Chinese Orange Chicken
Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Can you believe that we’re already on the second day of September now? I had an extra long weekend since I took last Friday off so we could go to Minneapolis for the weekend. And it was so nice to be able to get out of town and just get a change of scenario. I think the next “holiday” where we can get time off from work would be Thanksgiving, so I’m really glad that I took advantage of our holiday weekend by going out of town. Every time that we’re trying to decide on where to go for long weekends, we’re always so torn between doing things that we both enjoy and doing things for the kids like the zoo, the children’s museum, etc. Minneapolis has been an ideal destination that offers activities that are really fun for the kids and us. While I’m personally drawn more to urban activities, like checking out restaurants, cool exhibits, some shopping, and maybe a show or two; it’s really hard to do those with the kids, so we’ve been exploring places that everyone can enjoy. 
We came back on Sunday and had all day yesterday trying to unwind. In the chaos of unpacking and laundry, I made this really yummy chicken dish. I know as a food blogger, I try not to use the word delicious in every single post, but this one was really delicious! I almost think that it’s better than its original version from Panda Express’ Orange Chicken. See while I have always loved Panda Express, I kind of forgot about them for a while since since there wasn’t really any locations nearby where I used to live. We had a Panda Express kiosk on my college campus, so I used to get them whenever I had extra money. But after that, nope. No Panda Express for me. Fast forward three years ago, when I found out that there was a Panda Express about 20 minutes from where I live, I knew that I would have to make the trek to get my share of their orange chicken dish. It’s hard to not love crispy fried chicken slathered in sweet orange sauce, with a tad of spice on a bowl of steamed rice. The only thing that I would have changed next time was the method of breading the chicken pieces. I feel like some of them were falling apart as they were cooled on the plate. So maybe I will do the flour first, then the egg to bind the flour onto the chicken. But flavor-wise, this dish really hit it on the nail, and I’m adding this to my menu rotation.
PrintRecipeChinese Orange Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, divide
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 or more green onions, sliced
Marinade
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1 tsp sriracha, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper (can be found in most Asian grocery stores)
Directions:
Make the Marinade:
Whisk together chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, ginger and white pepper in a large bowl.
In a large bowl, place the chicken in 2/3 cup of the marinade. Leave chicken in the marinade for at minimum of 30 minutes, turning the chicken pieces occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
Heat remaining marinade in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir in 2 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened about 1-2 minutes; keep warm.
Cook the chicken:
Working one or two at a time, dip the chicken pieces into the eggs, then dredge in remaining 1 cup cornstarch, pressing to coat. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Working in batches, add chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
Serve chicken immediately, tossed or drizzled with the marinade, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Source: Damn Delicious
! Hello, I'm Yudith and I am the always hungry gal behind Blissfully Delicious. Nothing melts my heart more than a delicious homemade meal shared with my family and friends. 
I would be a VERY popular person with two or three people in my life, if I could make orange chicken as good as yours looks. The batter is so darn perfect. Ouch, not sure I can do that.
How much ginger ?
Yudith — September 8th, 2014 @ 2:17 pm
1 tbsp – thanks for catching. I updated the recipe to include that.
Sounds delicious. Why order take-out? I just wanted to let you know that I have a site (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. Please feel free to submit any recipes to the site if you wish.