Chinese Take-Out: Orange Chicken
"I've found it easier (and cheaper) to make Chinese food at home. No more waiting for the delivery driver to bring you cold food, no more waiting to be served in a restaurant, no more tipping. This is one of many Chinese recipes that I prepare, and we feast at home for a fraction of the price. The best part is, we know it is going to be good. I hope you enjoy this one of my many "stay at home" Chinese dishes. Prep time includes 1 hour marinade time and 1 hour refrigeration time after coating. Step #4 has been edited in response to googles2 review. Thank you Chef for bringing this to my attention. :)"
photo by lazyme
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 18
- Serves:
-
4-6
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed to 1-inch)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 -2 scallion, sliced (optional)
-
Marinade
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄3 cup white vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
- 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon thai hot sauce (Sriracha, to taste)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
directions
- Thoroughly mix together all the marinade ingredients. Put chicken pieces into a large zip-lock baggie. Add 1/2 cup of marinade to the baggie and seal, reserving the rest. Toss chicken to thoroughly cover and place baggie into a glass dish and refrigerate for 1 hour, tossing again after 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place beaten eggs in a bowl on the counter. Place the 1 cup of cornstarch into a pie pan. Put the 1 cup oil into a deep, heavy bottom skillet. Place remaining, un-used marinade into a sauce pan.
- Remove chicken pieces from the marinade, and place on a plate. Discard used marinade.
- Dip the chicken pieces into the beaten egg, then dredge thru the cornstarch. Gently press pieces to be sure they are coated. Place chicken into the fridge for 1 hour to set the coating. EDITED: Place the dredged chicken pieces on a wire rack over a sheet pan to refrigerate, I do not recommend leaving the chicken pieces in the pan of cornstarch.
- After 1 hour remove the chicken from the fridge and heat remaining marinade over medium heat to a boil, stirring occasionally. Combine water and the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and while stirring constantly, slowly add enough slurry to the boiling marinade until desired thickness (you may not need it all). Boil 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.
- Heat oil in a deep, heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat. Oil is hot enough when a pinch of cornstarch is sprinkled in and it bubbles. (Sorry, I don't use a thermometer).
- Now, working in batches, carefully add a small portion of the chicken pieces to the oil and gently roll for 2 minutes (or until chicken is cooked thru). Do not over crowd the pan because it will drop the oil temp and you will have greasy chicken rather than crispy. Remove the pieces using a metal slotted spoon (or a spider) to a paper towel lined plate, let oil temp return and begin another batch.
- When all chicken pieces are done and thoroughly drained, toss them into the pan with the heated marinade. Serve immediately over white rice and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions, if using.
- Enjoy!
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Reviews
-
In my Best of 2013 cookbook! Loved the bite from the teaspoon of Sriracha sauce; it was not overpowering. That kept the sauce from tasting too sweet. This was time-consuming; it would help to have a sous-chef dredging the chicken cubes while the chef patiently cooks a small batch at a time. On my own, I dredged all the chicken cubes and spaced them on wax paper on a dinner plate (took 4) and chilled them until I started cooking. I lined a deep skillet with paper towels to collect the cooked chicken cubes, and that worked like a charm. I pureed my marinade in a blender. I forgot to sprinkle green onions for the photo; they are a good counterpoint to the sauce. I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try this recipe; it's a keeper! Made for Please Review My Recipe tag game. -
Delicious! Orange Chicken is one of my son's favorites, and this was devoured in no time! I put my cornstarch in a plastic bag and tossed the cubed chicken in and shook it up instead of dredging. Saved me a bit of time. The sauce was perfect. I'm sure that this is a recipe that will be requested often! Thanks for sharing! -
This baby gets tucked into my best of the best file right away! Delicious!! I made it as directed, except I fudged on the times a bit. I didn't have as much time as I had planned, so I only marinated and refrigerated for 30 minutes each. It still worked beautifully. The sauce is absolutely delicious and makes for a nice, thick coating on the chicken. The chicken is crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. I really liked the slight spiciness from the Sriracha sauce. You could omit that ingredient and still have a very successful meal. I served this over brown rice with a salad on the side. Thank you! -
