I never think to order take out Chinese food because I always just wind up making it from scratch. The reason for this is that I always have the ingredients lying around so I figure why not just make it myself? The recipe is easy to make and healthier than take out so there’s benefits to making it at home. The chicken is full of orangey, tangy flavor without being overly sweet. You can also customize a bit with the sweetness by reducing the sugar by about 1/4 cup. I love how tender the chicken winds up being when it’s made at home–there’s really no reason to pick up the take out! I plan on making this one a lot. I like to serve it with simple rice bowls with peas or veggies. You can also skip the rice and opt for more veggies for a lower carb version.
Take-Out Style Chinese Orange Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice or more depending on desired serving size
- 1/2 cup peas or other veggies
- 2 lbs chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup canola oil
Sauce
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 oranges juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup sugar can be reduced by 1/4 cup
- salt and pepper to taste
Batter
- 3/4 corn starch
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together.
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In a plastic bag, add the corn starch, flour, salt and pepper.
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Place the chicken in the bag and toss evenly to coat.
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Whisk the eggs in a large flat bowl.
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Line a baking sheet or two with foil and preheat the oven to 325F.
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Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a frying pan and working in batches, dredge the chicken in the egg and add to the hot oil.
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Cook about 1-2 minutes on each side.
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Remove cooked chicken and place on the baking sheet.
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Discard any burnt oil and add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and fry the rest of the chicken.
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Pour half of the sauce evenly over the chicken on the baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile cook the rice as directed on the package and add the peas once the rice has fully cooked.
