Orange Chicken

Gotta keep this post short and sweet. I'm a little sickie today and must rest before I hop on a plane tomorrow night. On Friday, when I wanted to have a whole take out dinner in, I also wanted to make orange chicken. I didn't get to it that night because of the time, but I got to make it a couple of days later. This took a little more time than I expected, but it was really good. I think it could have been a little crispier, but that was probably my own fault for not deep frying. This isn't an original recipe, but I printed it out so long ago and forgot to write down where I printed it from. I changed a couple of things, but if you recognize the recipe, please let me know where it is from so I can give the author credit!

Orange Chicken

For the marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest from 1/2 of an orange
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
A couple of drops toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:
3/4 cup orange juice
Zest from 1/2 orange
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the chicken:
1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
Canola oil for frying
1 cup cornstarch

Additional:
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 green onions, sliced

Combine the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken and marinate for 15-20 minutes.

In a medium sauce pot, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by 3/4. Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

Toss the chicken cubes in the 1 cup of cornstarch. Shake off the excess cornstarch before frying.

Meanwhile, heat up enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet or wok. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the chicken cubes and fry until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add the cooked chicken to the sauce. Mix until coated. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion and serve over rice.