Please join us in welcoming the lovely Tieghan of Half Baked Harvest! She’s young and talented and kinda a whiz in the kitchen. For her first post, she picked a perfect weeknight dinner recipe that will satisfy any sudden Chinese takeout craving. We’re so excited to have Tieghan join us here and we look forward to more of her lovely posts. And thank you, Kimberly, for the scrumptious recipe!
Some of my favorite foods to re-create at home are the ones you would normally order from your favorite carryout restaurants. Some people call it fake-out take-out but I just like to think of it as making good food healthier, quicker and tastier at home. My family loves Orange Chicken, and back when we lived in Cleveland, we had a favorite Chinese restaurant where we would often order carry out. Our order was usually the same: steamed white rice, egg rolls, fried rice and orange chicken with more steamed rice (obviously, we like our rice around here).
It was so good, but since we moved to a small mountain town in Colorado, we have yet to find a good Chinese place. As a result, I learned to make my own, thanks to Kimberly, who submitted this amazing recipe for Chinese Orange Chicken. And I do mean amazing! It is so good.
Gather up your ingredients for the chicken. You will need egg whites, cornstarch, salt, sherry (or rice) vinegar, baking powder, baking soda and diced chicken.
Combine the egg whites, cornstarch, salt, sherry, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the chicken to a sealable bag and pour the cornstarch mixture over the chicken.
Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (during this time I got started on the sauce).
After 30 minutes heat some vegetable or peanut oil on high in a wok, deep fryer, or heavy skillet. Carefully lower the chicken into the oil. Fry until crispy golden brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to paper towels to absorb the oil. Set aside.
Now gather up the ingredients for the sauce. You will need vegetable oil, fresh ginger, garlic, chicken broth, oranges, soy sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, cornstarch, water and sesame oil.
Zest the orange.
Juice the orange.
Heat some vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or wok. Sauté the ginger, then add all the remaining ingredients except for the green onions.
Bring the sauce to a boil and let simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Add the chicken and toss in the green onions.
Serve the chicken immediately with any extra sauce that is in the pan.
I love to serve the chicken with some basmati rice, orange wedges and roasted broccoli. It’s the perfect meal for any night of the week.
A huge thank you to Kimberly Killebrew for this recipe. Be sure to check out her blog The Daring Gourmet. Every last one of her recipes is delicious!
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Description
Tender, crispy battered chicken in a rich and flavorful orange sauce. This Daring Gourmet recipe rivals your favorite Chinese restaurant version.
See the related blog post for a vegetarian/vegan version.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 2 Egg Whites
- ¼ cups Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Sherry Or Rice Vinegar
- ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ⅛ teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 Chicken Breasts, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Cubes
- Oil, For Frying
- FOR THE ORANGE SAUCE:
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, Minced
- 1-½ cup Strong Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
- 2-½ Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- ¼ cups Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- ⅓ cups Rice Vinegar
- ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- ½ cups Brown Sugar
- 2 Red Chiles, Broken In Pieces And Seeds Discarded (or 1/4 Teaspoon Red Chile Flakes)
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- ½ teaspoons Sesame Oil
- ¼ cups Green Onions, Sliced
- Fresh Orange Slices For Garnishing (optional)
Preparation Instructions
For the chicken:
Combine the egg whites, cornstarch, salt, sherry, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Pour over chicken in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
If you prefer a thicker coating, remove the chicken pieces from the baggie and roll them in some extra cornstarch. Heat some vegetable or peanut oil on high in a wok, deep fryer, or heavy skillet and carefully lower the chicken into the oil. Fry until crispy golden brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to paper towels to absorb the oil.
For the sauce:
Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or wok. Saute the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds, then add all remaining ingredients, except for the green onions. Bring the sauce to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken pieces and green onions to the sauce, stir to coat, and bring the sauce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with steamed rice and fresh orange slices.
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Tieghan has always been a creative person, but one day just before her 19th birthday, her very shy and quiet self bit the bullet and started setting up her blog, Half Baked Harvest. She never looked back. Her life is now consumed by cooking food, photographing food and writing about food—and eating it, too! She uses everything around her as inspiration and never stops thinking of new ways to step outside the box and create easy and unique recipes that everyone can love.
