Orange Chicken

I am not a big poultry or meat eater but once in a while I like to surprise my family with some chicken for dinner, organic though….

Orange chicken is a very popular dish among Asian cuisine and quite frankly I think is genius. Orange and chicken? why not? so I gave it a go and we loved it!

I actually don’t like frying anything but once in a while it’s OK. To be honest, we probably eat fried food 2 or 3 times a year if that so I figured this recipe would be OK, right? oh well….

Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. The orange flavor was just unreal, perhaps because of the fact that I also added some orange extract to the egg batter. I really wanted to experience the orange flavor hardcore :-) (….but you don’t have to do that)

I think the only bad part of this recipe, like I said before, it is the fact that the chicken is fried. Maybe I will find a way to make it healthier next time. Never the less, I would like to make this recipe again sometime soon because my family enjoyed it a lot.

I served the chicken with brown rice and roasted broccoli, which is also posted in my blog. You can use any other side veggie of your choice though.

Enjoy!

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Orange chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast, cut into cubes, I used organic, no antibiotics or hormones thank you
3 eggs whites
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon real orange extract, optional
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt

Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp unrefined sugar
zest of 1 orange
4 tablespoon orange juice

 

Directions:

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, combine egg, salt, flour and corn starch.

In a heavy saucepan, heat enough olive oil for frying. Dip the chicken on the egg mixture and add it to the oil in batches, cooking each batch for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside until ready to toss in the sauce.

In a separate pan, add the ginger, garlic, green onions, and sesame oil. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the sauce ingredients to the pan. Bring everything to a light boil, then add in cornstarch mixed with the water. Heat everything until is starts to thicken up a bit, about 3-4 minutes, then add in the fried chicken pieces. Toss to coat, and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes until the sauce is as thick as you’d like it to be. Serve with rice and/or vegetables.