Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos: Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos

Sunday, 15 February 2015

Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos

Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe Biography

source (google.com.pk)

I made this Orange Chicken on my Food Network show a few weeks ago, and I just realized yesterday that I’d never shared the recipe here on my totes cray recipe blog. So yesterday, as I whipped some up for lunch, I took photos and documented the step-by-step process. For I am a foodblogger. And that’s what foodbloggers do.

As I explained on the show, wherein I whipped up my girls’ and my favorite Chinese take-out dishes, every Friday when we go to Tulsa to our all-day homeschool co-op, one of the rewards the girls and I look forward to is a lunch from Panda Express. To three females who live on an isolated ranch, being less than 5 minutes away from drive-through Chinese food is enough to keep us going back to co-op week after week. My preferences can fluctuate wildly between things like Kung Pao Chicken and Beijing Beef—whatever I’m in the mood for—and Alex’s stay more in the Beef-and-Broccoli realm. But for Paige, it’s all Orange Chicken, all the time. She loves it and can’t get enough.

Here’s how to make Orange Chicken in the comfort of your own kitchen! It’s a very citrusy, very sweet chicken dish; Definitely worth trying if you’ve never had it before.

First get the chicken ready. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, because I love their texture and flavor—particularly in Chinese dishes. But chicken breasts will work just fine, too; just be sure to cut whatever chicken you use into small, bite-sized pieces.

Now, for orange chicken (and other similar sticky chicken dishes), the coating for the chicken is key! It starts with 4 egg whites. I do the back-and-forth-between-the-two-halves-of-the-shell thing, but you can separate the whites however your heart, soul, or family tradition dictates.

To the egg whites, add some cornstarch…

So now, just throw in the chicken pieces…

And smush them around so that they’re all coated in the egg white/cornstarch mixture. Just let them sit in there for 5 to 10 minutes while you get the sauce going.

And smush them around so that they’re all coated in the egg white/cornstarch mixture. Just let them sit in there for 5 to 10 minutes while you get the sauce going.

Then comes all the other good stuff: Soy sauce…

Orange ChickenBrown sugar (or you can use white sugar or even honey instead!)…

Vinegar (this is rice vinegar, but you can just use regular white vinegar)…

Sesame oil (there’s nothing like it in the world)…

A little salt…

Some red pepper flakes (the spice is very nice!)…

Some garlic (I grated it in with a microplane, but you can just mince it if you prefer)…

The garlic is important in the sauce, so don’t skip it.

Sorry to be bossy.

The garlic is important in the sauce, so don’t skip it.

Sorry to be bossy.

Let the pieces fry for 2 to 3 minutes for the first stage. They’ll be slightly golden, but not dark yet (if they browned really quickly, the oil’s too hot.)

Take them out…

And set them on a paper towel-lined plate. Keep going until all the chicken has been fried.

Orange ChickenThen comes the fun part. Grab a batch of the fried chicken from the plate…

Orange ChickenAnd plunge it back into the hot oil for another minute. This just “solidifies” the coating and gives it a little more structure…whatever that means. Ha. And truth be told, it would probably be fine just to fry the chicken all the way through during the first frying stage. This is just the way I do it, man. I’m old and set in my ways.

Orange ChickenWhen the chicken has fried for the additional minute, drain it on a new paper towel. Note that the coating isn’t hard and crisp as it would be if you’d used a batter; it’s very light. Just right!

Orange ChickenNow it’s just time to finish up the sauce: Combine a little cornstarch…

Orange ChickenWith a little water…

Orange ChickenAnd pour this into the sauce, whisking it to combine.

Orange ChickenTurn up the heat just long enough to let the cornstarch thicken the sauce…

Orange ChickenThen remove it from the heat…

Orange ChickenAnd throw in the chicken!

Orange ChickenQuickly toss it around to get the chicken all coated. There is not an abundance of sauce—just enough to coat the chicken.

Orange ChickenI really wanted to drive home the orange, so I grated up some more zest…

Orange ChickenAnd tossed it in. (You can see the benefit of the nonstick skillet here; all the sauce ends up on the chicken rather than stuck to the pan!)

Orange ChickenNow, of course, you can serve the orange chicken with chow mein or fried rice…but it’s absolutely lovely on its own. (One thing a savory side dish like fried rice or noodles can do, though, is provide a counter to the sweetness of the chicken. Food for thought.)

Orange ChickenA little sliced green onion adds a little extra prettiness…and flavor, of course.

Orange ChickenVery flavorful, very citrusy, very good! If you’re a fan of orange chicken, give this one a try sometime. Just remember that you can customize the sauce to your taste, adding more ginger, garlic, soy…anything that makes you happy in life!

Orange ChickenHere’s the handy dandy printable.

Crispy Orange Chicken Recipe