Orange Chicken

I never tasted Orange Chicken in India. After marraige when we went to Dallas, USA , there one of my husband's friend reffered us Panda Express, the famous American Chinese chain restaurant of Texas. There we first tasted their famous Orange Chicken, Kung pao chicken, and many more. The combos are very pocket friendly, so we often used to visit the place mainly for dinner. The taste is not too good, but it is ok and may be $ 15 to 16 for two of us. So we never expected too much.

I never tasted Orange Chicken in India. After marraige when we went to Dallas, USA , there one of my husband's friend reffered us Panda Express, the famous American Chinese chain restaurant of Texas. There we first tasted their famous Orange Chicken, Kung pao chicken, and many more. The combos are very pocket friendly, so we often used to visit the place mainly for dinner. The taste is not too good, but it is ok and may be $ 15 to 16 for two of us. So we never expected too much. Their Orange Chicken' was my husband's favorite, but I didn't like that dish, as I don't like sweets that much, specially in non-veg items. But my sweet lover husband never miss Panda Express's orange chicken, whenever he visited that place. In rice/noodle+2 sides combo, one must be Orange chicken for him. After returning from Dallas, if anything he misses,it is the famous Orange Chicken from Panda Express. So I was thinking of making this for long time, but somehow it never happened. Sometime for my not too sweet love, or sometime just I ignored or I've simply forgot about it. But recently in a Facebook food group, someone posted Pannda Express's Orange Chicken picture, and I recall my wish to make it for my husband. But I was scared about the sweet taste of it, if I would not able to have it, it'll be total waste, and I won't be able to write the recipe. So I just recreated it in my way, without any recipe guideline. and the result was finger licking good, even I loved it. So let's have a look of the procedure...

Details

Yields

2

Follow Us

Time

Preperation
30 Minutes

Cooking
15 Minutes

Non-Vegeterian

Services

Cooking Level
Easy

Meal Type
Lunch

Ingredients for Orange Chicken

For the marination :

Chicken, boneless 300 grams, cut into 2 inch pieces
Soya sauce 2 tablespoons
Black pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon
Crushed chili flakes 1/2 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
All purpose flour 2 tablespoons
Cornflour 2 tablespoons
Egg 1
Pinch of salt

For Orange Sauce :

Other ingredients :

White/Sesame oil 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
Garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon
Ginger 1 teaspoon
Chili flakes, if not available use crushed red chilis 1/2 teaspoon, adjuct to taste
Chopped spring onion for garnishing
Cornflour 2 tablespoons

Preperation steps for Orange Chicken

Take the boneless chicken in a bowl, and wash under tap water, rinse and pat dry.

Now take the pat dried chicken in another bowl, add soya sauce, egg, crushed chili flakes, pepper powder, all purpose flour, cornflour & salt and mix nicely to coat the chicken well.

Keep aside for 30 minutes.

In the meantime take another bowl and add orange juice, soya sauce, white vinegar, brown sugar, honey, orange zest & pinch of salt and whisk them together. We will use it after sometime.

Take a pan, heat 1/2 cup sesame oil, if not available then any white oil. Fry the chicken pieces for 3 to 4 minutes or untill golden brown. Take the fried chicken out of the pan and keep onto paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Dicard the remaining oil, and heat fresh 1 tablespoon oil. Add chopped garlic, ginger & chili flakes, fry for a while and add the sause mixture which we whisked earlier. Let the sauce mixture boil for few seconds.

In the meantime take a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons cornflour, 1/2 cup water and mix well without any lump. When the sauce mixture will start boiling, add the cornflour mixture to thicken the Ornage Sauce.

Now add fried chicken pieces in to the sauce and toss to coat the chicken well with the Orange Sauce.

Turn off the heat and serve the Orange Chicken in a oval shaped serving plate, with chopped spring onion on the top. It goes well with Chinese fried rice or noodles.