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Knock Off Panda Express Orange Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Food.com

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for frying
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon corn starch divided
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup green onion chopped fine
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Zest of one orange

Orange Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 5 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons white vinegar really!

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoons vegetable oil. In a medium bowl mix together flour and cornstarch. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and combine – it will look like a thick paste. Add chicken to bowl, and mix with your hands. Do your best to get the coating to stick to the chicken. Everything will be very sticky and you’ll think the chicken isn’t coated enough, but that’s okay.
  2. In a large skillet or deep-fryer, heat frying oil to 375 degrees F.
  3. Add chicken pieces, working in small batches. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, or until chicken is golden. If you’re using a deep fryer, the batter may lodge the chicken to the cage, about 1 a minute into frying lift the basket and carefully dislodge chicken with a fork, return basket to oil and continue cooking chicken. remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
  4. In a small bowl, combine Orange sauce ingredients; set aside. In another small bowl, combine 1/4 cup water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth; set aside.
  5. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a large pot over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 15 to 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add chili flakes, green onions, and rice wine vinegar. Add Orange Sauce and bring to a boil, stirring often.
  6. Add chicken to sauce and stir until chicken is well coated. At this point the sauce will look really thin and like there’s not enough sticking for what you’re envisioning the final product to be. Just go with it.
  7. Mix water/cornstarch mixture briefly and add to pot; stir to combine. Stir frequently and cook chicken until sauce thickens and the chicken looks like it’s glazed. Remove from heat. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Serve over white rice.