Receta Orange Chicken
As I mentioned in this post about Asian take-out style spare ribs, orange chicken is my 9 year old grandson's third favorite food, and so, of course, I had to make it for him. I adore this boy.
One of the manifestations of my adoration is the ratio of apps on my iPad that are for him vs the number of apps for me. I think it's about 70:1. Nothing wrong with that, right?
One Christmas, his mom gave him $20 to spend at his school's PTA gift buying event. He spent $19 on a necklace for me...... Sigh..... I still wear that necklace as often as I can, and I get compliments every time! And every time he sees me wearing it, I can tell it makes him so happy.
When he says he loves orange chicken, I need to make it for him.
Orange Chicken
Marinade
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 T dry sherry
- 2 large egg whites
- Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 C cornstarch
- Sauce
- 1/3 C orange juice
- 1/4 C chicken stock
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 T soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Sauce Preparation
- 1 tsp oil for sauteeing
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water
- salt to taste
- Chicken Preparation
- 3 C peanut or vegetable oil
Instructions
Marinade the chicken in the combined soy sauce, sherry, and egg whites for about 10-20 minutes at room temperature.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Saute the garlic in 1 tsp of oil in a saucepan for about a minute, add the above sauce, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir until the sauce thickens. Add the salt, remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm.
In a large bowl, toss the marinaded chicken in the 1 1/2 C cornstarch to coat. Separate the pieces of chicken and place them on a tray or baking sheet so they don't stick together.
In a wok or large sauce pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and fry the chicken in batches, 8 to 10 pieces at a time, for about 4 minutes. Remove each batch with a spider strainer or slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Place the chicken pieces in a large heat proof bowl.
Reheat the sauce, pour it over the chicken pieces, and toss to coat.
Serve with steamed rice.