Not Very Orange Chicken

(Sorry about how dark this picture is. Photographer error).

I loved this recipe because it represented a couple of accomplishments for me. One, I again successfully fried something (woohoo!! Maybe there is hope for my biscuits.....not related to frying, just related to things I have a hard time doing in the kitchen). Two, I made something that tasted as good as or better than something I could have bought at a Chinese restaurant (which is rare, because I tend not to cook much Chinese food).

I choose this recipe to serve as the main course for the scallion pancakes. The kids really liked it, as did Curtis and I. It took a lot more time than I expected. I read the recipe and thought, that's easy, it will take no time at all. Not the case. I ended up frying 3 or 4 batches of chicken before it was all cooked which took quite a while. In the future, I will probably allot myself 45 minutes to fry the chicken. That was the only time consuming part of the recipe. The rest was easy and fast. My only complaint about the recipe itself was that it didn't have much of an orange taste. The sauce was wonderful, just not particularly orange. I will make this again sometime, though. I just won't expect it to be orange.

This recipe will serve 4 - 5 people.

Not Very Orange Chicken
from blogchef.net

Chicken
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" cubes or so
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 - 2 eggs, beaten (use one to start with and then a second if you need more)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
canola or vegetable oil

Sauce
1 1/2 c water
2 T orange juice
1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 c rice vinegar
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T orange zest
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t ginger root, grated
1/2 t garlic, minced
2 T green onion, chopped
3 T cornstarch
1/4 c water

In a 9 x 9" pan or other shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Beat egg in a small bowl. Dip chicken, one piece at a time, in egg mixture and then place in flour mixture, turning to coat entire piece of chicken. Fry chicken in batches of canola or vegetable oil heated to 375 degrees (I used my black skillet for this, you can use a deep fryer if you have one). Turn as necessary (oil should mostly cover each piece of chicken) and fry until completely cooked. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 c water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, and onions. Bring to a nice rolling boil. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 c cold water. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce. Stir and boil until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken. Garnish with green onions and orange slices. Serve over rice.