Orange Chicken- Happy Chinese New Year!
February 3rd marks the first day of the Year of the Golden Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac. According to Chinese tradition, the year of the rabbit brings a year in which you can calm your nerves and catch your breath. For Chinese New Year, here is an easy recipe for a classic Chinese-American food.
Orange chicken is one of my favorite things to order when I go out to a eat at a Chinese food restaurant. Even better is making it in the comfort of you own home, and paying much less! I originally wanted to try a deconstruction/reconstruction with this recipe, but failed miserably. I won’t go into too many details, but lets just say my fried rice balls ended up being a baked eggy mess instead. Luckily, I saved a portion of the orange sauce and was able to save the dinner. This recipe is one for everybody to keep in mind because it tastes just like the restaurant version.
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the marmalade, white vinegar, Sriracha and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok. Also, combine the cornstarch and panko.
- Coat the chicken strips with the egg, then toss in the panko mixture.
- Fry the chicken in batches until cooked through (about 3-4 minutes) making sure to completely coat pieces in oil.
- Drain the chicken strips on paper towels and clean out the saucepan.
- Add the marmalade mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted.
- Add the chicken and toss until completely coated with sauce.
- Serve over rice.
