I had planned on making Orange chicken for dinner tonight. I usually use a kit to make it. I realized that it was slightly expired and asked my hubby if it was safe to use still. Upon looking over the ingredients, he suggested that it wasn't a good idea and then made me aware of the fact that it had wine as one of the ingredients.
Knowing better, we decided to stop using the kits. Does anyone want to take them off my hands, I have a couple left that aren't expired? Anywho, it was a sad revelation and I was upset because dinner plans were in jeopardy.
Determined to have Chinese food still, I found my copy cat recipe for Panda Express Orange Chicken and decided to finally give it a go. I tried to get everything in order and then dove right in to the process taking no prisoners. This was the recipe.
Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe
2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 c. cornstarch plus (plus means this ingredient in addition to the one on the next line, divided)
1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
1 Tbl. minced ginger root
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 dash crushed hot red chilies
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1 Tbl. rice wine
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
Orange Chicken Sauce:
1 1/2 Tbl. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbl. water
5 Tbl. sugar
5 Tbl. white vinegar
Cut chicken into 2-inch squares and set aside. Stir egg, salt, pepper and 1 Tbl. oil and mix well in large bowl. Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces to egg mixture, stirring to coat. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture into chicken and mix evenly. Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep fryer to 375 degrees F. Add chicken pieces and fry 3-4 minutes or until golden and crisp (Do not overcook or chicken will be tough). Remove chicken form oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 Tbl. oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed chilies and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add orange sauce and bring it to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water into remaining 1 Tbl. cornstarch until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in 1 Tbl. oil and sesame oil. Serve at once. You may want to add grated zest of 1 orange to sauce for flavor.
In my rapid preparation of this, I did change a few things and it ended up tasting good despite the moments when the smell of soy and vinegar were kinda strong. I only used 1 lb. of chicken (I think, 2 breasts). I had put 5 dashes of pepper in since it didn't specify and would suggest 2-3 next time. Since I used less chicken, I used only 1 Tbl. cornstarch with the flour mixture because I messed up in reading it and it turned out working just fine with fewer chicken involved. I also didn't have ginger root on me so I substituted with 1/8 tsp. ground ginger that I mixed in with the flour mixture before adding it. I also just used whole red chilies and instead of rice wine, I used Sprite. I counted to 3 pouring it in.
Also, with the way I cooked it, I didn't use a wok, I used a large hard anodized skillet. I heated the oil in the skillet at medium high heat and cooked the chicken for about 7 minutes. Then I added the whole chilies in before stirring in the rest of the ingredients.
Believe me, I know what you are thinking. To me, I found this recipe intimidating because I got confused and was afraid I'd mess up. It took me an expired kit to finally attempt and I think with better food prep prior to cooking, it can go smoothly really easily. Having the flour mixture and other things combined before starting the process of cooking would make it a lot easier. Hope this helps and inspires and encourages you to try making chinese food of your own.
Part 2:
I also did some sewing today to get ready for another baby shower.
Here are the photos of the finished product. I can do a towel within a half hour and the nursing cover about 40 minutes to an hour depending on measurements and ironing.
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