Recipe | Crispy Orange Chicken

This better-than-takeout orange chicken dish is bursting with delicious, juicy, citrus flavor and packs a serious CRUNCH!

If you’re tired of leftovers and feeling adventurous, this orange chicken will most definitely brighten your day! It’s a crowd pleaser for sure. My family loves this dish and rarely leaves any leftovers, so I call that a win!

Confession: I love fried food, but I hate frying… so I’m not going to say this is a stress-free meal (at least; it isn’t for me, personally) but it is so worth it! This dish is absolutely delicious! It’s such a treat, especially after a few days of mushy crockpot meals. Once you’ve got the hang of it, this is something you could prep eariler in the day or the day before to make life even easier.

Before I drop the recipe, I’ve got to give a DISCLAIMER: In our house, we cook with the guidance of the ancestors… so the measurements provided are approximations! Definitely give your sauce a taste before dousing your plate in it, and nibble on your first batch of chicken to make sure you’re on the right track! Now, on to the recipe:

RECIPE

SAUCE

1. In a small pot, combine Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbeque Sauce, orange marmalade, minced garlic, soy sauce, a splash of rice vinegar (don’t over-do it!), and the juice of an orange.
2. Place over low heat. Once warmed through, taste your sauce. If you’d like more orange flavor, you can add more juice or even orange zest.
3. Allow the sauce to remain over low heat, stirring occasionally until you’re ready to toss your chicken.

CHICKEN

1. Cube chicken breasts into chunky bite sized pieces. You can make them a bit larger than you might think. They will shrink a bit + we want them to stay juicy.
2. Marinate chicken in about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and a squeeze of orange juice as you prep the other items.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
4. Add the egg, water and about 1 tablespoon of oil. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
5. In a medum saucepan or deep fryer, add about 2 inches of oil and heat to 350°F.
6. Combine marinated chicken and wet batter.
7. Add batches of the chicken to oil (8 – 10 pieces per batch, don’t overcrowd!) Deep fry for approximately 3 – 5 minutes until golden. You may need to turn the chicken halfway through depending on the depth of your pan.
8. You may want to keep the chicken warm in the oven until you’re ready to plate.

Toss the fried chicken in the orange sauce until thoroughly coated. You may garnish with optional sesame seeds, green onions, or red pepper flakes. We serve ours over white rice and broccoli.

Enjoy!