Fresh Orange Chicken

Orange chicken is one of my son's favorite meals. I used to always buy it at Trader Joe's (and absolutely love TJ's) but one time I bit into a very questionable piece. I did not investigate it further, but simply remove it from my mouth and never purchased the bag again.

Now, this quite possibly could have been my imagination because I am really really weird with chicken, but I had to find a homemade version. Although, my kids of course prefer the store-bought version. Gotta love kids.

I love this chicken because although it is fried, it is so fresh. The sauce is bursting with orange flavor, slightly bitter and slightly sweet. I served it over a bed of coconut rice (rice made with ⅔ part coconut milk and ⅓ part milk) and it was fantastic. Not only is it delicious, it is quick! It only took about 30 minutes to get this on the table!

Print

Fresh Orange Chicken

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Author: Jackie

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds boneless , skinless chicken breasts cut into 2x2 in pieces
• ½ cup corn starch
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Orange Sauce

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup thinly sliced onion or shallot
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
• ¼ cup orange jam
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar (add more in teaspoon increments based on how sweet you would like it)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 cup water
• Cilantro or green onion for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large pan on medium high heat.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, salt and corn starch.
3. Dredge chicken pieces in corn starch mixture and carefully place in hot oil about 8 pieces at a time.
4. Cook until golden on all side. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
5. Continue until all chicken is cooked.

Orange Sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar in a bowl and mix together until sugar is dissolved.
2. Now you can either pour out the oil or use a new pan to make the sauce.
3. Heat vegetable oil in pan on medium heat.
4. Once hot, add onion or shallot and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes.
5. Add ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add orange jam, stirring constantly, until melted.
7. Once melted, add orange juice mixture. Bring to a simmer.
8. Combine water and corn starch and mix until smooth, then add to orange sauce, stirring constantly.
9. Once sauce has thickened, add chicken and stir to coat.
10. Serve on top of a bed of rice and garnish with sliced green onion or chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Facts

Fresh Orange Chicken

Amount Per Serving (4 g)

Calories 0

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.