There’s a Cold War in our house. Rather, there’s a Cold War out there and my household is just the latest front. As the greatest chef in our home, I do my best to provide fresh, flavorful, and nutritious meals for my family, from the tireless breadwinners and the voracious student at the top to our newest tiny recruit at the bottom. Despite my herculean effort, I’ve still been unable to dethrone our matriarch.
My wife’s mother, who we’ll call Granny She’s saved in my phone as “Mum-in-Chief” , has been the standard of excellence for everything culinary, from sugar cookies to the Great British Sunday Roast. But I, the ambitious family challenger, have been unable to claim her title. Well, at least publically. See, the gawking rabble has caught on. There are whispers late at night when we say our farewells and lock the door. There are looks shot across the table when my hungry diners devour something new and delicious – winking ganders that last only moment but hint at a truth they can’t admit.
And why would they? The dinners still get made piping hot and on the table at 6 p.m. sharp. They know I’ll keep trying, throwing every exotic dish and specialized cookery utility at a fresh attempt. They know that if they mention the words “very good” and “dear” that I’ll be pacified for an evening, or “it’s just not the same – you both have different interpretations of the same meal, and they’re great in their own way!” that I’m too polite to push harder. But the earthquake is coming, and the tremors have already started to fracture my sanity with each whisk, julienne, and mince. I’m not one to upset the apple-cart, so to speak, nor am I thirsty for glory or appreciation. I am, however, a scientist, and thus hungry for the truth!
As a scientist, I put this to you, then: a published reproducible account of an unbeatable Orange Chicken recipe which peer-reviewed and accepted as recently as tonight. With this, I make my stand – I set the table for the community at large to snatch away the crown and place it gently upon my kneeling head.
References, first:
Joking aside, this Orange Chicken dish isn’t my own creation, but one of the asian-inspired cuisines brought to you by Joshua Weissman. As last time, I’ve adjusted the recipe for a more UK-oriented shopping base, as some of the ingredients can’t be easily acquired in the cold, dark north of Glasgow, Scotland. And as I did last time, I’ll be adding the method/process in my own words, as my preparation had different requirements so it would all be ready on time and at the right temperature.
You can find the original recipe here.
And I’ll embed his tutorial video at the bottom of this post for your leisure.
Here’s what you’re going to need / Ingredients:
Chicken Dredge
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1.5 pounds (690g) Chicken thighs
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1 egg
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Salt
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Msg Optional, but adds more savory.
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1 cup (140g) corn starch Also known as “cornflour” in the UK
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1/2 cup (75g) all purpose flour
Sauce
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3/4 cup (170g) sugar
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3/4 cup (180ml) White vinegar Specifically, I used white wine vinegar
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1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (90ml) double fermented Soy sauce (regular is fine too)
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1/4 cup (60ml) water plus
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Zest and juice of 1 orange What even is “zest”, really?
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Splash saixing wine Substitute cooking sherry, if needed.
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Splash chinkian vinegar Optional, as well.
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1 Tbsp (10g) Corn starch plus 1 tbsp water
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4 cloves garlic, grated Finely minced is fine, too.
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2 inch knob ginger, grated
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1-2 Red fresno chilies, finely minced Good luck with this one in the UK. Use whatever spicy pepper you can find…
Preparation:
The Chicken, part 1
Begin by removing your chicken from the packaging and laying it out on a clean cutting board. My local Sainsbury’s had this chicken on sale for half-off, given its limited remaining shelf-life. Your local store may also sale skin-on, bone-in options, as well, in which case, cut the skin off and the bone out. If you’re unsure how to do that, definitely look it up, as it can be challenging to get right.
Laying it out like this will help you size up the portions, which you’ll need to do in order to get the chunk sizes to be approximately bite-sized.
Once they’re all bite-sized, toss them in a clean pot and salt generously. Set aside for about 30 - 60 minutes while the meat cures. You can also do this in the refrigerator if your brother-in-law has cleaned it out on a recent visit and have the space.
The Flour Dredge
For the flour dredge, mix the all-purpose flour and cornflour/cornstarch using a whisky until well-combined. Remember, the weighing scales are the real hero, here, not you.
Once the powder mixture is finished, line-up your chicken, powder, and a 2 - 3 egg bath as a breading station. Go grab some paper towels/kitchn roll and keep close, as they’ll be handy later when your fingers are sticky and you need to move quickly.
The Orange Sauce
Align all your ingredients, and combine the sugar, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, water, and orange components in a clean sauce pan over high heat.
Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer. You should see only the occasional bubble and the smell should be overwhelmingly strong at this point.
Leave the simmering pan for 10 - 15 minutes or until it reduces by 25% in volume. While it’s reducing, throw in a splash of the cooking sherry / wine listed above in the ingredients list.
After the cooking sherry, grate a knob of ginger and four garlic cloves, and mince two medium-sized spicy peppers (not pictured). Once the sauce has finished its reduction, take off the heat. While it cools a little, add some cornflour/cornstarch to a small bowl and combine with water until it becomes a slurry. Add the slurry to the cooling sauce and stir for 2 minutes while the sauce thickens.
Finally, after the sauce has cooled for a few more minutes add the ginger, garlic, and chilies and stir well. As Joshua Weissman points out, it’s very important you add this at the end, or else the garlic will burn and turn sour.
The Chicken, part 2
While the sauce is cooling off the heat, it’s time to fry and finish the chicken.
Go back to your breading station and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Bread your chicken by rolling each bite-sized chunk in the flour, dipping the floured chunk into the egg bath, and returning the chunk to the flour dredge for a second coat. Place the freshly double-coated chunk onto the prepared baking sheet. If you get the hang of it, try breading 2 or 3 pieces at a time for efficiency.
Fill a dutch oven 2.5 to 3 inches with vegetable oil and bring to 350°F. Always be safe around hot oil. Don’t add too much, and use a kitchen thermometer to manage the temperature. DO NOT eyeball or guess
Drop the breaded chicken chunks into the hot oil in small batches very carefully. Be sure to monitor the oil level as the chicken goes in, as it will increase the volume of the liquid and bubble up quite a bit. Let the chicken fry for 5 minutes, or until they are lightly golden in color. Pro tip: stir the chicken once or twice to keep them from sticking or clumping up to each other.
Remove the chicken using a spider utensil or some other metal spoon with holes in it and place on a wire rack / plate / etc. with paper towels / kitchen roll for absorbing excess oil.
The Finale`
Combine the chicken and cooled sauce in a large bowl and stir somewhat vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes, trying to coat each piece as thoroughly as possible. Seriously, try to get the sauce in each nook and cranny. Sometimes the sauce will aggregate on the bottom of the bowl, in which case adapt your stiring to circulate it upward.
Serve with a generous amount of fluffy white rice and enjoy.
