Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)
An easy orange chicken recipe that creates crispy chicken without deep-frying and a scrumptious orange sauce that is very fragrant and not too sugary. Make this dish at home to enjoy restaurant style Chinese food made with healthier ingredients! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}To make the dish gluten free, use tamari to replace the light soy sauce and use dry sherry to replace the Shaoxing wine.
Servings: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
Sauce (Or use 1 cup pre-made orange sauce)
- 2 tablespoons dried tangerine peel (or fresh orange peel, or fresh tangerine peel)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or 3 tablespoons if you prefer a sweet dish like takeout)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Marinade
- 1 (14 oz / 400 g) large boneless skinless breast , cut to 1” (2.5-cm) pieces (or 2 chicken thighs) (*footnote 1)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Stir-fry
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 green onion , sliced (white part for cooking and green part for garnishing)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
Instructions
Sauce
- Place dried tangerine peel in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tangerine peel softens. Drain and finely slice. Transfer 2 tablespoons of sliced tangerine peel to a bowl. You can save the rest of the rehydrated tangerine peel in an airtight container in the fridge for next time or discard it. If you do not use dried tangerine peel, grate an orange to make 1 tablespoon orange zest, or thinly slice 2 tablespoons of tangerine peel (*Footnote 2).
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the bowl with the tangerine peel. Mix well.
Prep chicken
- Combine chicken, oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- When you’re ready to cook, add the beaten egg. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.
Cook
- Heat oil in a large skillet until hot, just starting to smoke. Add chicken all at once and spread into a single layer in the skillet. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks.
- Cook without touching the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes (very important, so the chicken crisps up further).
- Place the pan back on the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. If there’s too much oil, pour out or use paper towels to remove the excess oil. Add green onion and garlic. Cook and stir a few times until it releases fragrance.
- Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens.
- Add back the chicken. Stir to coat chicken with sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- You can use this recipe to cook 340 to 450 grams (12-oz. to 1-lbs) chicken.
- If using fresh tangerine, very thinly peel off the outer skin using a peeler, then slice it as thinly as you can. I prefer this over the zesting method due to the flavor, texture, and presentation.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 309kcal, Carbohydrates: 27.5g, Protein: 23.3g, Fat: 10.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 619mg, Potassium: 493mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 10g, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1mg