CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN

     This "Chinese Orange Chicken" is made with boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, marinated & dredged and then deep-fried until golden and crispy. The best about this Orange Chicken is the Sweet Orange Sauce made with fresh Orange Juice, Vinegar, Light Soy Sauce, Garlic, Ginger, Chillies and Orange Zest. Simple and quick-fix recipes are always a hit with me. And this Chinese Orange Chicken is one of my favourites for two reasons - it can be cooked within minutes and additionally, it comes with my favourite orange flavour.
      Marinated Small cubes of boneless chicken pieces are marinated for a few minutes and then deep-fried, which develops an intense flavour and also gives a crunchy texture to the chicken pieces. Then it is tossed into the Sweet & mildly Sour Orange Sauce which makes this dish utterly divine with a wonderful note of tastes & flavours and a citrusy aroma from fresh Oranges.
     The same dish can also be prepared with Lemon Sauce for Lemon Chicken & another version with Honey for Honey Chicken.  Even versions like Sweet & Sour Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Honey-Cashew Chicken are famous side dishes served in South East Asian Restaurants. All these recipes are popular along with Orange Chicken Recipe and great for people who love a combination of sweet & sour tastes in their dishes. The best reason for such dishes being popular is that it has a perfect balance of flavours - it is equally sweet and tangy, and all the more slightly underlined with a note of spiciness.  The best about Orange Chicken is that it comes with an incredible citrusy aroma from Oranges.  To get the right taste is to come up with the right combination, to suit your taste preference.

For more Recipes with CHICKEN, Click here...

Cuisine - Chinese, Southeast Asian
Course - Side Dish
Spice Level - Low - Medium
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 2-3
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15 - 30 Minutes
Marination Time - 20 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 10 - 15 Minutes


For more SOUTHEAST ASIAN RECIPES, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN

CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS :

For the Marinade :

Boneless Chicken - 250 Gms
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1 Tspn
Shaoxing Wine/Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 Tspn
White Pepper - A Pinch
Cornstarch - 1 Tspn
Oil - For Frying

To Saute :

Garlic - 2 Cloves
Garlic - 1/2" Piece
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/4 Tspn
Oil - 1 Tbspn

For Orange Sauce :

Orange Juice - 1/2 Cup
Light Soy Sauce - 1 Tbspn
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 Tbspn
Sugar - 2 Tbspn
Orange Zest - 1 Tbspn(Optional)

For Glazing the Orange Chicken:

Cornstarch - 1 Tspn
Water - 3 Tbspn

 

For Garnishing:

Spring Onion - Few

METHOD:

• Clean, Wash and Cut Chicken into small pieces.
• Marinate the Chicken pieces with the ingredients mentioned under 'To Marinate'.
• Leave this aside for about 20-30 Minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients mentioned under ' For the Sauce' except Orange Zest and keep it aside.
• Heat Oil in a wok and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces until golden and crispy.
• Remove it from oil and keep it aside.
• In a separate Pan, heat Oil & saute finely chopped Garlic, Ginger and Dry Chilli Flakes until aromatic.
• Add the deep-fried Chicken to the above and stir-fry on high flame for a minute or two.
• Stir the Orange Sauce Mix thoroughly before pouring it over the Chicken.
• Stir-fry until the sauce mix is well combined with the Chicken Pieces on high flame for few minutes.
• Now add the Orange Zest and give a quick stir.
• Mix Corn Flour in Cold Water, make sure there are no lumps.
• Finally, glaze the Orange Chicken with Corn Flour Mixture.
• Cook this on a high flame for few minutes.
• Garnish with Spring Onions.
• Serve hot with any dish of your choice.
• Goes well with Fried Rice, Noodles or just pair it up with Fragrant Jasmine Rice/White Rice.

CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN

NOTES:

• Can also prepare the same recipe with Fish, Chicken Wings etc.,
• Adjust the spice level to suit your taste preference. 
• Can reserve some extra Orange Sauce and serve it while plating the Orange Chicken.
• Can Substitute Orange Juice with Lemon Juice and follow the suit for Lemon Chicken.
• Do not cook Orange Sauce for a long time which can make the sauce bitter.
• Adding Orange Zest is purely optional.