Tag: Chinese

Best orange chicken, better than our panda friend can make…

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/2 cup (118 ml) oyster sauce
1/2 cup (95 g) sugar
3 ounces (90 ml) orange juice
3 ounces (90 ml) rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 tablespoon (7 g) cornstarch, mixed into the rice wine vinegar as a slurry
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 drop red food coloring, optional

Chicken:

1 1/2 quarts (1.8 L) vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups (335 g) tempura flour

Assembly:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
Fried chicken pieces, from above
2 to 3 scallions, cut on the bias into 2-inch lengths
1/2 yellow onion, cut into large dice
Orange Chicken Sauce, from above

Directions:

1:  For the sauce: Add the oyster sauce, sugar, orange juice, vinegar- cornstarch slurry, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, paprika and food coloring into a 1-quart saucepan, bring the heat up to medium. Whisk gently as it comes to a simmer. Allow to simmer, keep whisking for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and reserve.

2:  For the chicken: Heat the oil in a 4- quart Dutch oven to 375 degrees F using a deep-fry thermometer. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle 1 cup tempura flour over the chicken cubes and toss to lightly dredge, shake off the excess. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups of tempura flour with 1 cup cold water to make a thin batter, it should look like pancake batter. Fry in batches until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a rack.

3: To assemble: Heat a large skillet on high and add the vegetable oil. When you see the first wisps of white smoke, stir in the garlic, ginger and fried chicken pieces and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the scallions, onion and Orange Chicken Sauce and allow to coat and simmer. Cook, folding all the ingredients until they are well coated, about 2 minutes

Note: double the sauce, and use vermouth instead of wine.

INGREDIENTS
For the Chicken:
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless
chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-
inch chunks (see note above)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white

pepper
1 teapsoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (see
note above)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame
oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Stir-Fry:
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon distilled white
vinegar
2 tablespoons homemade or
store-bought low-sodium
chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons vegetable,
peanut, or canola oil, divided
1 large red bell pepper, cut into
3/4-inch dice
1 large green bell pepper, cut
into 3/4-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into 3/4-
inch dice
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

2 teaspoons minced fresh
garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
2 teaspoons minced fresh
ginger
1 scallion, white and light green
parts only, finely minced
8 small dried red Chinese or
Arbol chilies (see note above)

DIRECTIONS
1.For the Chicken: Combine chicken, salt, pepper,
soy sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch
in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Set aside for 20
minutes.
2.For the Stir-Fry: Combine soy sauce, wine,
vinegar, chicken stock, sugar, sesame oil, and

cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together until
homogenous. Set aside.
3.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat until
smoking. Add chicken, spread into a single layer,
and cook without moving until lightly browned,
about 1 minute. Continue cooking, tossing and
stirring frequently, until the exterior is opaque but
chicken is still slightly raw in the center, about 2
minute longer. Transfer to a clean bowl and set
aside.
4.Wipe out wok and heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil
over high heat until smoking. Add bell peppers and
celery and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally,
until brightly colored and browned in spots, about 1
minute. Add peanuts and toss to combine.
5.Push vegetables up side of wok to clear a space in
the center. Add garlic, ginger, scallions, and dried
chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Return chicken to wok and toss to
combine. Stir sauce and add to wok. Cook, tossing,
until sauce thickens and coats ingredients and
chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute longer.
Serve immediately.