Name: Orange Chicken
Cuisine: American Chinese
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces; Salt; Black pepper; 2 egg whites; 5 tablespoons of potato starch; Neutral-flavored cooking oil; Sesame seeds (optional); 1-inch knob of ginger, grated; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed through a garlic press; 2 sprigs of green onions, green parts chopped into 2-inch long pieces, white parts minced, greens and whites separated; 1 teaspoon of orange peel (not pith), super finely chopped; 1 cup of store-bought orange juice; 1/3 cup of distilled white vinegar; 1/3 cup of granulated sugar; 1/4 cup of light soy sauce; 3/4 tablespoon of sambal oelek, or more to your preferred heat level; ½ teaspoon of MSG (optional)

Description

When making this at home, I like orange playing a bigger role in the sauce so I suggest adding a little bit of finely chopped orange peel to it. Plus, I spike up the heat level a notch with the help of some sambal oelek. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Scale

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt
Black pepper
2 egg whites
5 tablespoons of potato starch
Neutral-flavored cooking oil
Sesame seeds (optional)

AROMATICS

1-inch knob of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed through a garlic press
2 sprigs of green onions, green parts chopped into 2-inch long pieces, white parts minced, greens and whites separated
1 teaspoon of orange peel (not pith), super finely chopped

SAUCE

1 cup of store-bought orange juice
1/3 cup of distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of light soy sauce
3/4 tablespoon of sambal oelek, or more to your preferred heat level
½ teaspoon of MSG (optional)

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Instructions

Marinate the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the pieces in a large bowl and set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Create the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in another large bowl.
Coat the chicken with the egg whites. Transfer the chicken into a large Ziplock bag. Add the potato starch into the bag, seal it, and swish it around to coat all the pieces in the starch.
Cook the chicken. Preheat a thick-bottomed pan over high heat.‡ Add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil into the pan. Gently transfer the chicken pieces from the Ziplock bag into the pan◊ (warning: oil splattering very likely). The chicken pieces are probably sticking to each other. Separate them (I like using tongs with my left hand and chopsticks with my right) and turn them every minute for 5 minutes to prevent burning. Dish up and set aside.
Put it all together. Turn down the heat to medium. Add 1 more tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. Add all of the aromatics (except for the green parts of the green onions) and sauté until fragrant.
Give your sauce a mix before adding it into the pan. Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a boil and stir it constantly until it reduces to your preferred level of syrup-like thickness. Turn off the heat and add the chicken and green parts of the green onions into the sauce. Toss until combined and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately, it’s great with rice and veggies!

Notes

‡If you are not using a thick-bottomed pan, cook on medium-high heat for a minute or two longer.
◊Don’t crowd the chicken in the pan. Cook a second batch if necessary.

Keywords: Chicken