Annie’s Eats

I made this chicken recipe once before, a couple of months ago.  I was having a very bad day in the kitchen that day.  I must have been tired or something because I made approximately 10 mistakes throughout the preparation of this dish.  I was so upset and frustrated by the time I was finished that I was sure it would be awful, and I almost threw it out.  However, I was blown away when I tasted the final product.  Even with all my mistakes, it was phenomenal!  Ever since I have been wanting to give it another try, because it was so delicious and also to see if I could make it correctly this time.  Things went much more smoothly and it still tasted every bit as great as last time!  This is much better than any Chinese takeout I could buy.  We ate this over white rice with a side of snow peas.  I really don’t make much fried food, but this dish is so good, it is worth splurging every once in a while.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

For the marinade and sauce:

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 ½” pieces

¾ cup low sodium chicken broth

¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 ½ tsp. grated orange zest

8 thin strips orange peel (optional)

6 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup dark brown sugar

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. cold water

For coating and frying:

3 large egg whites

1 cup cornstarch

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

3 cups peanut oil (or canola oil)

Directions:

For the marinade and sauce, place the chicken in a Ziploc bag; set aside.  In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper; whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and pour it into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with the marinade.  Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.  Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat.  In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water; whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Off the heat, stir in the orange peel (if using); set the sauce aside.

For the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and beat with a fork until frothy.  In a second pie plate, whisk together the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined.  Drain the chicken in a colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels.  Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat.  Transfer the pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly.  Place the dredged chicken pieces on another plate or a baking sheet.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in an 11- to 12-inch dutch oven or straight sided sauté pan with at least 3 qt. capacity over high heat until the oil reaches 350° on an instant read or deep fry thermometer.  Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.  Return the oil to 350° and repeat with the remaining chicken.

To serve, reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, originally from Cooking at Home with America’s Test Kitchen