Asian Orange Chicken

May 3, 2021  •  Meat & Poultry, Technique

I’m not one to usually make deep fried dishes, but I’m human and occasionally I give in to my cravings, like this chicken recipe. I offered my boyfriend the option of either Orange Chicken or Sesame Chicken, and while he picked orange, I know I’m going to make Sesame Chicken one day soon as well.The secret to either orange chicken (or beef) or sesame chicken is the deep fry technique. The batter marries frothy egg whites with a flour and cornstarch mixture and it’s best to deep fry the pieces in small batches then let them drain on a rack like this.The sauce will cling to that crispy fried batter. The recipe I’m sharing has just a very light coating of the sauce – if you prefer more sauce to sop up with the rice (which I wish I had done), double the ingredients for the sauce portion only.

Asian Orange Chicken
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 egg whites, beaten until frothy
  • Zest and juice of 1 large orange
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
  • ¼ rich chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1½ teaspoons corn starch
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Canola or peanut oil, for frying
  • Orange slices, for garnish
  • Chopped scallions, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, garlic, and egg whites in a small nonreactive bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to four hours.
  2. To make the orange sauce, combine the orange zest and juice, chili sauce, stock, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and 1½ teaspoons corn starch in a small covered container. Shake well and set aside.
  3. Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine well.
  4. Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil is heating to 350 degrees. Toss the marinated chicken pieces in the flour-cornstarch mixture to coat. Deep fry in batches taking care not to crowd the pan. Carefully move the pieces around to crisp up the batter, and cook about 2 minutes per batch.
  5. Let cooked chicken drain on a rack while you repeat with remaining batches of chicken. When all chicken has been initially deep-fried, add all of the pieces into the pan together and gently move them around in the oil until the chicken is fully cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Remove to the rack while you heat the sauce.
  6. Carefully pour the oil out of the pan into a heat proof container to cool and dispose of. Shake the orange sauce to mix the ingredients, then add it to the pan and bring it to a simmer. Let it thicken slightly, then add the chicken pieces and toss gently to coat the chicken in the sauce.
  7. Transfer to a platter and garnish with orange slices and scallions. Serve with white rice.

 

Add a Comment

Rate this recipe: