Chinese orange chicken

We've been on a bit of a Chinese chicken kick lately.  There's just something about coating chicken in yumminess and giving it a light fry that calls our name.  This recipe from Cooking Classy is a keeper!

CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless, chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp grated orange zest (zest of 1 1/2 large oranges)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp dried ginger

2 Tbsp grated yellow onion (be sure to get some of the juices when measuring)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

2 Tbsp cold water

2 large eggs

Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Cooked rice, for serving

Chopped green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions:

Place chicken pieces in a gallon size resealable bag, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine chicken broth, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, granulated sugar, ginger, yellow onion, garlic, Sriracha and black pepper. Whisk well, then measure out 2/3 cup of the mixture and pour it over the chicken in the resealable bag. Seal bag while pressing excess air out, and press chicken into marinade. Place bag in a bowl or baking dish and refrigerate 30 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, return remaining sauce mixture in saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently. In a small bowl whisk together 2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water then stir cornstarch mixture into sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 1 - 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until thickened, remove from heat.

Pour vegetable oil into a large cast iron dutch oven, filling pot about 1 1/2-inches deep and heat oil to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a shallow dish until well blended. Pour remaining 1 1/4 cups cornstarch into a separate shallow dish. Remove chicken from refrigerator and drain and discard marinade from chicken. Dip chicken pieces into egg, followed by cornstarch (evenly coat), then carefully place 1/3 of the chicken pieces into preheated oil and cook for 5 - 7 minutes until golden, turning once during cooking. Using skimmer, remove fried chicken from oil and transfer to a paper towel lined cookie sheet to drain excess oil. Repeat process with remaining chicken working in two more batches.

Put drained fried chicken into a bowl and toss with sauce. Serve warm over white or brown rice, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.