Monday, March 1, 2010

Orange Chicken

This chicken is super tasty! I love orange chicken in general, so if you do too, you will love this. It's full of flavor and the chicken is moist and delicious. Enjoy!


Orange Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2" cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish (I always use a pie tin for this kind of thing) combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side. Optional: top with more chopped green onions.

Source: My Kitchen Cafe

*Healthier/Faster Option: I think it would still be great without coating the chicken in the flour mixture. You could just cut up the chicken and cook it in a dry skillet on the stove and then pour the sauce over. It would be faster and less fattening. However, I really enjoyed this just the way it was! :) Also, if you want a less healthy way, she says you can deep fry it. It would taste more like the Orange Chicken from Panda Express.

3 comments:

Wendy McNiven said...

Yummy! I love Orange chicken, but never thought to make it. I'm definitely going to try it!

Angie said...

This looks so yummy, I can't wait to try it! And I have to tell you I've made your country white bread twice already! I love it! I just took a loaf to a friend with a sick family and they loved it too. And it makes me feel like such a grown up to make homemade bread. Haha. You're right, it's totally therapueutic! So thanks, you've enriched my life.

Ashley said...

We just made this for dinner last night. It was delicious! The chicken turned out so tender and tasty. Yum! Thanks for sharing your recipes.