ORANGE CHICKEN, SPICY AND CRISPY

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 Looking for a quick weekend night dinner recipe, better than takeaway? Chinese style? This quick and easy orange chicken is the new family favorite. It is sweet, tangy, a little spicy, crispy, and saucy; all of that in one bite. I’m so happy to share this spicy orange chicken and rice recipe. What else, I have tried it twice before I perfected it to be shared with you. Let me give you a little introduction to this dish first.

Chinese Orange Chicken

Is Orange Chicken Chinese?

Orange chicken was invented by Chef Andy Kao of Panda Express in 1987. This dish is widely served in North American Chinese restaurants. It is not traditional Chinese food and obviously, doesn't have a Chinese origin. Learn more on Wikipedia.

ORANGE CHICKEN, SECRET INGREDIENT!

The orange chicken has a sweet and sour taste with a spicy tangy kick and it is crispy and juicy. It is super is easy to make and you can easily tweak the sauce to your spice and tangy preference. To make the sauce, I'm using Orange juice powder (like Tang) which is easily available and gives the same taste every time. Don't get tempted to make this chicken with freshly pressed orange juice as it is unlikely to give the same taste. If you still want to use fresh orange juice then go for tart varieties of orange.

If you do not have orange juice powder then use any processed orange juice that is pure and sugar-free (like Nestle). A sweeter, sugary orange juice can spoil the taste.

orange chicken served in a blue bowl.

TIPS TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN CRISPY

Orange chicken is all about crispy fried chicken and juicy chicken so my first tips are how to attain that.

  1. Use boneless flesh of chicken thigh because it is juicier.
  2. Marinate the chicken overnight (6-12 hours) in the fridge so the chicken is tender and absorbs all the seasoning.
  3. What makes orange chicken crispy is cornflour coating and a few serving techniques that I'm discussing below.
  4. Prepare the sauce before you fry the chicken. So you can serve the crispy chicken immediately. Fry chicken as needed. (This is the method, I share in the recipe card.)
  5. If you are serving it to a larger group, here's how to manage it. Make the orange sauce and set it aside. Fry chicken on medium heat in small batches until very lightly golden and set aside. Just before serving, fry chicken once again on high heat until golden and crispy. Throw it in sauce and serve immediately. You can fry in larger batches when frying the second time.
  6. Lastly, if double frying is not possible; fry chicken crispy and golden, and keep the fried chicken in the preheated oven at 200 F or less. Mix with sauce as needed. (You can keep the fried chicken in a pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Keeping for very long will dry out the chicken.) Check this recipe for baked orange chicken.
  7. To keep the recipe simple, I used white sugar to make the sauce. Use brown sugar for the best taste.
  8. Do a taste test for orange sauce and adjust salt or spices if needed.

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN FROM SCRATCH?

Steps to make fried chicken.
  • Step 1 and 2: The boneless chicken is first marinated in seasoning for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight) to absorb flavors and tenderize.
  • Step 3: Mix plain flour, cornflour, and seasoning thoroughly.
  • Step 4: Then coated with seasoned flour.
  • Step 5: Fry the chicken in hot oil until crispy. Do it in small batches.
  • Step 6: Do not crowd the chicken. Place it on a strainer to crisp for 2 minutes then mix with orange sauce and serve. (Do steps 5 and 6 after preparing the sauce.)

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE SAUCE?

Steps to make Sauce

The orange chicken sauce is made of orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt.

  • Step 1 and 2: Mix cornflour, soy sauce, orange juice powder, orange zest, chicken cube, salt, and 2 cups water in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Step 3: Fry chili flakes, whole red chili, ginger, and garlic in oil for a few seconds then add the prepared mixture. (Whole red chili is not visible in the photo.)
  • Step 4: Mix well and simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes with constant stirring. Add more water if needed to adjust the thickness of the sauce.
  • Step 5: When the sauce is thick and bubbling hot, add the remaining seasonings that are chili garlic sauce (spicy ketchup), sugar, and vinegar. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes on low heat. The sauce is ready.
  • Step 6: Mix with fried chicken and serve immediately with white rice .
Orange Chicken Served in a bowl with white rice.

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