Authentic Orange Chicken
My Chinese-American version of crispy fried chicken nuggets tossed in a savory citrus sauce with a touch of heat. Great served over hot rice.
Yield
6 servingsPrep
15 minCook
15 minReady
2 hrsIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ½ | pounds |
chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
cut into 1-inch cubes |
|
| 1 | cup |
cornstarch
|
|
| 2 | large |
eggs
beaten |
|
| 1 ½ | cups |
vegetable oil
or canola or peanut oil |
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
sesame seeds
toasted, for garnish |
|
| 1 | stalk |
scallions, spring or green onions
sliced, for garnish |
*
|
| Marinade | |||
| 1 | cup |
chicken broth
|
|
| ½ | cup |
orange juice
|
|
| ½ | cup |
sugar
|
|
| ⅓ | cup |
vinegar
|
|
| ¼ | cup |
soy sauce, sodium reduced
|
|
| 2 | cloves |
garlic
minced |
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
orange zest
grated |
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
chili sauce
Sriracha |
|
| ¼ | teaspoon |
ginger
|
|
| 1 | teaspoon |
red pepper flakes
|
|
| 2 | tablespoons |
cornstarch
|
|
| 2 | tablespoons |
water
cold |
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 680.4 | g |
chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
cut into 1-inch cubes |
|
| 237 | ml |
cornstarch
|
|
| 2 | large |
eggs
beaten |
|
| 355 | ml |
vegetable oil
or canola or peanut oil |
|
| 15 | ml |
sesame seeds
toasted, for garnish |
|
| 1 | stalk |
scallions, spring or green onions
sliced, for garnish |
*
|
| Marinade | |||
| 237 | ml |
chicken broth
|
|
| 118 | ml |
orange juice
|
|
| 118 | ml |
sugar
|
|
| 79 | ml |
vinegar
|
|
| 59 | ml |
soy sauce, sodium reduced
|
|
| 2 | cloves |
garlic
minced |
|
| 15 | ml |
orange zest
grated |
|
| 15 | ml |
chili sauce
Sriracha |
|
| 1.3 | ml |
ginger
|
|
| 5 | ml |
red pepper flakes
|
|
| 3E+1 | ml |
cornstarch
|
|
| 3E+1 | ml |
water
cold |
|
Directions
Make the marinade:
Whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Transfer ⅔ cup of the marinade to a large heavy-duty zip lock bag and add the chicken cubes. Refrigerate to marinate at least one hour and up to one day. Turn and massage bag occasionally. Reserve and refrigerate remaining marinade.
When ready to make the chicken, drain the chicken from the marinade and discard it.
Heat the remaining reserved marinade in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and whisk in the 2 Tbs. cornstarch combined with the 2 Tbs. cold water. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 2 minutes; lower heat and keep warm.
Make the chicken:
Heat oil in heavy deep saucepan. Working in batches, dip chicken cubes in eggs then dredge in the 1 cup cornstarch, shaking off excess. Add chicken to hot oil and fry until golden and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven. Continue until all the remaining chicken cubes are fried.
Remove the all the cooked chicken cubes to a large bowl; pour over with marinade and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and slice scallions. Serve immediately.
