I am not sure if I'm right or not, but some say this is actually a variation of General Tso's Chicken. That's partly correct. This is because the sauce for orange chicken is actually a combination of General Tso's sauce and orange juice (that is why I said to keep the remaining sauce).
Some even argued that General Tso's Chicken and Orange Chicken are mutations of Sweet and Sour Chicken. With that being said, there are also Lemon Chicken and Pineapple Chicken dishes (which I will post in the near distant future).
And did you know that this dish actually derives from a tangerine chicken dish in Hunan province, China? That is another entirely different dish altogether. Anyway, while the origins are a huge mess, let's just enjoy this dish.
By the way, I used chicken wings; you can use chicken thigh or breast.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Chicken:
Chicken Wings (I'm using flats), 500g
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Garlic Powder, 1/2 TBSP
ShaoXing / HuaTiao / Sherry Wine, 2 TBSP
Egg, 1
Sauce:
General Tso's Sauce, 200g
Fresh Orange Juice, 200g
Orange Chicken:
Corn Starch, 30g
Grapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, 2 TBSP + More For Frying and Cooking
Fresh Orange Zest, 3 Oranges
Garlic Finely Minced, 3 Cloves
Green Onions (White Parts) Coarsely Sliced, A Handful
Slurry, 1 TSP Potato Starch + 2 TSP Water
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Toasted Sesame Oil, 1 TBSP
Green Onions (Green Parts) Coarsely Sliced, A Handful
Equipment:
Dutch Oven
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Directions:
Please visit my "General Tso's Chicken" page for the sauce recipe.
Prepare the chicken.
Combine everything together until the chicken wings are well coated.
Cover and set aside in the fridge for 1 to 2 hrs.
Prepare the orange sauce.
Mix General Tso's sauce and orange juice until well combined.
Set aside until ready to use.
*If there's any remaining sauce, freeze it for future stir frying recipes.*
After the chicken has marinated, add in corn starch and 2 TBSP of oil.
Mix until well combined.
Heat up 3 to 4" of oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
*To check if the temperature of the oil is ready, place a wooden chopstick into the oil.
If bubbles start to form, the temperature is ready for frying.*
Gently drop the chicken wings into the oil.
Deep fried until lightly golden brown.
Remove from heat and drain off excess oil on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper, including any fried batter bits.
*I like to drizzle some of the batter over the chicken to create extra crispiness.*
Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken.
*Try not to crowd the dutch oven. Do it in batches if necessary.*
Rest for 5 mins.
Fried the chicken the second time until golden brown.
Remove from heat and drain off excess oil on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken.
In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 TBSP of oil.
Once the oil is heated up, add in some orange zest.
Saute to release its aroma.
Add in garlic and green onions.
Saute until aromatic.
Add in the sauce and bring it up to a simmer.
Add in the slurry (combine potato starch and water until smooth).
Stir to combine well and thicken.
Add in the fried chicken.
Mix until the chicken is well coated.
Bring it up to a simmer.
Cook until the sauce has thickened further.
Taste and adjust for seasonings with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and drizzle toasted sesame oil over the top.
Garnish with more orange zest and green onions.
Serve immediately.
Spot the difference?
My favorite part of the wings...
Finger licking yummilicious...