Orange Chicken

By shygirl

Chopped chicken breasts are fried in and then smothered using a delicious orange sauce made with orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and red pepper. Serve with white rice and your favorite steamed veggies for a complete and delicious meal. Yum!

Ingredients

• CHICKEN:
• Vegetable or peanut oil for frying
• 4 whole egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 whole chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut Into bite sized pieces
• SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed or white sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or regular distilled vinegar)
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• dash of salt
• dash of crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 whole green onions, sliced, plus more to garnish

Preparation

Step 1

CHICKEN:

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg whites with a fork until almost frothy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

SAUCE:

Meanwhile, put the orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, crushed red pepper, garlic, ginger, and orange zest in a small nonstick skillet and whisk together. Heat until bubbling and starting to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch slurry to the sauce. Mix in and thicken for 1 minute. If sauce gets overly thick, just add in another 1/4 cup water and whisk in.

Heat about 2-inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350°F.

In batches, carefully drop a few pieces of chicken into the oil (drop them in one by one to keep them from sticking together) and move them around, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Let the pieces drain on a plate lined with paper towels for 2 to 3 minutes. Then drop them back into the oil for 1 minute to really solidify the coating.

Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve immediately with orange zest and sliced green onions on the top.