I typically bread & fry the chicken breast before glazing it with the orange sauce, but recently I caught a wild hair and decided to try out on my chicken meatballs [look for this recipe up soon]. Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed!
I love the fresh orange taste you get from the glaze, and you can even make this without breading the chicken for a low-carb meal. You might want to make a double batch because you will definitely find yourself going back for more. I recommend you serve your orange chicken with rice so you can dip your sticky chicken in it. This recipe will have you forgetting all about that chain restaurant; Panda who?
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons oil for frying
Breading:
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs beaten
Orange Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 cloves minced garlic
2 green onions, finely chopped
Juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon grated or minced ginger root
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To bread your chicken add cornstarch to a ziplock bag, and eggs to another. Cube chicken breast and drop tenders first into the eggs, then the cornstarch to coat thoroughly.
Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add oil to pan. Cook tenders in hot oil about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through, and then set aside.
While chicken is cooking, mix up cornstarch for sauce by adding to about 1-2 tablespoons of your water to a bowl and thoroughly mixing out all clumps, and then set aside.
Once the chicken is removed from the pan, add chopped onions and garlic and cook until fragrant 2-3 minutes, you don't want them to brown. Mix liquids in a small bowl, then add them to the pan and stir.
When the mixture comes to a simmer add brown sugar and mix to combine, then add ginger, orange zest, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch mixture from earlier. Continue to let the sauce simmer, and stir occasionally until it starts to thicken.
Once your sauce has thickened add your chicken back to the pan and stir to coat. Cover and continue to let simmer for 5 minutes. When your stomach just can't stand the aromatics anymore, serve over a bed of rice, and enjoy!
Can we take a few minutes to talk about Chicken Frying?
Everybody loves fried chicken, but many of us can't master that crispy crunchy outer texture, so here are a few tips to help you be more successful:
1. What oil are you using? Olive oil has a lower smoking point and can cause a bitter taste once it reaches that point. An oil like canola or vegetable oil is better suited for chicken frying (you want you oil temp at about 350 degrees), and will save your wallet too.
2. Don't use fridge-cold chicken! Adding cold chicken to your hot oil will only lower the temperature of your oil and guarantee you soggy breading. Instead, let your chicken sit out for about 30 minutes before dropping it into the pan.
3. Hands off the chicken! Some of us (*ahem hubby*) have a nasty habit of playing with our food while it's cooking. Chicken seals to the pan when you first drop it on, and breaking that seal too early risks pulling off your breading, and keeps it from getting nice and crispy. Allow the chicken to cook thoroughly on each side, and when it's ready to give you'll have a nice golden brown. Depending on the size you'll want to wait at least 3-5 minutes.
4. Using paper towels to soak up the grease? This is a mistake I'm guilty of making myself, naively thinking that I can get the extra grease off the tender. The problem with this is that as the paper towel soaks up that hot oil it lets off steam which, you guessed it, makes your breading soggy. A metal rack or pan is a better option to drain the grease without sabotaging that crispy texture you just worked so patiently for!
This recipe is adapted from TheNoshery.com
