Orange Chicken

Do you have orange chicken fans in your house? I sure do, and I have looked for the perfect orange chicken recipe for several years, and I have finally found it! It is requested a lot! Think Panda Express' Orange Chicken.

This recipe takes a little time to fry all of the chicken, but it is worth it. I don't fry much when I cook, and this one recipe is the exception because it makes the chicken like takeout.

Orange Chicken

Serves 6

Equipment:

Large frying pan or sauce pan

Oil frying strainer

Whisk

9" x 13" baking pan

citrus zester

citrus juicer

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (juice of 2 oranges)

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce ( I use reduced sodium)

1/4 teaspoon roasted garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh minced garlic)

1 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

pinch of powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

For the chicken:

1 1/2-2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1-inch chunks

3/4-1 cup cornstarch

2 large eggs lightly beaten

2 cups vegetable oil

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F, lightly spray a 9x13 glass pan, and set aside.

Zest the oranges and collect 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Slice the oranges in half and juice for the fresh squeezed orange juice. Measure out 1/2 cup of orange juice.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and set aside.

Place the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or sauce pan and heat on medium-high.

Wash and pat dry the chicken breast.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. 

Measure out the cup of cornstarch and have it ready in a medium mixing bowl.

Whisk the 2 eggs in a small bowl, toss the chicken into the egg mixture and let it drip off.

Then place the chicken cubes into the cornstarch, coating it evenly. 

When the oil in the frying pan is hot enough to sizzle when you flick a little water in it, it is hot enough to fry your chicken. Start placing the battered cubes of chicken into the hot oil. I cooked the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side. Turning it over after 4 minutes and frying for a total of 8 minutes. The batter may be slightly golden. I really liked the batter to have some color. I then took the chicken out of the skillet with the oil-frying strainer and placed it on a paper towel-lined plate. This drained off some of the excess grease.

When all chicken was fried, I placed it in the 9x13 pan and made a slurry of the tablespoon of cornstarch and the tablespoon of water and poured it over the chicken. Then I added the prepared sauce to the chicken and poured it evenly all across the chicken. The chicken looks like it is swimming in the sauce, but it will turn out perfect after you bake it. 

Place the 9x13 pan in the oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes; stir it once at about 25 minutes. Remove and serve it hot. The sauce really bakes into the chicken and breading and makes the perfect texture, just like takeout!

*Note: I immediately read this recipe and disliked the idea of breading the chicken in cornstarch. So I tried it with a traditional tempura batter, and the family voted; the cornstarch batter won out. So don't be skittish about breading the whole recipe in cornstarch; it turns out perfect!

I serve this with a side of rice I make in the instant pot. I will add that recipe later.

It takes about 1 hour and fifteen minutes to thirty minutes to make this from start to finish.

Recipe adapted from: Life Made Simple

In Victory,

Sherry