Fried Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is one of our family's favorite Chinese take-out classics. This sauce is sweet, with a little tang, and a hint of spice that beautifully coats every piece just right.
What you'll need: Serves 4
1-2 pounds chicken breast
Jasmine rice
~1 cup avocado oil for frying (lard or another high smoke point oil)
For the marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 egg
For the sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp sesame oil
Orange zest from one orange
Juice from half an orange
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp white wine (or rice) vinegar
For the dredge:
1 1/2 cup starch (potato or corn)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish *optional
1 green onion, diced for garnish *optional
How to make it:
Start by rinsing jasmine rice and cooking by package directions.
Dice chicken breast into 1" cubes. Marinate in soy sauce and egg mixture for the duration of cooking everything else first, about 30 mins.
Using a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; then sauté garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
Add soy sauce, sesame seed oil, orange marmalade, honey, chili flakes, orange zest, orange juice, and a splash of vinegar. Simmer until it thickens and reduces in volume by about half, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Using a deep, medium sized skillet, fill with oil up to 1/2-1" deep. Heat the oil over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to measure the oil without touching the bottom of the pan. If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil temperature by dropping a piece of chicken into the oil. If it sizzles, it's hot enough. If it's smoking, it's too hot.
Meanwhile, in a ziplock bag, combine starch, garlic powder, onion powder. Dredge the marinated chicken pieces, then shake off the excess powder.
When the oil is at 350° or slightly above, carefully drop about 8-10 cubes of chicken in and let cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip/rotate and cook the other side. Work in (3) batches.
Overcrowding the pan will lower the temp of the oil and it will take longer to cook. Set the cooked chicken on a paper towel lined plate.
Once all the chicken is cooked, dump all of them into the orange sauce and toss until fully coated. Top with sesame seeds and diced green onion.
Serve over rice and with your favorite veggie.
Enjoy!