Orange chicken

I'm sure many of you have heard of the classic orange chicken recipe . But how is it made? Today Carmen, author of Yerbabuena en la Cocina , will answer your question and bring you this delicious recipe that you'll see is not complicated at all. Enjoy!

The holidays have gone by so quickly, the children are about to start the new school year and, although they are close, how far away are those days when enjoying the dolce far niente was the best plan. I hope and wish that this summer has been very special for everyone and, as has been the case for some time now, we continue to meet in this corner specially designed for all of you.

Orange chicken is a Chinese-American dish originating in Hunan, commonly found in Chinese fast food restaurants, consisting of breaded and fried chicken pieces, then covered in a spicy, sour sauce, in addition to the delicious fruity and acidic touch provided by the orange juice.

Although this chicken is a very popular recipe in the United States, it is actually a variation of General Tso's Chicken, an authentic Chinese dish that, unlike the one we have received, uses dried orange peel instead of orange juice.

Would you like to add this delicious and exotic chicken to your recipe book? If you are interested, here is the recipe.

Le Creuset Japanese chopsticks and iron wok set

INGREDIENTS

To marinate the chicken

• 1 Kg. Chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons of light soy
• 2 tablespoons of rice wine
• 1 egg

Orange sauce

• 500ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 ginger tip
• 4 tablespoons of light soy
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 fresh red chilli
• Half a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little water
• Cornstarch for coating
• Sunflower or mild olive oil
• Toasted sesame
• Chopped Chinese scallion or chives for decoration

ELABORATION

1. We cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and put it in a bowl.
2. Add the soy sauce, rice wine and egg, stir and leave to marinate for half an hour in the refrigerator.
3. After this time, we remove the chicken from the marinade and coat it with cornstarch.
4. Put plenty of oil in a wok and fry the chicken over high heat in small batches until golden. Remove and set aside.
5. We remove the oil from frying the chicken in the wok , clean it and add a few drops of clean oil.
6. We chop the garlic cloves and ginger very finely and fry them in hot oil.
7. Before they start to brown, add the orange juice, the tablespoons of light soy sauce, the brown sugar and let it cook for a few minutes.
8. Add the cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce a little, stir and let it boil for a couple of minutes.
9. Add the chilli cut into slices and add the reserved chicken, sauté for a minute.
10. We decorate with spring onion or chives and toasted sesame seeds.
11. We serve immediately.

Le Creuset iron wok, Pallarès iron knife and Bérard olive wood cutting board

I hope you are encouraged to prepare this chicken, which can be served as is, or accompanied by white rice. I only recommend that you have everything prepared and ready to be able to consume it immediately and that it still has that most appetizing crunchiness, which it loses if it is reheated.