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.
Ingredients
| 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 |
|
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.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 324g (11.4 oz)
WHY DISCARD THE 1ST MARINADE ?
COULDN'T YOU JUST BOIL IT FOR A FEW MIN.
THEN ADD THE FRESH,HEAT THEN ADD CORNSTARCH.
I WOULD ALSO JUST LIGHTLY FLOUR OR CORNSTARCH THE CHICKEN THEN SAUTE IN BUTTER & VEG.OIL COMBO.
over 9 years agoAfter removing chicken from a wet marinade, the leftover marinade itself should not be reused as a sauce without first thoroughly boiling it for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Due to the presence of bacteria from the raw poultry in the marinade, many cooks, like me, choose to dispose of the used marinade rather than reusing it. If you feel comfortable re-using it, then go ahead and use it.
lynn in ma
sean
This looks great, reminds me of Fireplace Chicken from the Fireplace Chinese restaurant in Toronto. Thanks for sharing Lynn!
about 8 years ago