Orange Chicken

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: 4

USA favourite – Orange Chicken; Panda Express Style! Crispy chicken chunks fried then stirred through a sweet, aromatic glaze with freshly squeezed orange being the hero

Print Recipe

Servings 4

Equipment

Frying pan x2
Mixing bowl
Slotted spoon

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts diced 1/2 inch cubes
400 ml vegetable oil for deep frying
2 spring onions sliced
1 pinch sesame seeds optional
200 g basmati rice

Batter

2 eggs
0.5 cup cornflour
0.5 cup plain flour
125 ml water
15 ml vegetable oil
Pinch salt

Orange Sauce

3 cloves garlic chopped
2 inches fresh ginger grated
1 red chili chopped (optional)
15 ml vegetable oil
2 orange zest of 1 & juice of 2
30 ml soy sauce
15 ml sesame oil
15 ml vinegar
80 g light brown sugar or any sugar (about 1/2 cup)
1.5 tsp cornflour
125 ml COLD water

Instructions

Rice

Add rice to a saucepan with double the amount of water (1 cup rice for 4 people = 2 cups water), bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 12 minutes. Reserve until ready to serve.

Chicken

Mix all batter ingredients together until you have a double cream consistency then fold in the cubed chicken (1/2 inch chunks).
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan/ saucepan; you know it's hot enough when you drop a bit of batter in and it immediately sizzles. Shake off the excess batter and drop the chicken chunks into the hot oil (I use two forks or tongs for this), don't overcrowd the pan – you may need to fry chicken in batches. Cook for about 6 minutes, turning over halfway through if not fully submerged then rest on paper towel. You want them golden.
TIP: for extra crispy chicken, once they are fried, heat the oil and drop them back in after resting for a minute; cook for another couple of minutes. This is optional but makes them really crispy! Then reserve on paper towel.

Orange Sauce

Zest one orange and reserve. Fry the garlic, ginger and chili (if using) in the pan for 30 seconds, then squeeze in the juice of the orange/s followed by the soy sauce and sesame oil, then tip in the sugar and mix, keep stirring until it bubbles then remove from the heat. Once it's stopped bubbling, stir in the vinegar and the cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour with the cold water). Return to heat and keep stirring until thick and finish with the orange zest.
The sauce will be spicy with the chili but taste to see if it needs more vinegar or sugar or soy.
If it's too thick add a splash more water or if too watery, keep cooking a little longer.
Now fold in the chunks of chicken until well coated and serve on rice with a scattering of spring onions and sesame seeds if using.

FLEXITARIAN

This recipe is all about that delicious orange sauce; swap chicken for fish, pork or chunks of halloumi work great.

Nutrition Per Serving

2 Comments

Michaela Rose

04/02/2024 at 18:55 Log in to Reply

Absolutely delicious!! Only thing I’d say is allow a bit more time than it says to make it but sooo worth the wait
- admin
  
  05/02/2024 at 10:38 Log in to Reply
  
  Ah that’s great; I’ll double check the times to make sure it’s correct!

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