Orange Chicken
Ingredients
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 egg
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Oil for frying
1⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
1⁄4 cup flour
3-4 cups broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine (Mirin)
1⁄4 cup orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
For Orange Sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons orange juice
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup rice wine vinegar
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the egg, salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Mix well. Stir in the chicken pieces.
2. In medium bowl, stir together the flour and 1⁄2 cup cornstarch. Add to the chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
3. In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.
4. Heat oil for deep frying in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, small batches at a time, and fry for 4-5 minutes until browned and crisp. When done remove the chicken from the oil with tongs (or Chinese strainer) and drain on paper towels or in a sieve over a bowl.
5. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the wok. Heat wok over high heat.
6. Add broccoli to wok and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir try until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes and green onions, then the rice wine, stirring for a few seconds.
7. Add the orange sauce and bring to a boil. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the orange juice, add this mix to the chicken and heat until the sauce has thickened. If the broccoli is not yet tender, cover the wok during this step to allow the broccoli to steam briefly.
10. Add the cooked chicken to the wok, stirring until well incorporated. Turn off the heat and stir in the orange zest. Serve over rice.
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Tips for making ahead for a crowd**
Normally I’d avoid a recipe like this for company since my wok is only so large and the recipe involves a lot of time in the kitchen with the frying and everything. There are steps that you can take to make this for a group.
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The day before:_
1. Complete steps 1-3 of the recipe. I.e., coat the chicken, fry the chicken, and assemble the sauce. Store the chicken and sauce separately in the fridge.
2. Cut the broccoli and store it in a container in the fridge.
3. Mince the ginger and garlic and store them together in a small container in the fridge.
4. Cut the green onion and store it in a container in the fridge with the red pepper flakes.
5. Store the orange zest in a container in the fridge.
6. Mix the cornstarch and orange juice in a container and store in the fridge – you’ll need to stir it at the last minute before adding it.
To cook:
1. When you’re ready to cook the meal, get the rice going. Heat oil in the wok over high heat and stir fry the broccoli until tender-crisp, working in batches depending on how much you’ve got. Place broccoli in large bowl and set aside.
2. Add a bit more oil to wok and then add ginger and garlic, stirring until fragrant. Add the green onions and red pepper flakes, stirring for a few seconds before adding the mirin.
3. Add the orange sauce and bring to a boil – this might take a bit if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, since you’ll have more sauce. Stir the juice and cornstarch again and add to the wok. Stir until thickened.
4. Add the chicken from the fridge and stir until coated with sauce and heated through. Add the chicken and sauce to the bowl with the broccoli, add orange zest, and toss well to combine. The rice should be ready by now, or close to being ready, and voila. Easy meal to make when company is over assuming you invest the time the day before to get everything all ready!
Comments
Orange chicken is another dish I’ve never had in a Chinese restaurant. I’ve heard that it’s not actually very orange-y. This recipe rectifies that! I juice the orange after zesting it and, if it doesn’t give me enough juice for the recipe I top it off with some Simply Orange. This is a fantastic dish and you can easily control the heat level by increasing or reducing the amount of red pepper flakes. This recipe is one of our many favorites.
I have updated the recipe with make ahead instructions, since it turns out it’s fairly easy to prepare this for a crowd and get almost everything done the day before!
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