Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Orange Chicken with Asian Vegetables

A favorite of many Chinese restaurant dinners. A simple one to make at home!  


2lbs. chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup flour
2 Tablespoon cornstarch
oil for pan
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (don't worry, it's not a spicy dish)
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Optional: 1/3 cup sugar, if you like your orange chicken on the sweet side
1.5 Tablespoon soy sauce
5 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 package frozen stir-fry vegetable mix (or your choice of vegetables)
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Combine flour and cornstarch, mix well.
Mix cut chicken into bowl with beaten egg. Take pieces out and dredge in flour mixture. Shake off excess and fry in hot oil.  Saute until nicely browned and thoroughly cooked. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken to a plate to keep warm. Cover with foil and place in warm oven. In the same pan, saute the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions. Cook long enough to wilt onions, just a couple of minutes. 

Add vegetables at this time, cook only long enough to cook them tender-crisp. Don't overcook. 

Add soy sauce, vinegar, juice and zest. Also add sugar at this time, if you choose to use it. 

Cook sauce until sugar dissolves and it thickens, 5 minutes at most. 

To serve, add chicken to rice and pour vegetables with sauce over. 

Cornstarch and flour
Cornstarch and flour, mix well

Orange juice and other ingredients
Orange juice and other ingredients

Veggies I'm going to add
Veggies I'm going to add. Feel free to use what you like best!

More ingredients
More ingredients

One egg to beat
One egg to beat

Cut up pork, trimming off excess fat
Cut up chicken, trimming off excess fat. If you are using breast meat, no trimming necessary. 

Plunge pork into egg to wet
Plunge chicken into egg to wet

Take pieces from egg and into flour and cornstarch
Take pieces from egg and into flour and cornstarch mixture

Coat well
Coat well

Place into hot oil with a space between so they don't stick together
Place into hot oil with a space between so they don't stick together

Brown well. Keep the temperature high and keep moving them around. You don't want soggy and you don't want one 2lb. mass of chicken blob. :)
Brown well. Keep the temperature high and keep moving them around. You don't want soggy and you don't want one 2lb. mass of chicken blob. :)

Turn and stir as they brown
Turn and stir as they brown

Remove to paper toweling as they cook
Remove to paper toweling as they cook

Once they are all done, keep warm
Once they are all done, keep warm

In hot pan, cook veggies. I stir-fried my veggies before adding sauce.
In hot pan, cook veggies. I stir-fry my veggies before adding sauce.

Add sauce, allow to thicken.
Add sauce, allow to thicken.

Stir till it thickens, don't overcook.
Stir till it thickens, don't overcook. No one likes squishy vegetables.

You can toss chicken into sauce, or pour sauce over chicken on the plate.
You can toss chicken into sauce, or pour sauce over chicken on the plate.

Serve with white rice.
Serve with white rice.

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