Orange Chicken With Fried Rice
Ingredients
Sauce:
1/2 cup (118 ml) oyster sauce
1/2 cup (95 g) sugar
3 ounces (90 ml) orange juice
3 ounces (90 ml) rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 tablespoon (7 g) cornstarch, mixed into the rice wine vinegar as a slurry
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 drop red food coloring, optional
Broccoli:
3 cups broccoli florets
Kosher salt
Chicken:
1 1/2 quarts (1.8 L) vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups (335 g) tempura flour
Assembly:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
Fried chicken pieces, from above
2 to 3 scallions, cut on the bias into 2-inch lengths
1/2 yellow onion, cut into large dice
Orange Chicken Sauce, from above
Fried Rice, recipe follows, or steamed rice, for serving
Fried Rice:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or grape seed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups day-old long-grain or jasmine rice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
2 to 3 scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoons white pepper, optional
Directions
For the sauce: Add the oyster sauce, sugar, orange juice, vinegar-cornstarch slurry, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, paprika and food coloring into a 1-quart saucepan, bring the heat up to medium. Whisk gently as it comes to a simmer. Allow to simmer, keep whisking for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and reserve.
For the broccoli: Place the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup water. Season with kosher salt and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Hold for assembly.
For the chicken: Heat the oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven to 375 degrees F using a deep-fry thermometer. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle 1 cup tempura flour over the chicken cubes and toss to lightly dredge, shake off the excess. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups of tempura flour with 1 cup cold water to make a thin batter, it should look like pancake batter. Fry in batches until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a rack.
To assemble: Heat a large skillet to high and add the vegetable oil. When you see the first wisps of white smoke, stir in the garlic, ginger and fried chicken pieces and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the scallions, onion and Orange Chicken Sauce and allow to coat and simmer. Cook, folding all the ingredients until they are well coated, about 2 minutes. Serve over fried rice or steamed rice, with the steamed broccoli.
Fried Rice:
In a large skillet, heat the oil until a wisp of white smoke appears. Pour in the eggs and add the rice immediately. Using a wide silicone spatula, work the rice into the egg in circular motions, making sure not to break the grains. After about 30 seconds, the egg will start to coagulate and surround the rice, the rice will start to dry. Keep scraping the pan and folding the rice back into the middle.
Add the soy sauce, sugar and chicken bouillon. Continue to fold for about a minute. Don’t be afraid to scrape up the rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the rice absorbs the liquid and egg but is still fluffy. Fold in the scallions and white pepper and cook for an additional minute. Serve immediately.
