This is a very tasty meal sounds complicated but it’s Uber easy once you get into it an American recipe adapted to the UK. You can substitute the chicken for beef and it will still taste Yummy !!
Orange Chicken
Serves 1 or 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients
Chicken Coating and Chicken
90g) plain flour
1 medium egg
¼ tsp garlic salt
90ml cold water
pinch of salt and pepper
8 chicken thigh fillets (skinless and boneless) - chopped into bite-size chunks
2 tbsp cornflour
½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil - for frying
Orange Sauce
Juice of 2 large oranges
Zest of half an orange
6 tbsp caster sugar - or superfine sugar
5 tbsp soy sauce ( I use dark soy sauce, but you can use half dark and half light soy sauce for a lighter coloured sauce). You can use low sodium soy sauce if you prefer.
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to form a slurry - (optional)
To Serve:
Boiled or egg fried rice or noddle's
1 tsp sesame seeds
Method
Start by making the batter for the chicken. In a large bowl, add the plain flour, egg, garlic salt, salt, pepper and water and mix together using a whisk until smooth
Place the chopped chicken thighs in a separate bowl and sprinkle on the cornflour (cornstarch). Toss together so the chicken is coated in the cornflour.
Add the chicken to the batter, and mix together so the chicken is coated in the batter.
Add the oil to a wok or large frying pan (skillet) and heat over a medium-high heat until hot.
While the oil is heating, make the orange sauce. In a medium bowl, mix together the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. Put to one side
When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the oil. I find it's best to work in two or even three batches for the crispiest chicken. Add the chicken in a piece at a time, and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs, until golden brown and cooked throughout (*note 1).
Once cooked, place the chicken in a bowl lined with kitchen paper while you cook the second batch. You can add a little more oil in if needed, to ensure the chicken is surrounded by oil, but be sure to keep the temperature up so the oil is bubbling and hot.
Carefully disposed of any leftover oil from the wok and turn down the heat to medium. Add the orange sauce to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
If you want to thicken further, then slowly pour in the cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water) whilst stirring (*note 2).
Add the chicken back to the wok and carefully toss together until the chicken is coated in the sauce. I find the best way to do this is to slide a spatula underneath the chicken, lift it up and turn it over - do this repeatedly until all the chicken is coated.
Serve the chicken over boiled rice, topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds
