This quick and easy Chinese Orange Beef boasts perfectly balanced flavors and can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes on the stove top with basic pantry ingredients. It’s a great week-night dinner that’s even faster than take-out! Serve it with white rice or another favorite grain and a vegetable side for an easy dinner everyone will love.
Ingredients Needed
- zest of one orange
- fresh orange juice
- dark brown sugar
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- Asian chili sauce
- fresh ginger
- cornstarch
- vegetable oil
- flank steak – one steak that weights about 1.5 pounds. We’re using flank steak here and since we need it cut super thin, it really helps to pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before you cut it. You don’t want it completely frozen through, just firm enough to add some resistance so you can slice it as thin as possible. Make sure to cut your steak “across the grain” for a tender bite. See this post if you’d like a more detailed description of that process.
- green onions
- hot white or brown rice – for serving
How to Make Quick and Easy Chinese Orange Beef
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Brown the beef in batches in a lightly oiled skillet, then transfer to a bowl.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and cook until thickened.
- Return beef to the pan, toss to coat, and serve over rice with green onions.
Storage & Other Tips
- Allow any leftovers to cool briefly, then store in an airtight container within two hours. It stays safe and flavorful in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
- To reheat, you can pop it in the microwave, but for best results, I love to reheat it on teh stovetop. I find it has a better texture!
Frequently Asked Questions
We highly recommend it. It’s lean but filled with flavor, takes to sauce well, and cooks quickly. We know it’s more pricey, but this meal is worth it.
Cooking in batches ensures the beef browns properly and prevents the pan from steaming. It also gives you room to reduce the sauce without over-crowding.
We recommend fresh, as nothing can match it’s brightness. Bottled juice can work, just keep in mind the flavor may be sweeter and less vibrant.
Yes, somewhat. You can mix the sauce and thin the beef ahead of time to make sure it comes together as quickly as possible. If you’re preparing it fully ahead, reheat it gently on the stovetop to keep a nice texture to the sauce.
Quick and Easy Chinese Orange Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 teaspoons grated orange zest I just zest 1 whole orange
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- vegetable oil for pan
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak trimmed and sliced thin across grain and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper (to clarify: that’s one steak, that weighs about 1.5 pounds)
- 3-4 green onions sliced
- hot white or brown rice for serving
Instructions
- Whisk orange zest and orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, ginger, and cornstarch together in a bowl.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle pan with oil and tilt to coat. Add half of beef, breaking up any clumps and let cook without stirring for one minute. Stir beef and continue to cook until browned, about 2 minutes; transfer to a bowl and cover. Repeat with remaining beef and transfer to bowl.
- Whisk sauce to recombine, add to now-empty skillet, and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Return cooked beef, with any accumulated juices, to skillet and toss to combine. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Questions & Reviews
Funny, I had Chinese on the mind too. I just finished posting a spicy Chinese Green Bean Beef last week. 🙂 Now I’ll have to make this too! My Chinese kick continues…http://burntapple.com/2013/02/21/chinese-green-bean-and-beef/
I’ve noticed y’all use dark brown sugar in a lot of your recipes, I’m guessing it is to add a deeper flavor, yes? Do you keep light brown sugar on hand for anything or should I just always use the dark stuff? I’m just wondering about containers…get an extra one for dark brown or scrap the light stuff and use that container….important stuff, ya know!
Yep, you’re right. Dark brown sugar just has more molasses in it, giving it a deeper, richer flavor. Most recipes call for light brown sugar, so that’s what I usually use, but if a recipe specifically calls for dark brown it’s nice to have on hand. When it comes down to it, you can easily get away with using either/or in a recipe. I sometimes swap them just depending on what I have.
I only keep dark…haven’t found a recipe yet that I like better with light. 🙂
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I am always looking for something quick, interesting, and tasty. Thanks for sharing.
How delicious!! Pinned! 🙂
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I’m finding that I don’t love the taste of fresh ginger. I think it is because I always expect a sweet taste but it is more salty. If I leave ginger out of this recipe…would it still be yummy or would it be way too sweet? Thanks!
Ginger isn’t salty, at all. It’s more of a citrus flavor, bright and fresh. I personally wouldn’t leave it out of this recipe!
I’ll give it another try! Thanks!
Try the tubes of fresh ginger in the produce section. They are SUPER easy (no grating necessary!), super tasty, and you can pop them in the freezer and save for later. 🙂 You also won’t get any “woody”ness that you sometimes find if the ginger isn’t really fresh.
You guys seriously are too much of a good thing. On the spot dinner and photograph and post about it? I dont know how you do it
Could you substitute skirt steak? That’s what I have in my freezer right now. 🙂
Yep- totally!
Can’t wait to try this. What kind of knife do you use to cute your meat? Serrated? I seem to have a hard time getting my meat cut super thin. Thank you!
I use a big long serrated knife, almost like a bread knife, it works really well!
Really want to try, it looks so tasty! Question, will there be a big difference in taste if I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?
Nah, go ahead and use light if that’s what you’ve got- it will be just as good. The dark just adds a little more depth of flavor.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!