
Do you have orange chicken?
Yes, though it is not called that on our menu. The dish most people mean by orange chicken is Tangerine Chicken, number H5. Order it by that number and you will get it. It is $13.15 as a chef special.
What is Tangerine Chicken?
Breaded chicken breast fried crisp, tossed in our house sauce with orange peel marinated in honey and sugar, and served with broccoli. That peel is what gives it the citrus edge that Sesame Chicken and General Tso's do not have.
What is the difference between Tangerine Chicken and Sesame Chicken?
They start the same way: the same breaded chicken breast in the same base sauce, both with broccoli. Tangerine chicken adds orange peel marinated in honey and sugar, and has no sesame seeds. Sesame chicken has the sesame seeds and no citrus.
Is Tangerine Chicken spicy?
It carries the pepper marker on our menu, as 71 of our dishes do, so there is a little heat behind the sweetness. Tell us when you order and we will cook it milder or hotter.
How much is Tangerine Chicken at Golden House?
It is $13.15 as a chef special, number H5, served with rice. Unlike Sesame Chicken and General Tso's, it is not on the lunch special or combination platter lists, so the chef special is the only way to order it.
More about hours, delivery and allergies on the FAQ page.
How to order
Call and ask for number H5. We are open Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 AM–10:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM–10:00 PM. Most people pick up, and there is free parking right out front in Hilltop Plaza. We also deliver to Watervliet, Latham, Green Island between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM, with a $18 minimum and a $2 fee. Lunch specials run 11:00 AM–3:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday (Sunday from 12:00 PM), though this dish is not one of them.