Orange Chicken

Ever have that feeling where you want to buy food that you haven't had in a long time but simply don't want to buy it? You know, the feeling where you just need that Americanized Chinese Food that you find at the Mall? Not catching on? Well, how about the Americanized Chinese Food from a certain Panda who serves some delicious Orange Chicken? How about now?

As I was headed home from my last day of class this quarter, I knew I had the full capabilities to go and buy Orange Chicken but why not make it? It may not be the same exact thing but if I can somehow manage to have all the flavors of Orange Chicken and yet still have a fat wallet, I think that is a good day's work.

Thus, I combined a couple of recipes on Orange Chicken, such as one from Sunny Anderson, and came up with this one. It is sweet, salty, somewhat tangy, a little spicy and of course, it tasted like orange. That Panda isn't going to be eating more of my money.

Orange Chicken

Recipe adapted by Me

Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

Sauce
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/3 cup golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp cornstarch

Directions
In a pot or a fryer, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, combine the orange juice, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and soy sauce together and heat it on the stove. Bring it to a boil and continue to boil it until is is reduced and has become slightly thicker, about 8-10 minutes. Add in red pepper flakes to taste. In a small cup combine the cornstarch with about 1 tbsp of water to make a slurry. Add the slurry into the sauce while whisking and cook for another minute or two. Set aside and keep warm.

Using a medium sized bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. Then in another bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper. Add in the chicken to the egg and mix until everything is coated. Next, take the chicken pieces only and coat them in the flour mixture. Add the coated chicken to the oil and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and place on a wire rack to cool.

When all the chicken pieces are cooked, add the pieces to the sauce and mix thoroughly. Cook them together on medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes so that the chicken has a chance to absorb the sauce.  Remove from the pot and serve with rice.

-Aaron John