This Orange Chicken Recipe of batter fried chicken in a sweet orange sour sauce is the perfect weeknight Chinese meal for family and friends.
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 25 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 15 minutesminutes
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
zest of 1 large orange
juice of 2 large oranges, about ¾ cup total
¼cupwater
3tablespoonsShaoxing wine
3tablespoonsrice vinegar
2tablespoonssoy sauce
2tablespoonsoyster sauce
¼cupsugar
1optional hand ground mild chili or ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
2finely grated garlic cloves
1inch chunk of peeled, finely grated ginger
For the Chicken:
2poundsboneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1” cubes
2tablespoonsShaoxing wine
1tablespoonsesame oil
¼cupwater
2large eggs
½cupall-purpose flour
½cupcorn starch
2teaspoonscoarse salt
½teaspoonground white pepper
cooking oil
Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl add the orange zest, orange juice, water, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and optional chili flakes and mix to combine. Set it to the side.
Cut the chicken into roughly 1-inch cubes. Place them in a large bowl.
In the bowl with the chicken add in the Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, water, and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.
Next, mix in the corn starch, flour, salt, and white pepper until combined. It should be a wet batter like tempura.
Add about 1 cup or so of cooking oil to a large wok or non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat until it reaches 350°.
Place in individual battered chicken pieces at a time until the pan is full without getting the chicken to close to one another to avoid clumping.
Cook the chicken for 1 minute before using a slotted spoon to move the chicken pieces around and cooking for a further 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked throughout.
Repeat the process by cooking the chicken in batches and draining on a plate with paper towels.
Once the chicken is done, drain all but about 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and over low to medium heat add in the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 to 45 seconds or just until fragrant.
Pour in the orange sauce and turn the heat to medium.
Once the sauce begins to gently bubble add the slurry 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time until it becomes silky and thick.
Place in the cooked fried chicken and toss until coated.
Serve the orange chicken with an optional garnish of sesame seeds.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead, but keep the chicken separate from the sauce. Keep both warm before tossing and serving.How to Reheat: Add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to a large wok over medium heat, add your desired amount of orange chicken to the wok, and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot.How to Store: Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will not freeze well.The batter should resemble a thick tempura-style batter when mixing the flour and cornstarch with the marinated chicken. Add a few tablespoons of water or another egg if it's dry.To make a slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch until combined.Substitute the fresh ginger and garlic with 1 teaspoon each of dry ginger and garlic.Another soy sauce substitute is coconut aminos.