BETTER THAN TAKEOUT ORANGE CHICKEN

There's no need to order out! This better than takeout orange chicken is ready to go in a little over an hour!

Growing up in California there was certainly no shortage of good Chinese food. Now that we live in Utah that’s a whole different story. Stephen and I have searched long and hard but still can’t find good Chinese food! Crazy, huh?! The other day I decided that I needed to search for a few recipes online and see if I could make something that would be equally as good. That’s not always easy to do, especially with asian food. I was really skeptical about the end results but I have to say, this orange chicken is by far better than any takeout we’ve ever had. It’s delicious!

Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken


Prep time
15 mins

Cook time
1 hour

Total time
1 hour 15 mins

Author
Natalie

Yield
4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 c. low sodium chicken broth
  • ½ c. freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ½ c. sugar
  • ⅓ c. distilled white vinegar
  • ¼ c. soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. orange zest
  • 1½ tsp. Sriracha
  • ¼ tsp. freshly grated ginger
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca flour
  • 1 tbsp. water
For the chicken:
  • 1½ lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
  • ¾ c. cornstarch or tapioca flour
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 c. vegetable oil
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, lightly spray a 9x13 inch glass pan, set aside.
  2. In a medium size mixing bowl (or a 2 c. measuring cup), whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, set aside.
  3. Place the cubes of chicken into a bowl with the whisked eggs, toss the chicken (taking care to let the egg drip off it) into a large ziplock bag full of the cornstarch. Zip and shake until evenly coated.
  4. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Working in batches (3-4), add the chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
  5. Add the fried chicken to the prepared 9x13 pan. Whisk together a slurry of 1 tbsp. of cornstarch and 1 tbsp. of water, add to the sauce and then pour over the chicken. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove and serve immediately.
Notes
-This dish is best baked to help develop the flavor of the sauce, to thicken it and to make the chicken nice and tender. If you're in a time crunch, you can fry the chicken and heat the sauce (with the cornstarch and water) in a small saucepan until thick, then pour over the chicken and eat immediately.

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