Orange Chicken
This is a very citrusy, very sweet chicken dish; Definitely worth trying if you’ve never had it before.
Dovetailing Tip: Use the bite size pieces of chicken that you cut up on day 4 for tonight’s orange chicken recipe.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
| vegetable or peanut oil for frying | |
| chicken | |
| 4 | whole egg whites |
| 2 tablespoons | cornstarch |
| 4 | whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces |
| sauce: | |
| 1/2 cup | orange juice |
| 1 tablespoon | soy sauce |
| 1 tablespoon | packed brown sugar (or white sugar or honey) |
| 1 tablespoon | rice vinegar (or regular distilled vinegar) |
| 1/4 teaspoon | sesame oil |
| dash of salt | |
| dash of crushed red pepper, more to taste | |
| 1 clove | garlic, pressed or minced |
| 2 teaspoons | minced ginger |
| 1 teaspoon | cornstarch (additional) |
| zest of 1 orange (optional) | |
| 1/4 cup | water |
| 2 | whole green onions, sliced |
Directions:
For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg whites with a fork until almost frothy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. For the sauce: Meanwhile, put the orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, crushed red pepper, garlic and ginger (and orange zest, if using) in a small nonstick skillet and whisk together. Heat until bubbling and starting to thicken, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch slurry to the sauce. Mix in and thicken for 1 minute. (If sauce gets overly thick, just add in another 1/4 cup water and whisk in.) Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. In batches, carefully drop a few pieces of chicken into the oil (drop them in one by one to keep them from sticking together) and move it around, 2-3 minutes or until light golden. Let the pieces drain on a plate lined with paper towels for 2 to 3 minutes. Then drop them back into the oil for 1 minute to really solidify the coating. Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve immediately with orange zest and sliced green onions on the top.
Source: thepioneerwoman.com
