Tastes like orange.
I love sugary, sauced Chinese takeout dishes - sweet and sour pork, General Tso’s chicken, lemon chicken and sesame beef - but they often let me down. Too often weighed down by heavy, no longer crispy, breading, the sauces are nothing but sugar with a hit of citric acid. The versions of these dishes that I love have a little depth, bright citrusy flavor and, if breaded and fried, are still crisp and hot - unlikely after 30 minutes in a delivery driver’s car.
So, when my order of winter citrus from a small family farm in California arrived at our home in Washington, DC I set out to make an orange chicken that would celebrate the fresh, bright, floral flavors of the citrus. Zest was key for the floral notes. They were so sweet that just 2 tbs of brown sugar was enough to bring out their flavor. Finally, I ditched the battering and frying. Stir-fried chicken gave the sauce it’s moment to shine.
After taking his first bite my husband Jason said, “this is the first orange chicken I’ve eaten that tastes like orange. Mission accomplished.
Orange chicken
Serves 4
Sweet (but not too sweet) and spicy, this version of a Chinese takeout classic skips the battering and deep-frying in favor of stir-frying. Don’t worry, I’m not going healthy on you. This is to show off the sweet, floral flavor of fresh winter oranges accented with a bit of heat from dried chiles. NOTE: Stir-fries always look like a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps. Don’t worry, it’s not that much work!
For chicken:
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 tbs dark soy sauce
1 tbs rice wine
1 tbs water
2 tbs corn starch
1 tbs sesame oil
4 tbs vegetable oil
For sauce:
1 large orange, zested and juiced for about 1/2 cup juice
2 tbs dark soy sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1” ginger peeled and minced
4-8 small dried chiles like Arbol
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs corn starch
For broccoli:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 head broccoli separated into florets
1/4 cup rice wine
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Marinate chicken: Cut chicken, against the grain, into 1/4” thick slices and place in a medium bowl. Stir together dark soy sauce, rice wine and water and massage into chicken. Let rest for 20 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed into the chicken. If there is extra liquid in the bottom of the bowl, pour off. Sprinkle cornstarch over chicken and massage in. Drizzle toasted sesame oil over chicken and massage in, separating the pieces.
Prepare sauce: Combine orange juice and zest, dark soy sauce, rice wine and brown sugar. Whisk together and reserve.
Stir-fry broccoli: Heat a 3 quart sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbs vegetable oil followed by broccoli. Stir-fry broccoli until bright green, about 1 minute. Add rice wine and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes until rice wine has evaporated and broccoli is bright green. The broccoli will still be quite crisp. Reserve broccoli in a large bowl.
Stir-fry chicken: Return sauté pan to medium-high heat with 2 tbs oil. When oil is hot add half of chicken and spread in a single layer. Cook through, turning once and reserve with broccoli. Repeat with the remaining chicken. NOTE: If there was too much moisture with your chicken it may stick to the pan. You can use a metal spatula to release it. If there is too much build up in the bottom of the pan, clean it and continue cooking.
Cook sauce: Return pan to medium heat with 2 tbs vegetable oil. Add garlic, white parts of scallion, ginger and chiles. Cook for 2-3 minutes to soften. Add sauce ingredients and simmer, reducing slightly, 3-4 minutes. While the sauce reduces, whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Add cornstarch slurry to sauce and cook until thickened and glossy.
Return chicken and broccoli to sauce and warm through. Serve topped with scallion greens and sesame seeds.
TIP: With stir-fries things move fast once the cooking starts so do all of your prep work first. It may take a little while but once you move to the stove dinner is just about on the table.
