Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe
This Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe is from a Chinese restaurant near my home which graciously parted with the recipe to post on this web site. Fortunately, it is one of the best Chinese restaurants in town. This isn't the recipe that you are probably used to. It isn't full of sticky corn syrup and MSG. The sauce is lighter and full of flavor.
When I got a hold of this recipe, I was surprised to see that it was more involved than expected but it was nice to see the technique of using corn starch instead of flour and egg for the crunchy outside. The corn starch method is a lot cleaner than the mess made by heavy batters and the chicken comes out crispier.
This recipe is designed to feed two people. You can double it for a family of four.
Of course, Chinese cooking is traditionally done with a wok. Most people don't have a wok at home or know how to season a wok properly. This isn't a problem, since you can deep fry the chicken in a regular pot quite easily.
Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 3 cups of peanut oil
- 1 cup cornstarch (for coating chicken)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Some chopped green onion for topping
For the Marinade:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 tsps soy sauce
- A few drops of toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- A few drops sesame oil
- 2 1/2 Tbls soy sauce
- 1 Tbls grated orange zest
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger minced (can use powdered)
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbls cornstarch
Preparation:
Marinate Chicken
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade.
- Add chicken and marinade in a large zip loc bag and put in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
Make Sauce
- In a small pot add chicken broth, a few drops of sesame oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, and soy sauce.
- Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Mix in brown sugar, ginger, orange zest and garlic
- Mix together 3 Tbls of corn starch and 1/4 cup of cool water in a cup
- Mix in the corn starch/water mixture until the sauce thickens, then season with salt to taste.
- Check sauce for the desired thickness. If it is too runny for you then you can add a bit more corn starch and water.
- Set sauce aside and keep warm.
Cook Chicken
- Take chicken out of marinade, and coat them a few at a time in the 1 cup cornstarch.
- Shake off excess cornstarch and place on a plate.
- Heat up the 3 cups oil in a pot or wok.
- When oil just begins to smoke, add the first batch of coated chicken pieces and deep-fry until cooked through. They should look golden in color.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Cook the rest of the chicken pieces.
- Reheat orange sauce and add fried chicken cubes.
- Place the chicken servings on two plates and sprinkle sesame seeds and green onion on top.
- Serve with side of white rice and vegetables
Serves 2
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