Orange Chicken with Spicy Variation

By lorik

Ingredients

• Take out Style Orange Chicken:
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch), divided
• canola (or other neutral oil) oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken:
• 1 1/4 cups orange juice (preferably fresh)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons sriracha (or more to taste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Brown rice, white rice or quinoa for serving
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Take out Style Orange Chicken:
Whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce, wine, ginger, and garlic together in a large bowl. Add the cubed chicken and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Using a large slotted spoon, move the chicken cubes from the marinade into a new bowl, leaving the remaining liquid behind. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cornstarch over the chicken and mix slightly to coat.
In a large pot over medium-high, heat 1/4 inch of canola oil . Working in batches, add chicken cubes in a single layer and fry, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Move to a paper towel-lined large plate or baking sheet to drain. Cubes will be crunchy looking nuggets of magic. Resist urge to eat them all from the baking sheet.
In a small pot or saucepan over medium heat, mix remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, honey, orange juice, marmalade, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. In a small bowl, mix remaining tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together to form a slurry. Bring orange sauce mixture to low boil, and add some of the slurry, a spoonful at a time, while whisking, to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat once thickened.
Toss chicken cubes in the sauce in a large bowl. Serve with rice and broccoli like the homemade takeout queen you ARE.

Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken
In small bowl, whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, sriracha, vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, and pepper. Place chicken in a large ziploc bag; pour 1/3 cup marinade over chicken. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Heat large skillet or wok over high heat. Add remaining oil. In 2 batches, add chicken and cook each batch 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and has lost its pink color throughout, stirring frequently. Remove chicken from pan.

Reduce heat to medium-high; add remaining marinade to skillet; heat to boiling. In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water; whisk into marinade, and boil 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet; cook 1 minute or until heated through. Serve over rice or quinoa, sprinkled with green onions.