Whoa! Have you ever had homemade Orange Chicken? You’ve GOT to try this recipe, it’s a flavor EXPLOSION!! The sauce is made from fresh ingredients like orange, lemon and ginger. I liked it so much, I even used some of the leftover sauce I had and put it on some rice and tofu the next day. Yum!
I want to dedicate this post to one of my regular readers- Alyssa!! …Which I am not sure if she will be reading this post today because she just had a brand new beautiful baby girl!! Congrats to you and Ian!! Maybe I can come over and make some orange chicken for you sometime, since you must have your hands full now.
I found this recipe from Blogchef.net. It looked so fun to make, I had to try it! Thank you Blog chef, for sharing! Below is my adaption from the original recipe (original recipe link here) with a few minor changes. Below the recipe you can find a few of my suggestions on how to make the meal a little healthier.
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Olive oil (for frying)
For the sauce:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed juice from an orange
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed juice from a lemon
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated orange peel)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger root, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Chopped green onion
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
To Do:
- Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and beat the egg in another bowl.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or Wok. (Fill the pan about 1/2 inch)
- Dip the chicken in the egg and then toss around in the flour mixture.
- Fry chicken in batches, until completely cooked.
- Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar, and soy sauce.
- Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes.
- Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and bring to a boil.
- Slowly stir in the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, one at a time, adding a little bit at a time while stirring. (If you add it too quickly, it will get all clumpy.)
- Stir until the sauce gets thick.
- Add some extra pepper and/or red pepper flakes if your heart so desires.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and top with the green onions.
Healthy modification ideas:
Fried foods are are not the best for you. Oils- even olive oil, should be eaten in moderation. Fried foods do not do well in my tummy, but I felt like splurging this time! But if I ever make this again, I will make a few changes:
Bake the chicken, rather than fry it: Dip the chicken in egg, then flour, then place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.
Add more nutrients: Use wheat flour mixed with some ground flax seed or wheat germ instead of just using white flour.
Use less sugar: This sauce is pretty sweet, and I am sure it would be just as delicious with 1/2 cup of brown sugar, rather than a whole cup.