Did you know that the Orange chicken is popular both in the west and in the Orient. The recipes, ingredients and the style of cooking are quite different for the continental and the oriental versions of the Orange Chicken as they cater to diverse palate. So when my son returned from University in the US and asked me to make the Orange chicken he frequently had at the Panda Express on Campus, I decided to give it a shot. The good thing about this dish is that it can be prepared in twenty minutes flat. No need to marinate the chicken. The essential ingredient in the Orange chicken, not surprisingly is the Orange Juice. Ideally good quality fresh orange juice is what the chef ordered, but one can also use the carton or canned juice as well. I have used freshly home squeezed juice. The Asian Orange Chicken can be served with noodles or fried rice but my recommendation is to serve this with steamed rice to really do justice to the flavourful nature of the dish. So here is another option for your Chinese lunch and dinners at home beyond the traditional chilli chicken and sweet and sour chicken options. Happy Fooding Around.

Asian Orange Chicken

Author: Reetika Mitra
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins

Description

Chinese but with a Difference

Scale

Ingredients

750 gms boneless Chicken Thigh, cut into bite-size
½ cup vegetable Oil for frying
1 Tsp Sesame seeds
Some Spring Onion greens for garnishing
Slurry made of 1 Tbsp Cornflour mixed with 3 Tbsp cold water

Ingredients for the Batter :

¾ cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Rice flour (or Cornflour if you don’t have any rice flour)
1 Egg
½ Tsp Black Pepper powder
1/3^rd cup cold Water (+ more if needed)
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the Orange Sauce :

¾ cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of half an orange
2 Tbsp fine Sugar
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Light Soya Sauce
1 Tbsp Dark Soya Sauce
1 Tsp Rice Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tsp grated Ginger

Instructions

In a large bowl prepare the batter for the chicken. Add the all purpose flour, rice flour, egg, salt, pepper powder in a bowl along with the cold water. Mix well together to form a lump free batter. Add some more water if needed to get a semi runny batter. A thick batter will make your fried chicken heavy.
Toss the chicken pieces in the prepared batter. Mix well so as to coat all the chicken pieces thoroughly.
Heat oil over medium – high heat in a deep bottom pan.
While the oil is heating, make the mix for the orange sauce. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the orange juice, orange zest, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, sugar, honey, Garlic, Ginger and rice vinegar. Keep it aside.
By now the oil is hot. Fry the batter dipped chicken pieces in batches, flipping the pieces over from time to time. Each batch should take about 3-4 mins to cook or until they are crispy and evenly golden brown in colour.
Take out and drain the fried chicken pieces on paper towels. You might need to add in a little more oil. Only make sure the temperature is up and the oil is bubbling hot.
Dispose any leftover oil from the pan and turn down the heat to a medium. Add the prepared orange sauce to the pan and bring to boil. Lower the flame and allow to simmer for a few minutes or until slightly thickened.
If you want to thicken further, then slowly pour in the cornflour slurry , while stirring continuously.
When the sauce thickens, return the fried chicken back to the pan and quickly toss together to coat the chicken pieces fully with the sauce. Your Orange Chicken is ready.
Serve the Orange chicken with boiled rice, sprinkle some sesame seeds and topped with some chopped spring onion greens

Notes

If you want the dish to be more like that of the Panda Express, you need to keep in mind two things. Firstly, Deep Fry the coated chicken bits till crispy. Secondly, make just about enough Orange Sauce to coat the deep fried chicken pieces as too much sauce will make the chicken soggy and soft.

In case you want to spike up the spice, you may add some Siracha sauce from the top or sprinkle red chilli flakes. This recipe tastes best when made and served right away.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 4

Asian Orange Chicken