orange chicken

I've been missing the tasty food of Hawaii recently and decided to give this recipe a try. It comes from the cookbook finemealwoman contributor Stephanie compiled called Tried and True Recipes. This recipe comes from Taylor Bebee. I know I didn't do it quite right, but it still turned out AMAZING! Give it a try!

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 1 ½ C Water
• 2T Orange Juice
• 1C Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ C Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 ½ T Soy Sauce
• ¼ C + 1T Lemon Juice
• ¼ tsp. Minced Garlic
• ¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

To Thicken Sauce:

• 5 tsp. Cornstarch
• 2 tsp. Arrowroot (Can substitute same amount of cornstarch-using arrowroot makes a glossier more transparent sauce, but neither will affect the taste of the sauce)
• 3 T Water

Breading Option #1:

• 1C Ice Water
• 1 Egg
• ¼ tsp. Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• 1 ½ C Unsifted Cake Flour

Breading Option #2

• 3-4 Egg Whites
• Cornstarch

Directions

1. Bring mixture to a boil
2. Take 1C cooled marinade to marinate 2 lbs. chopped chicken.
3. Combine cornstarch (arrowroot) and water until dissolved.
4. Add to cooled sauce and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Sauce will thicken once it begins to boil.
6. Once it reaches your desired consistency, remove from heat.

Breading Option #1:

1. Combine ice water and egg.
2. Add baking soda and salt.
3. Then mix in ¾ C flour with mixture.
4. Top with ¼ C flour and stir lightly.
5. Dip chicken pieces in remaining flour and then in the batter mixture.
6. Fry in oil heated to 375 degrees until golden brown.

Breading Option #2:
Taylor uses this as an alternative to Breading Option #1 because it is much less messy and makes a much crispier coating. I also used Breading Option #2.

1. Whip 3-4 egg whites until frothy.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Dip chicken in egg whites, and then coat in corn starch.
4. Fry in oil heated to 375 degrees until golden brown.
5. Pour prepared sauce over fried chicken and enjoy!