How to Tell if Orange Chicken Is Done

This is the only recipe you need to make extra crispy chicken without deep-frying and a scrumptious orange sauce that's way better than takeout. {gluten-free}

Every time you see those FoodPorn-style Chinese takeout pictures that have crispy chicken bites with shiny sauce, you get excited and decide to try a new recipe.  Then you find out it calls for deep-frying in the first sentence.

Don't you just hate scenarios like this?

I do.

It is true that deep-frying the protein is a technique that Chinese restaurants use to make your favorite takeout dishes. But it's not so practical for your home kitchen. (Unless you want to spend an hour just to get one dish on the table, and another 30 minutes just to clean up the mess.)

A lot of Chinese takeout recipes read like this:

"Heat 2 cups oil in a wok until 350 F, deep fry…[email protected]#$%. Once finished, remove HOT oil and only leaves 2 tablespoons in the wok."

It gives most people a giant headache even without stepping into the kitchen!

1. Who wants to use 4 cups oil in a simple stir fry dish? It's messy AND expensive.
2. Who has the time to wait for the oil to heat up to the perfect temperature (it takes more than 15 minutes if you're using an electric stove).
3. What I'm suppose to deal with the hot oil once I finish the deep frying?

I once accidently poured leftover deep-frying oil into a glass bowl (it was the nearest bowl I could grab that was marked heatproof), and half the bowl immediately broke and fell apart. "Luckily" the bottom of the bowl stayed intact so I didn't need to face 4 cups of hot oil running all over my kitchen counter.

After that accident, I was traumatized and decided to develop a recipe for crispy chicken without deep frying.

Why this recipe

The best part of this method is:

1. NO deep-frying and pouring hot oil required. You can use a thin layer of oil that is just enough to cover the bottom of a frying pan.
2. You can add the chicken all at once. No need to dip each piece in batter and fry one piece at a time.
3. The batter is designed in a way that creates a super crispy texture that STAYS crispy after mixing in sauce, and even the chicken turns a bit cold.
4. The coating sticks well to the chicken, so it won't fall off and cause a mess in the pan.
5. The batter causes almost no (or very minimal) oil splatter during cooking. You will not have any oil splatter on your stove by using a pan with a higher edge or a dutch oven. (Yes, you can make the whole dish in a dutch oven!).
6. Lastly, you only need 5 to 6 minutes to cook a batch of crispy chicken – that is 4 times less than deep-frying.

How to create that restaurant-style crispy orange chicken without deep-frying

Now here is the trick to create crispy chicken with a crunchy coating that is like the takeout you order from Chinese restaurants, without making a mess.

• The Golden ratio: 340 to 450 grams (12-oz. to 1-lbs) meat + 1 tablespoon oil + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1 large egg + 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Choose your favorite cut of chicken and cut to 1-inch to 1 and 1/4-inch pieces. The size of chicken pieces matters because you want the surface to turn crispy and have the inside just cooked through at the same time. It doesn't matter if you use breasts or thighs. I've tried both and they all turned out awesome.
• Mix the chicken with salt and oil, let it marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skip marinating if you're short on time. Here I use salt instead of soy sauce or any liquid seasoning, which prevents oil splatter during cooking.
• Beat an egg and mix to coat the chicken. It works as the glue that holds the batter together. Plus, it's delicious and creates wonderful texture.
• Add cornstarch. Keep mixing until there is little dry cornstarch left on the bottom of the bowl, and most chicken pieces are covered in a semi-dry coating. It doesn't matter if the chicken is not coated evenly. The uneven batter creates AMAZING texture.

That's is! Now you're ready for the pan frying.

How to make orange chicken

• Heat up just enough oil to coat the pan. I used a 24-inch deep skillet. You can use any large skillet or a dutch oven.
• Add ALL the chicken and immediately spread them by using a spatula. The chicken pieces will stick together, but it's fine.
• If you're using a nonstick or carbon steel pan, separate the chicken pieces by using a pair of tongs (or a pair of chopsticks). If you're using another type of pan, the meat might stick at first. Let the chicken cook for 1 minute before moving the pieces, so the meat will detach from the pan easily.
• Brown both sides of the chicken. If the pan gets too hot and the oil starts to bubble too vibrantly, remove the pan from the stove for a few seconds and turn down to medium low heat.
• One last step (very important): transfer the chicken to a big plate and give it 2 to 3 minutes to cool down. The coating will get crispier. Remove the hot pan from the stove to cool off a bit, so it won't burn the sauce and herbs the second you add them into the pan.

Once you have tried this method, you won't need to hunt down another recipe to create crispy chicken!

If you like the orange chicken sauce in this recipe, check out this post to see how to make a big batch ahead of time so you can save prep time later.

More delicious Chinese take-out recipes

• General Tso's Chicken
• Chinese Beef and Broccoli
• Honey Garlic Shrimp
• Easy Beef Fried Rice
• Chinese Egg Drop Soup

If you cooked this recipe, leave a comment, rate it, and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I'd love to see your work! 🙂

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Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)

This is the only recipe you need to make extra crispy chicken without deep-frying and a scrumptious orange sauce that's way better than takeout. {gluten-free}

Course: Main

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: takeout

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

• 1 lbs (450 g) boneless skinless breast or thighs , cut to 2 to 2.5-cm (1-inch to 1/4-inch) pieces (*footnote 1)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch

Marinade

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons dried tangerine peel (or orange zest)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry for gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Stir-fry

• 1/3 cup peanut oil (or grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil)
• 3 green onions , sliced (white part for cooking and the green part for garnishing)
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish (Optional)

• Add dried tangerine skin in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let soak for about 20 minutes, or until the tangerine skin softens. Drain and finely slice. Transfer 2 tablespoons sliced tangerine skin into a bowl, and save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for next time. If you do not use dried tangerine skin, grate orange skin to make 2 tablespoons orange zest instead.

Prep chicken

• Combine chicken pieces, vegetable oil, and salt in a big bowl. Add the beaten egg. Stir to mix well. Mix well and let marinate for about 15 minutes while preparing other ingredients.

Sauce

• Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the bowl with the tangerine skin or orange zest. Mix well.

Cook

• Add cornstarch to the marinated chicken. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.

• Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet until hot, until it just starts to smoke. Add chicken all at once and spread out into a single layer in the skillet. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks.

• Cook without touching the chicken until the bottom turns golden, about 3 minutes. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken into a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Place the pan back onto the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Add more oil if the pan is dry. Add green onion and garlic. Cook and stir a few times until it releases its fragrance.

• Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens, when you can draw a line on the bottom with a spatula without the sauce running back immediately.

• Add back the chicken pieces. Stir to coat chicken with sauce. Add the rest of the green part of the green onions and garnish with sesame seeds, if you're using them.

• Transfer to a plate and serve hot over steamed rice.

1. You can use this recipe to cook 340 to 450 grams (12-oz. to 1-lbs) chicken.

Serving: 1 serving , Calories: 411 kcal , Carbohydrates: 24.2 g , Protein: 26.2 g , Fat: 22 g , Cholesterol: 114 mg , Sodium: 710 mg , Fiber: 0.5 g , Sugar: 7.7 g

How to Tell if Orange Chicken Is Done

Source: https://omnivorescookbook.com/orange-chicken/

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