Wow, what a killer of a recipe Rosie. Boy was this good. We both enjoyed it very much. It was well worth the extra work and effort. The chicken was perfectly cooked, crisp yet still tender. The sauce was amazing, amazing. So much flavor and they all complimented one another beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing a new family favorite. I can't wait to make this again. Made for Culinary Quest - 2014 - Suitcase Gourmets. -
While this was time-consuming, it was worth the effort. I made this exactly as posted, using a plastic bag to dredge the chicken in the cornstarch. The sauce was absolutely delicious, with a nice hint of heat. I will definitely be making this again. Made for Culinary Quest 2014.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p> </p>
<p>(FYI Update: 06/03/14)... My About Me page is correct. I joined as a member on March 19, 2012 (2+ years ago). But if you click on my public recipes, it states that I joined on Dec 29, 2112. It's way off... but I'm sure the staff will take care of this issue soon. (I will remove this when this error has been corrected).</p>
<p>Anyway...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi fellow chefs. Looking to expand here. Everyone on here has been a pleasure to meet & share recipes with.</p>
<p>My hubby and I live in Northern Illinois USA, just NW of Chicago. I'm a very proud mom of 2 kids (my daughter in college & my son in highschool). I also have 4 semi step-children, from which we are now proud grandparents of a 4th grandchild (June 2013).</p>
<p>I love to cook and experiment (using my family & friends as guinea pigs). If I had the time and $$$, I would spend all of it on creating dishes to feed people. I try to have family and neighbors over whenever possible to feed them. I've cooked many large meals (at home) to take to our county's women/children's shelter, and also to the homeless men that spend 1 night, (once a week), in the local church basement. It's the right thing to do (when you can afford to do it).</p>
<p>I love to throw a party, even when it isn't a holiday. Cookouts in the summer or a bring a dish to pass type of get together or an appetizer only event, or even a fondue party. But my favorite... a rolling dinner party ... that's when each of our neighbors who participate pick a dish, and we walk to their home to have cocktails at house #1, then on to house #2 for appetizers, then house # 3 for soup & salad, house # 4 is the entree, and finally house # 5 is dessert! Now keep in mind, we take house #1's cocktails with us when we go on to the next few houses! LOL It's alot of fun. Try it sometime. We usually do it the weekend before Christmas and then go caroling the neighborhood. It's hilarious... grown adults, with full bellys, withstanding temps in the single digits, singing to the community!</p>
<p>Sorry folks, I tend to ramble. Anyway, in any spare time, I love to garden. Flowers, veggies and herbs. Always planting in the spring/summer when I can. My bucket list includes making a Moon Garden. Not the kind that some farmers use as a planting chart, but a garden containing flowers, herbs and veggies that are white or somewhat white in color, and they glow beautifully under the moonlight! </p>
<p>Hubby and I are caretakers for a little cabin, up north of us, in Wisconsin. It is truely a thing to see. Located on 40 acres (formerly a paper mill plantation). Huge pine trees abound and so very peaceful. The downside is... NO electricity and NO running water. That's correct... we literally have an outhouse (like a skinny, wooden shed with a hole beneath it and a crescent moon cut in the door). Ewww. Sorry. We use propane to grill with, and have a oil burning stove in the little 2 room cabin. We also use a charcoal grill or our wood smoker, on which we make a brisket every time we go up there. Another favorite thing to make are Pudgie Pies using cast iron pie irons over the open firepit!... Google them... they are fun and tasty! We also have a trailer set up for the youngsters that has a propane stovetop and oven. And when we go in the summer, there is a farm stand just 15 minutes away that we can get fresh produce from. It's great! And luckily, the public lake (2nd largest in Wisconsin) is only 20 minutes away. They have a beach with restrooms and showers. It's a blast going there. We take the kids and grandkids with on occasion and have a great time! We love to ATV around the trails on those 40 acres of heaven.</p>
<p>Okay, on we go...I have been working independently as an owner/operator of a pet grooming salon for 20 plus years, which is why I now have a Chinese Crested dog, (pretty much hairless, so basically, no real grooming involved). We also have a cat, 4 ducks & drakes, and 2 chickens. Oh... and a $0.15 cent goldfish that I bought from the pet store, because he was too cute to be in the stores feeder fish tank. The old one lived 3 yrs and had passed, and grand-babies missed seeing him. I got a new one. The new one with us still doesn't have a name. </p>
<p>So, there you have it... thats me.</p>
<p>-Rosie</p>
<p>My rating/review system is as follows:</p>
<p>5 stars - Excellent, as is. Would not change a thing.</p>
<p>4 stars - Very good, liked by most.</p>
<p>3 stars - Good, but needs to be altered on some things.</p>
<p>2 stars - It could have potential, but not for me.</p>
<p>1 star - Will not attempt again.</p>
<p>0 stars - I only post a reply without stars to comment, as I do not want to mess up someone's rating.</p>
