This easy-to-prepare Orange Chicken Recipe of fluffy batter fried chicken in a sweet orange sour sauce is the perfect weeknight Chinese meal for family and friends. You will love how quickly this comes together and just how flavorful it is. You may never order takeout again.
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Ingredients for this recipe:
For the Sauce:
• zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 2 large oranges, about ¾ cup total
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 optional hand-ground mild chili or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 finely grated garlic cloves
• 1” chunk of peeled, finely grated ginger
For the Chicken:--
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1” cubes
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ¼ cup water
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• cooking oil
Serves 6
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Procedures:
1. 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.
2. Cut the chicken into roughly 1-inch cubes. Please place them in a large bowl.
3. In the bowl with the chicken, add in the Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, water, and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Next, mix in the cornstarch, flour, salt, and white pepper until combined. It should be a wet batter like Tempura.
5. 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°.
6. 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.
7. Cook the chicken for 1 minute before using a slotted spoon to move the chicken pieces around and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked throughout.
8. Repeat the process by cooking the chicken in batches and draining on a plate with paper towels.
9. 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.
10. Pour in the orange sauce and turn the heat to medium.
11. Once the sauce begins to gently bubble add the slurry 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time until it becomes silky and thick.
12. Place in the cooked fried chicken and toss until coated.
13. Serve the orange chicken with an optional garnish of sesame seeds.