Chinese, Main Dish

Orange Chicken

Posted by dale on

If you are looking for something fairly easy and full of flavor – look no further!

NOTE: You can substitute ¾ cup of bottled orange juice for the freshly squeezed juice, if desired. If your oranges are small, you may need more than two to yield ¾ cup of juice. The chicken will be somewhat pale when fried in step 5; it will get more color when you toss it in the sauce. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli. 

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 ½ cups cornstarch
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 scallions

INSTRUCTIONS

  1.  FOR THE SAUCE: Using vegetable peeler, remove eight 2-inch strips of zest from 1 orange. Using rasp-style grater, grate 1½ teaspoons zest from remaining orange. Halve both oranges and squeeze to get ¾ cup juice. Combine orange zest (strips and grated) and juice, broth, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, sriracha, and oil in medium saucepan and whisk to dissolve cornstarch.
  2. Bring sauce to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until dark brown and thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover and set aside.
  3. Combine chicken, egg whites, and salt in bowl. Place cornstarch, flour, and baking powder in double-bagged large paper shopping bag. Roll top of bag to seal and shake gently to combine. Add chicken mixture to cornstarch mixture in bag, roll top of bag to seal, and shake vigorously to thoroughly coat chicken; set aside.
  4. Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
  5. Shake chicken in bag once more. Add half of chicken to hot oil and fry until cooked through (chicken will still be somewhat pale), 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 350 degrees. Using slotted spoon or spider skimmer, transfer fried chicken to prepared sheet. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.
  6. Warm sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 1 minute. Toss sauce and chicken in large bowl until chicken is evenly coated. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with scallions.