Fabulous Orange Chicken

Wow, I would've never thought home-made orange chicken could be this good! Seriously, it is so yummy, you'd be surprised. If you're in a mood of trying something sweet with a hint of citrus, you need to make this one - Plus, how awesome would it be to show off this dish to your family or friends and say you made it yourself from scratch, that you didn't use any sort of package or pre-made mixture? You won't be disappointed. Just smelling it will make your mouth water.


Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
About 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying(or Olive oil, take your pick!)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red chili pepper
(Optional) 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine (I used red wine instead and it still turned out fantastic!)
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (If you don't have it at home, don't worry about it. I didn't use it, either.)

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 orange, zest of (My husband used about 2 tablespoons of juice from the orange as well and it added a really nice flavor to the chicken.)

Direction:
Place cornstarch and flour in a large ziplock bag and put it aside.
Mix egg, salt, white pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl. Stir chicken in the mixture well.
Place egg coated chicken in the ziplock bag and shake it until the chicken is well coated in cornstarch and flour thoroughly.
Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. (Try not to overcook the chicken.)
Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.
Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds. Add and stir-fry crushed chili and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.
Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken. Heat until sauce thickens. Stir in sesame oil and orange zest if desired.
Serve with rice.

Adapted from Recipe Zarr