Hi Guys! I hope you had a great weekend! It’s back to school week here. Even though my son, Ethan is just going to be in Pre-K 4, that still means I’m going to have a set routine in the morning. So my break is practically over and I’m ready to get back to the grind. It also helps me in being more regular with blogging. Chinese inspired dishes are amongst those that get me drooling just by looking at the food. There is something so appetizing about that glossy sheen of sauces coating the protein. Don’t ya agree? When it comes to Indian Chinese dishes, some of my favorite chicken dishes are chilli chicken, szechuan chicken, sweet and sour chicken, dragon chicken, kung pao chicken to name a few. Amongst the American Chinese dishes, I love them all, be it General Tso Chicken, sesame chicken, Hunan chicken, teriyaki chicken, or cashew chicken, and this oriental orange chicken.
I prepared and photographed this orange chicken couple of days ago. If you are looking for some quick chicken dinner recipes that are easy, kid-friendly and yet packed with all that yum, then you should definitely include this healthier, sauteed orange chicken in your recipe repertoire. Basically, you can make orange chicken with orange marmalade as well but today’s version is made with the oriental flavors of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Today’s post is all about the Chinese version. If you have feasted on Panda express orange chicken, you already know how delicious this stuff is! And you can easily make it at home with simple ingredients. In case you haven’t tasted it yet and are wondering what does orange chicken taste like, you have to try it sooner, you will surely love it. Orange chicken is generally on the sweeter side, with a very prominent flavor of orange and other delicious umami flavors. It is mildly spiced, and the addition of orange zest further heightens that orange flavor. If sweet food is not your thing, you cake make a spicy orange chicken at home instead. Increase the chilli flakes in this recipe, and also add a couple of broken dried red chillies or add some hot sauce like sriracha to the sauce mix. It’s that simple! It’s the best part about this DIY orange chicken, customize it to suit your needs 🙂
WHAT IS ORANGE CHICKEN?
Orange chicken is one of the most popular North American Chinese dishes. It consists of chunks of chicken coated with a batter, deep-fried, and dunked in a sweet and sticky orange flavored sauce.
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN?
To make orange chicken, you will need to coat the chopped chicken pieces with some cornstarch, refined flour, oil, vinegar, egg, salt, and pepper. I skip the flour and use rice flour instead, as I always have it in my pantry, and I love to use it for these dishes in the coating. It makes for a crispier end result. I marinate the chicken with a little oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper for about 10 minutes. The vinegar tenderizes the chicken, so the fried chicken is really moist and succulent and not dry and rubbery. Now there are 3 ways in which you can go about cooking these battered chicken pieces-
Deep-fried, as it is conventionally done. Baked, a much healthier option. No stress of deep frying plus no wastage of all that oil. I’ve baked battered chicken in a similar South Indian based stir-fry, chicken 65. Please have a look at that post for the procedure. The results are just as good as the deep-fried ones. The safe temperature for chicken is 165 degrees F, and it will take around 18-20 minutes. That is the only downside of baking as it takes longer. If you have time to spare, it’s worth it. You could also try baking in the air-fryer. Sauteed – You can shallow fry the chicken in a skillet like I’ve done today, which is quicker than baking. If you are not a fan of all that batter, then skip the cornstarch, flour, egg. Simply marinate the chicken with a little vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Cook the chicken and add it to the orange sauce. This skillet orange chicken is quick and has no compromise in taste.
ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE | HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE FROM SCRATCH?
Once your chicken is all fried and ready, what remains is for it to be dunked in that sweet, orange sauce which will thicken on further cooking and form a nice, glossy, orange glaze on the chicken pieces. Hmmm! For the Asian orange sauce, combine orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar in a bowl. You could also include the minced ginger and garlic in the bowl. But I like to saute the ginger and garlic in the oil. A little cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the sauce, the fried chicken pieces are added and the dish is finished off with a drizzle of sesame oil and scallion greens along with some toasted sesame seeds if desired. That is all that is required to make orange chicken sauce. To increase the chicken flavor, you could use a small bouillon cube or some chicken stock mixed with the cornflour. If you like more sauce, add more chicken stock or water. And if you are not up to making your own homemade orange sauce, then make orange chicken using panda express sauce. The ready to use sauce bottle is easily available in most stores. Add it to the cooked chicken in the skillet, and warm until the sauce is heated through. Sprinkle some scallion greens for a fresh element. You can easily make this orange sauce while the chicken is marinating. The whole dish comes under 30 minutes making this a quick orange chicken recipe. Have some rice going on alongside, and you have a delicious meal ready, that’s better than take-out.
SIDE DISHES FOR ORANGE CHICKEN
Besides rice, orange chicken pairs well with just about anything, be it quinoa, fried rice, noodles, lo mein or steamed veggies like broccoli, carrots, snap peas etc. Today I paired it with steamed white rice. You could also briefly stir fry the veggies to make a veggie and orange chicken stir-fry.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE INDO CHINESE INSPIRED RECIPES
Sweet and Sour Chicken Schezwan Potatoes Schezwan Noodles Chilli Garlic Noodles
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE ASIAN ORANGE CHICKEN
1.Transfer chicken pieces to a medium-sized bowl. Add oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. I’ve used chicken tenderloins, but you could also chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this recipe.
2.Meanwhile, make the orange sauce. In a bowl, add orange juice, orange zest, light soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning, add salt if necessary, more soy sauce, brown sugar or rice wine vinegar if required.
3.After the chicken has marinated, add an egg, cornstarch/cornflour and rice flour/all purpose flour. Mix well.
4.Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken in batches, about 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with absorbent paper.
5.Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a wok or in the same skillet. Add minced ginger, garlic, and red chilli flakes. Sauté just until the ginger and garlic are aromatic. Do not brown it.
6.Immediately add the sauce, mix everything. Cook until it begins to bubble.
7.Add the cornstarch slurry, mixing simultaneously to avoid any lumps from forming.
8.Once the sauce begins to look glossy, add the fried chicken pieces, stir well to coat all the chicken pieces with the orange sauce. Stir-fry until the sauce has further thickened and adhered to the chicken pieces well.
9.Finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil, chopped scallion greens, and some toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
NOTE 1.You may add the ginger, garlic, and red chilli flakes if using along with the other sauce ingredients. Then mix and transfer to a pan, cook until the sauce begins to bubble about 3 minutes. Then add the cornstarch slurry, once it thickens add the fried chicken pieces.
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN?
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at [email protected] You can also follow me on : Facebook Pinterest Instagram Twitter Regards, Freda
