Monday, December 14, 2009

Orange Chicken



We had been wanting to try to make our own orange sauce for a long time but never really realized how easy it would be with the right ingredients. While we didn't have the exact ingredients used in a traditional orange sauce, what we did ended up being quite good and even a little better than what your average Chinese restaurant serves up.

Sauce
  • 1/4 cup orange marmalade
  • 2 Tbl. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbl. sesame oil
  • 1 Tbl. white wine
  • 1 Tbl. water
  • 2 Tbl. brown sugar
  • ginger
  • garlic
Chicken
  • 4-5 chicken breasts
  • breadcrumbs (see below)
  • 1 egg
  • flour
  • frying oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic
  • rice
  • small sauce pan
  • large skillet or fry daddy
  • sauce pot
Fried chicken
If the chicken you are using is frozen, place it in the sauce pot to boil, to cook it. High heat with enough water to cover, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic. When it is completely cooked, remove from the pot and cut into smaller, bite sized pieces.

In a small bowl, crack the egg. Lay out a small pile of flour on a plate, alongside a pile of breadcrumbs. For the breadcrumbs, I make my own. I take any combination of crackers and mash them up into very fine particles. For this particular breadcrumb mixture, I used a handful of Ritz crackers and Target's brand of cornbread crackers, mixed with salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne. I leave a container of it sitting in my cupboard for later usage.

When the chicken has cooled, dip the pieces into the flour, coating it evenly. Then dip them into the egg. Then into the breadcrumbs. Set aside each piece.

In the skillet, add enough oil so you can fry the pieces of chicken. To save on oil, I put just enough to do one side of the chicken at a time and flip it half way through. Either way, heat the oil on medium, about a 6. You don't want it to flash fry if you're using the skillet method (as opposed to a fry daddy) because they will burn very quickly. Once hot enough, put in a couple pieces at a time and let sit for a few minutes. Turn occasionally to get a nice golden-brown color. Since the chicken is already cooked, you only have to worry about getting it as crisp as you'd like. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to soak up the excess drippings.

Sauce
In a small skillet, add all the ingredients. If you find that it is extra thick, add a little more water to thin it out. If you find it is too liquidy, a sprinkle of cornstarch will thicken things up. Let simmer on low heat until it's evenly formed. Taste to make sure it's to your liking. It should be a little sweet and a little sour. If you find it doesn't have quite the right kick, a little more white wine should do the trick.

Rice
Follow the instructions on your bag/box of rice.

Serve the chicken on a bed of rice, drizzled with sauce. I found that this particular orange sauce was good in smaller doses and not saturated like a normal Chinese restaurant's orange chicken. However, Daren thought differently and soaked his chicken pieces in it. Also, unlike Chinese restaurants, this chicken stayed crisp the entire meal instead of going soft like we normally find.

  • marmalade 25¢
  • soy sauce 5¢
  • white wine 3¢
  • brown sugar 15¢
  • chicken 1.15$
  • breadcrumbs 50¢
  • egg 11¢
  • oil 16¢
  • rice 29¢
The grand total for this sweet and sour little mix-up which afforded two large helpings for two people with a little left over for a second helping is $2.69.

1 comment:

  1. I would have never thought to use orange marmalade! That is brilliant! My grandpa once made what he called "orange chicken" and he used orange juice. It was awful, but yours looks delish!

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