In my experience the Orange Chicken is mostly sweet and General Tso's is spicy, but I'm sure you could add spices to the Orange. Red pepper flakes or jalapenos or other hot chilis.

Okay! Thanks. Maybe I will experiment with a hybrid -- decrease the sweet and add some bird chili flavor or chinese pepper.

I am always ”hungry” ==> craving something tasty.

Panda Express is known for their orange chicken......maybe the most popular item on their menu. If one is not available nearby, you can make it yourself relatively easily. https://sweetandsavorymeals.com/panda-express-orange-chicken-copycat/#recipe

Or pick up a package at your local Trader Joe's. Also a very popular item. https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/mandarin-orange-chicken-066563

General Tso's is similar but has no orange or orange juice as part of the ingredients. It is also spicier, typically.

I think cookebrook is right. General Tso’s is more sweet/spicy and Orange is more sweet/tangy. I much prefer Orange Chicken since my taste buds can be crazy sensitive to even mildly spicy.

I always have TJ’s Orange Chicken in the freezer for a quick, easy meal.

From TJ’s FWIW…

Funny you should post this today. Yesterday my daughter said she wanted some Chinese food, had it delivered because she was sick. She got orange chicken, which around here is spicy. Apparently you can control the spice level, mild, medium or hot. I don't care too much for the super sweet sauces for orange chicken or some of the other breaded chicken dishes. It did made me think I wanted Chinese too, so I ordered some chop suey from my local place. I usually get almond chicken, if it's available. A lot of places here don't have it on the menu, though.

I use orange with duck, but with chicken, I only use sour oranges, or mix orange juice with lime juice and sometimes a bit of vinegar to make a Yucatecan style dish - Pollo Pibil. Of course it is not Chinese at all, but it does combine chicken and orange.

black vinegar is a nice add ... if you want vinegar E ... Spicy? Add some chili crisp.

There is a local chain that has an eponymous chicken dish that is a take on "traditional" orange chicken - and it is their most popular dish. Much less sweet/syrupy than at other restaurants, but it maintains the basic coated & fried chunks of chicken mixed with veggies, and not really hot or spicy but has a good tang. Always served with chopped green onion on top (and I always asked for extra - it made the dish IMO!)

It has been a long time since I had it - now I want some!

Thanks, everyone!

I’m going to check these out, including Lar’s Mexican Chicken. It sounds good.

My new motto is ”I eat everything! But I’m particular!”

This energetic young woman is fun to watch and she makes everything look easy. Also, I adore the way she says ”oil.” She has recipes for Orange Chicken and Kung Pao.

My DH made Kung Pao last week and said that it took a lot of time. That’s why I suggested he take a turn at it ;-) The cooking and eating go quickly; it’s the preparation and mise en place that take time.

My local closed during the pandemic. The orange chicken there was spicy but not vinegary. I don't think any of this is so standardized that you can just call the name of a menu and get substantially the same flavors.

“I don't understand why TJ's orange chicken is so popular. It's incredibly sweet and the meat is chewy, not in a good way. Think gristle.”

Well that’s not good! Fortunately that’s not been the case for us.

Not too vinegary. I didn’t know of, couldn’t think of a better way to expresss that tang.

Sounds like Sweet and Sour chicken to me.

My local used mandarins or tangerines, but could the one you liked by made with sour oranges?

The Mandarin Orange Chicken from Trader Joe's has never failed us. What a bargain for $5 to feed 2 ppl and have leftovers. We've never had tough gristle-y meat.