Orange chicken is a Chinese-American invention. It was created in 1987 by Chef Andy Kao at the first Hawaii-based Panda Express. Inspired by Hunan-style tangerine chicken, Kao modified the recipe to fit American tastes, creating a battered, deep-fried chicken smothered in a sweet, citrus-soy sauce.
This recipe is from *Made with Lau*, as one commenter said it was a hard recipe to follow, I modified it to make it easier to read. Same recipe, same instructions, just simplified. Enjoy!
**Main Ingredients**
* 12 oz chicken breast
* 2 large oranges (1 for juice, 1 for garnish)
**Marinade**
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 Tbsp water
* 2 Tbsp beaten egg
**Orange Sauce**
* 1 orange juiced, about a half cup (save rind for orange peel)
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 Tbsp white vinegar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch (for slurry)
* 3 Tbsp water (for slurry)
* 1 lb oil (for deep-frying chicken
* About 2 Tbsp oil* (for stir-frying)
* 1 pinch sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
* *Can use oil reserved from deep-frying
**Instructions**
1. Prepare chicken, cut it in half horizontally to even out the thickness. Then cut it into roughly 1/2 inch thick strips.
2. Mix together marinade of 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp water in a medium bowl. Add chicken, then mix in a beaten egg, which will help the batter adhere to the chicken later on.
3. Prepare orange sauce; 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp oyster sauce. Create slurry by mixing together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Prepare orange slices & peel. For presentation (and a refreshing snack between bites of chicken), cut 1 large orange in half, and then into 1/4 inch slices. Use the peel from the orange juiced earlier. Turn your knife horizontal and carefully cut off leftover orange flesh and as much of the white pith as you safely can, until you are left with only the orange part of the peel. The pith tastes bitter and can really affect the flavor of your dish. Then, slice the orange peel into very thin strips. You’ll probably only want to use about half of it, because too much of the peel will make the dish taste bitter. (Orange peel is optional.)
5. Prepare frying batter by mixing together 3 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp baking powder. Then, mix in 5 Tbsp water. Add 1 Tbsp beaten egg and 1 tsp oil and mix until thoroughly combined. The resulting batter should resemble pancake batter. Add more water to get the correct consistency, as needed.
6. Deep-fry chicken. In a deep pot, pour in enough oil about 1 pound, so chicken will be submerged completely. Heat oil to 300°F. While the oil heats up, mix the batter in with the chicken. Then, they’re ready for the first fry. Place individual pieces of chicken into oil, keeping them separate so they don’t stick together. Fry the pieces until they’re slightly golden, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Do the initial fry in two or more batches, to keep from sticking together and dropping temperature of the oil.
7. When all of the chicken is done with first fry, heat the oil to 400°F. Place all the chicken back in pot (if it fits, no need to split this into batches), and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove chicken. Reserve the oil.
8. Cook the sauce first, and then toss in the fried chicken. Turn heat on high, and add 1/2 Tbsp oil to a wok. Add the thinly sliced orange peel and give it a quick stir. Then pour in the orange sauce. Let it come to a boil.
9. Meanwhile, begin garnishing the serving dish by arranging the orange slices in a tidy pattern around the outside edge of the plate.
10. Once the sauce has come to a boil, lower the heat and slowly drizzle in the cornstarch slurry. Be sure to stir constantly so that you don’t end up with a big lump of cornstarch in your wok. Add 1 Tbsp oil. If you want to cook off more of the water for a thicker sauce, keep the sauce cooking for a bit longer before adding the chicken.
11. When you’re ready to add the chicken, turn the heat back up and add the chicken pieces back in. Toss the chicken around in the sauce for 15-20 seconds, and then turn off the heat. Drizzle 1 tsp oil for added shine, mix quickly, and plate.
1 Comment
Orange chicken is a Chinese-American invention. It was created in 1987 by Chef Andy Kao at the first Hawaii-based Panda Express. Inspired by Hunan-style tangerine chicken, Kao modified the recipe to fit American tastes, creating a battered, deep-fried chicken smothered in a sweet, citrus-soy sauce.
This recipe is from *Made with Lau*, as one commenter said it was a hard recipe to follow, I modified it to make it easier to read. Same recipe, same instructions, just simplified. Enjoy!
**Main Ingredients**
* 12 oz chicken breast
* 2 large oranges (1 for juice, 1 for garnish)
**Marinade**
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 Tbsp water
* 2 Tbsp beaten egg
**Orange Sauce**
* 1 orange juiced, about a half cup (save rind for orange peel)
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 Tbsp white vinegar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch (for slurry)
* 3 Tbsp water (for slurry)
**Batter**
* 3 Tbsp flour
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp water
* 1 Tbsp beaten egg
* 1 tsp oil
**Other**
* 1 lb oil (for deep-frying chicken
* About 2 Tbsp oil* (for stir-frying)
* 1 pinch sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
* *Can use oil reserved from deep-frying
**Instructions**
1. Prepare chicken, cut it in half horizontally to even out the thickness. Then cut it into roughly 1/2 inch thick strips.
2. Mix together marinade of 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp water in a medium bowl. Add chicken, then mix in a beaten egg, which will help the batter adhere to the chicken later on.
3. Prepare orange sauce; 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp oyster sauce. Create slurry by mixing together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Prepare orange slices & peel. For presentation (and a refreshing snack between bites of chicken), cut 1 large orange in half, and then into 1/4 inch slices. Use the peel from the orange juiced earlier. Turn your knife horizontal and carefully cut off leftover orange flesh and as much of the white pith as you safely can, until you are left with only the orange part of the peel. The pith tastes bitter and can really affect the flavor of your dish. Then, slice the orange peel into very thin strips. You’ll probably only want to use about half of it, because too much of the peel will make the dish taste bitter. (Orange peel is optional.)
5. Prepare frying batter by mixing together 3 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp baking powder. Then, mix in 5 Tbsp water. Add 1 Tbsp beaten egg and 1 tsp oil and mix until thoroughly combined. The resulting batter should resemble pancake batter. Add more water to get the correct consistency, as needed.
6. Deep-fry chicken. In a deep pot, pour in enough oil about 1 pound, so chicken will be submerged completely. Heat oil to 300°F. While the oil heats up, mix the batter in with the chicken. Then, they’re ready for the first fry. Place individual pieces of chicken into oil, keeping them separate so they don’t stick together. Fry the pieces until they’re slightly golden, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Do the initial fry in two or more batches, to keep from sticking together and dropping temperature of the oil.
7. When all of the chicken is done with first fry, heat the oil to 400°F. Place all the chicken back in pot (if it fits, no need to split this into batches), and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove chicken. Reserve the oil.
8. Cook the sauce first, and then toss in the fried chicken. Turn heat on high, and add 1/2 Tbsp oil to a wok. Add the thinly sliced orange peel and give it a quick stir. Then pour in the orange sauce. Let it come to a boil.
9. Meanwhile, begin garnishing the serving dish by arranging the orange slices in a tidy pattern around the outside edge of the plate.
10. Once the sauce has come to a boil, lower the heat and slowly drizzle in the cornstarch slurry. Be sure to stir constantly so that you don’t end up with a big lump of cornstarch in your wok. Add 1 Tbsp oil. If you want to cook off more of the water for a thicker sauce, keep the sauce cooking for a bit longer before adding the chicken.
11. When you’re ready to add the chicken, turn the heat back up and add the chicken pieces back in. Toss the chicken around in the sauce for 15-20 seconds, and then turn off the heat. Drizzle 1 tsp oil for added shine, mix quickly, and plate.
**NOTE: I used Peanut Oil**