When I joined my husband in the US, we had orange chicken for dinner on the first day. It was lip-smacking, fantabulous! It was a small Chinese takeaway around the corner from where we live. The food was so good that I have tried to recreate some of it in my kitchen ever since. The orange chicken’s sweet, citrus, and soy flavor packs a love punch in every bite! I was hooked. This dish is so good with fried rice that you’re not going to have any leftovers 🙂

Time: 

• Prep time – 30 minutes
• Cook time – 30 minutes

Ingredients for the Chicken Marinade and Frying:

• Boneless Chicken Thighs (Cut into Medium Sized Pieces) – 500 g
• Cornstarch – 1/3 cup
• Sesame Oil – 1/4 tsp
• White Pepper – 1/8 tsp
• Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Himalayan Pink Salt – 1/4 tsp
• Shaoxing Wine – 1.25 tsp
• Vegetable oil – 1.5 cups

Ingredients for the Orange Sauce:

• Large Red Chilli (Torn into smaller Pieces – Seeds taken out) – 1
• Star Anise – 2
• Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp (use leftover after frying the chicken)
• Dried Clementine Peel – 4 small pieces
• Orange Juice (No pulp) – 1/4 cup
• Chicken Stock – 1/4 cup
• Rice Vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Dark Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
• Green Onions (Chopped) – 2 stalks
• Cornstarch Slurry – 1.75 tbsp Cornstarch mixed well with 1.75 tbsp of water

Method:

1. Mix the chicken with the chicken ingredients only except for the cornstarch and the vegetable oil (DO NOT add the orange sauce ingredients 🙂 ). Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes
2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, prepare part of the orange sauce. Combine the orange juice, chicken stock, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, and soy sauce. Once combined set aside
3. Once the chicken has marinated, heat the vegetable oil in small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch and fry until golden (100 g at a time). It takes approximately 5 minutes for the chicken pieces to turn golden (Ensure the oil is hot and the pieces are bubbling in it)
4. Once fried, transfer to a bowl and set aside
5. In a larger pan, add 2 tbsp of the remaining oil (The oil used to fry the chicken) and heat it
6. Add the star anise, torn chilli, and clementine peel. Saute for 30 seconds
7. Add the orange sauce mixture and bring the sauce to a boil. Then add the cornstarch slurry slowly, stirring quickly for 15 seconds. The sauce should be thick now
8. Add the fried chicken and green onions. Mix it well, so that the sauce coats the chicken
9. Serve warm with rice or noodles 🙂