Orange Chicken

   I didn't know what to make, I had a bunch (5 lbs) of boneless skinless chicken breasts, so I asked Mike (my BBFs  boyfriend) to give me an idea... General Tso was what he wanted, but I have eaters that just can't handle anything remotely spicy...so I offered Orange Chicken, and all agreed.

   I  looked online, YouTube videos, allrecipes, ect.  I took in what i knew already from making teriyaki and tempura dishes and added it into the mix.

  I chunked up my chicken boobs into 1-2" chunks... you will be cooking these in hot oil for a good amount of time, so you do want them on the bigger side to stay moist, and threw them in a bowl with my typical seasonings for the Chinese stuff i make (garlic powder, ginger powder, soy sauce and white pepper) and let it sit for a few minutes while I got the rice soaking.

  I will make a post on perfect sticky rice every time. I learned and it took me years and years to get it right, and finally, as long as I follow my own instructions and don't walk away all distracted by something shiny, or my lovely boyfriend, its consistent.

Right, I flour the chunks up real good, flouring the chunks and letting them sit for a bit is VERY IMPORTANT... if you skip this step, they will get soggy and the batter will come off then you let them sit between batches.
..then make the batter:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
and water until desired consistency.
~ which is something like pudding or yogurt

   So, I mix the wet together in a bowl, and mix it into the dry, then when blended in goes the chicken into the bath. When your oil is around 375 or so (i just turn my deep fryer all the way up) get your hand in and slowly let them slip from your fingers into the oil like this nice lady does @ (0:16):

   Her batter recipe I built off of, because when I tried theirs, it was far far far too dry. My way worked to perfection.  Now, she fries it all once, for a long time. I did mine in batches lightly fried, pulled them out, and then once i had them all fried once, i put them all back in at once and cooked them until they were on the dark side and nice and crispy. It just made sense to do it this way, since I could heat and thicken my sauce while they were all in together, focusing on one thing at a time.

For the sauce:

2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups of water and 1 knorr's chicken cube)

1/4 c . soy sauce

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/3 rice vinegar (i used unseasoned if it matters)

1/4 c. rice wine (the amber stuff, not the clear - Shao Xing if it matters)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger (more if you like it) julienned or grated

zest of two large oranges about 3 tablespoons - julienne or microplaned

   Get all that in a pot (pull out a few tablespoons for the thickening agent) and let it come up to a good bubble while you are getting those nuggets in a hot oil bath again. Get those nuggets all pretty brown and keep them moving about so its all even, and drain them out onto a paper lined (i find that one brown paper bag fits perfectly on a 1/2 sheet) pan or tray.  Next, add the thickener into your liquid (stirring constantly!!) until it comes to a bubble and gets ooey gooey.  nomnomnomnom

for thickening the sauce:

2 tbsp of cornstarch

and a few tablespoons of the above liquid to thin it into the consistency of milk, stir well--- no lumps!

Pull off the heat and add the chicken and some thinly sliced scallions/ spring onions and toss until everything is completely coated. Serve with sticky rice.

Serves 6 fat people with leftovers to fight over tomorrow. How long did it take?  Too long.

**This was really quite good. I was very proud of how this turned out. Hope you give this one a try soon.

while still in the wok ;)

be well,
Jen