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
I’m trying to add more veggies to my family’s diet. Do you have a side dish that you recommend serving with this? It looks wonderful.
It’s perfect with a simple roasted, steamed, or sauteed broccoli or green beans.
Love this site. Just got both cookbooks and right now am chowing down on the cheesy enchiladds (pg 29?) Anyway, so good. This website helps fuel my love for cooking, and of course eating. I literally fell asleep on my couch reading one of the books cover to cover-that’s how excited I was. You have some great healthy recipes included in your other books, would be neat to see a cookbook focused on all healthy recipes (ironic to mention after eating the cheesy enchiladas. But anyway…) Big fan of you guys 🙂
This was a total lifesaver. I found myself at 5:00 wondering what I was going to make for dinner. I had everything on hand and threw it together. Delicious!
My hubby and I have 14 wonderful grandchildren. So we would definitely use the prize money and have a great time with the gang! This is one grandma who loves your recipes!
Both the spoons and the cups are from World Market- here’s a link!
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/porcelain-measuring-spoons-set.do
They’re porcelain, so I usually only use them when I’m cooking to photograph and don’t want to use my ugly half-melted plastic ones, haha.
seasoned or natural rice vinegar
Either, or 🙂
We had everything on hand for this and made it for dinner tonight. Yummy! Thanks OBB for yet another winner.
Love all your recipes! I cannot wait to try making this chinese orange beef!Can you PLEASE tell me what kind of pans you use (not just for this recipe)? I have been shopping for new cookware (pan set)…it is so overwhelming! I LOVE to cook & bake so I need a good set of cookware! Thanks for any input!
So yummy! Does/did your husband work for ATK? Do you use All Clad pans? Or what brand are they?
No, my husband has never worked for ATK- why do you ask? Lol. I’m just a big fan so I use their recipes a lot! That is an All-Clad pan, I have a couple of them, but I don’t use them exclusively.
Okay, I am apparently a totally clueless cook, but I can’t figure out if you mean 1 flank steak that is 1/2 lb. or 1.5 lbs of flank steak… Could you clarify for those really special people out there? 🙂
Haha, no it’s tricky! I actually re-worded the way I wrote that multiple times! You want to use one flank steak, that weighs about 1.5 pounds. Does that make sense?
Totally! Thank you!!!