Mandarin Orange Chicken

Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF) .

For the chicken, put the plain flour in a bowl and stir in mandarin zest. Stir in the milk, a little a time, until you have a smooth batter which will easily coat the chicken without clumping.

Toss chicken in the batter and lay out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure that the batter doesn’t start to burn.

For the sauce, add all the ingredients except cornflour in a small sauce pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and add cornflour, a teaspoon at a time, stirring for a few seconds between each addition. Once it has thickened adequately, remove from the heat. You want the texture to be a little thinner than pourable honey.

For the vegetables, heat a little oil or some cooking spray in a wok. Add mushrooms and onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until they have started to soften. Add the pepper and cook for another 6–7 minutes until everything has browned a little. Add battered chicken and mix everything together.

Finally, add the sauce to the wok and stir everything together for a minute or two. Plate and serve with fluffy rice or noodles. Garnish with sliced spring onions. Beautiful!