Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken

My husband and I have this guilty pleasure of going to Panda Express and ordering way too much orange chicken and just overeating the crap out of it! Well, let me tell you, it is so much more yummy if you make it from home. This is definitely NOT a healthy recipe at all but honestly, sometimes you just want to enjoy a good take out meal.

Made with crispy fried chicken and coated in a sticky orange glaze, this taste just like the good stuff.

Ingredients

Makes about 4 servings

For the Chicken:

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 C cornstarch
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 C water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• Oil for frying

For the Orange Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp chili flake
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 C white sugar
• 1/4 C coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 C fresh orange juice
• 1/4 C white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 Tbsp water & 2 Tbsp cornstarch (you will mix together right before adding to sauce)
• optional: sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and set aside
2. In a mixing bowl, combine salt, pepper, cornstarch, and flour.
3. Add egg white, water, and oil and whisk until consistency of pancake batter.
4. Add the chicken to your batter, cover with wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes while you begin to heat your frying oil and line a baking sheet with paper towels.
5. Heat oil to 350 F in a heavy bottom pan. I used my dutch oven. Gently add your chicken, one at a time, and cook until lightly golden brown. About 5 minutes. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to your prepared baking sheet.

Now time for the sauce! This is fairly quick so read instructions before proceeding. I recommend having your sauce ingredients measured out and ready to go before you begin.

1. In a separate heavy bottom pot, or wok, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium high. Add 1/4 tsp pepper flakes, minced garlic, and 1/8 tsp ground ginger. Stir constantly for about 15 seconds.
2. Add the white sugar and coconut sugar. Stir to combine.
3. Now add your fresh orange juice and stir constantly and allow the sugars to begin to dissolve.
4. Add the vinegar and coconut aminos. Stir to combine.
5. Mix your water and cornstarch together and add to your sauce. To avoid burning, you can turn off the heat at this point. Stir until a maple syrup consistency.
6. Toss in your fried chicken and stir until completely coated in the sauce.
7. Optional: top with a dash of sesame oil and toss to combine. A little goes a long way with sesame oil so not too much.
8. Enjoy with a side of white rice!