Sticky, Crispy, and Better Than Takeout!
I am not sure why, but it has been awhile since I have made orange chicken. This is one of my favorite Asian style meals, and for some reason I always forget about it. The recipe creates a light, crispy, flavor-packed meal that will cause you to eat more than you thought you could. Let’s talk about a few key steps that make this meal delicious.
Chicken – You can use chicken thighs or chicken breasts but the real key is in how you trim them. I prefer mine to be a little more rectangular in shape so I cut them around 1/2″ x 1″. This also allows the chicken to cook fully through before you over cook the batter.
Orange Sauce – There is only really one thing you need to know here. Once you add the starch mixture don’t over heat. If you cook it all they way to the thickness you desire, it will thicken up even more as it cools.
Making this meal Gluten Free – This can be easily accomplished with this meal. First, make sure you are using a gluten free corn starch. Next replace the flour with Bob’s Red Mill, or your favorite GF flour. Lastly, replace the soy sauce with liquid aminos. Easy as that!
So what should you serve with this meal?
Rice – For starters I would absolutely make some rice. I used white rice and once it was cooked I add a little rice vinegar and dried parsley. Makes it a little more fancy and tastes delicious. You could also use rice noodles or long grain rice if you prefer.
Veggies – We like to serve with Edamame. If you are feeling a little wild, add them to a pan, cover with some Mongolian or Szechuan sauce and sauté them. It is a game changer! Otherwise, you could use a stir fry medley including Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onion, etc.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless Chicken Breast
- 3 T Corn Starch
- ¾ C Flour
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ C Water
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 Oranges (Juiced)
- Zest From 1 Orange
- 6 T Sugar
- 5 T Soy Sauce
- 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
- Canola Oil
Instructions
- Cut up the chicken breast into small pieces
- In a medium sized mixing bowl add 2T Corn Starch, add the chicken and toss to coat evenly
- In a shallow dish add the flour, egg, water, salt and pepper and mix together
- In a pan (with a high lip) add the oil so there is enough to cover 2/3 of the chicken pieces and heat on medium high heat
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces into the batter mixture and coat well. Add to the oil and cook until golden. Be sure to continuously flip so all sides get cooked 5-7 minutes in total
- While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl add the orange juice, zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic. Mix together well
- Once the chicken is cooked move to the side and add the sauce to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes
- In a small bowl, mix together 1T corn starch and 3T water. This will act as a thickening agent for the sauce
- Add the starch mixture to the sauce and stir until it is nice and ooey gooey! Add the chicken back in and toss!!
- Time to eat!
