Monday, January 27, 2014

Orange Chicken

What with friends coming and going, somehow I found myself with a considerable amount of orange juice left over. In my experience, it can be tricky cooking and baking with orange juice simply because the flavor fades. It's not that it's bad, the flavor just doesn't pop like I would like.

I love Orange Chicken. That nice glaze and sauce are yummy. But my efforts at recreating it have largely been edible flops. When I hit the Internet for recipe ideas, I found a lot of them called for using orange marmalade. Basically you coat the chicken with the orange marmalade and bake. I bet it's delicious but where's the sauce for the rice?

As I continued to peruse recipes, I found several that were what I had in mind. And they were all based on a recipe from one of my favorites - America's Test Kitchen. It was a dead giveaway each time because they all used 1 1/2 cups of orange juice. Of course, most of them gave credit to America's Test Kitchen, and then said they had modified the recipe to suit them. I never did find the original recipe, but the basics were the same, so I winged it with my own version.

I have to admit that it was great. I'll definitely be making it again. Next time I'll try adding a tablespoon of soy sauce for a little bit of saltiness. Otherwise, I wouldn't change much at all. The sauce turns into a lovely thick glaze that clings to the meat. Exactly how it should be. No cornstarch needed! The big plus is that it makes quite a bit of sauce. Too often I find I'm scraping the pan for a little bit more sauce. Not with this recipe! I started with 2 cups of orange juice and reduced it a little bit to boost the orange flavor.

I made this with the weird cut-up chicken available at my grocery store. Weird because it has two breasts (with the bones) and four legs. I'd like to see that chicken! You could make this with just about any chicken parts that you like, even boneless breasts, but watch the cooking time. I was surprised that it only took a little over 20 minutes for the legs to cook. Plan accordingly. Boneless breasts might be done quite fast depending on their thickness.




Orange Chicken
inspired by various bloggers and based on America's Test Kitchen recipe

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (not powder)
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic but white would do)
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour (about 1/4 cup)
1 chicken cut up or 8 chicken thighs or legs (see note above)
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour the orange juice into a pot and bring to a low boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook without a lid until reduced by one-fourth. Add the corn syrup, garlic, mustard and vinegar and whisk to combine. Simmer.

Heat the oil in an oven-safe pan just large enough to contain all your chicken. Dredge the chicken pieces through the flour and brown in the pan on both sides. Remove the browned chicken from the pan and pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Simmer the sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the chicken to the pan. Slide the pan into the oven (uncovered). TIP: Hang kitchen mitt on the oven door so you won't be tempted to reach in and grab the pan without it. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over. Cook another 10 - 20 minutes depending on the cut and thickness of your chicken. (Note, I'm guessing that small boneless chicken breasts might only need 12-15 minutes TOTAL.)

Remove from oven. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest. Meanwhile, add remaining three tablespoons orange juice to the sauce and bring to a simmer for about four minutes. Plate the chicken and pour sauce over it.

Simmering sauce
Thickened sauce


15 comments:

  1. Yum, that looks wonderful! I tend not to like the orange chicken at my favorite Chinese take-out because it has so many red pepper flakes so this looks like a great alternative. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You could very easily add red pepper flakes if you wanted a few. We prefer a lot of garlic!

      ~Krista

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  2. This sounds really interesting, and I like it because you can control the sweetness (so it's not just a thick sweet orange goo)--the soy sauce might do the trick. And I too would like to see that chicken!

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    1. When I see the chicken, I'll take a photo! LOL! You can control it. This was not overwhelmingly sweet, either. Of course, the best thing is that it's the proper consistency.

      ~Krista

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  3. Looks delicious, Krista, and I just love the flavor of orange, especially in the winter. It cheers the day up. Have a great week! ~ Cleo

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    1. Cleo, I agree completely. Orange makes me feel tropical, even if it's freezing in Florida, too, right now.

      ~Krista

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  4. Well done. Sounds like a real winner.
    I'd add Bragg's Amino Acids as a soy sauce alternative.
    Why the corn syrup? What is it's function?

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    1. The recipes varied. Some used honey, others used corn syrup. I have a feeling the corn syrup and flour are the binding ingredients that result in the correct consistency. I'd be willing to try it with honey, but I'm not sure that it will have the same effect. And the flavor would most certainly be a little bit different.

      ~Krista

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  5. One of the recipes I saw used red pepper flakes. I opted not to use them because red pepper can be overwhelming for us. But I would definitely try some soy sauce the next time I make it.

    ~Krista

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  6. Oh yum! Just the antidote to all this winter: a little sunshine on our dinner plate. Thanks, Krista!

    Hugs,

    MJ

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    1. Aww, that's such a nice way to put, it Mary Jane!

      ~Krista

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  7. Krista, I love orange chicken. It's one of my favorite things when I go to a Chinese restaurant. Definitely will be trying this. I'll swap out the flour for cornstarch so it'll be gluten-free.

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. You might want to bring up the heat in it a little bit, Daryl. We don't eat very hot food around here. But we love the orange flavor!

      ~Krista

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  8. I love orange chicken but am usually disappointed. I add orange juice to my glaze for ham and sweet potatoes as well. This sounds tasty and I do think the corn syrup is what gives it the proper consistency. Will be trying this soon.

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    1. I hope this recipe works out for you. Let us know, Grandma Cootie!

      ~Krista

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