Baked Orange-Flavored Chicken
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes marinating
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut in 1 ½-inch pieces¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth ¾ cup orange juice, plus 1 ½ teaspoons grated zest, and 8 strips orange peel (each about 2 inches long by ½ inch wide) from 2 oranges6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar ¼ cup soy sauce ½ cup packed dark brown sugar (3 ½ ounces)3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)1 piece fresh ginger (about 1 inch), grated (1 tablespoon)¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus 2 teaspoons2 tablespoons water (cold)8 small whole dried red chiles (optional)Coating and Frying Medium
3 large egg whites ½ cup cornstarch ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup peanut oilBefore You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of thigh meat for this recipe, though an equal amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used. It is easiest to grate the orange zest and remove the strips of orange peel before juicing the oranges; use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the strips. For a bit of extra spice, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to 1/2 teaspoon. The whole dried chiles are added for appearance, not for flavor, and can be omitted. White rice and steamed broccoli are good accompaniments.
Instructions
- Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 30 but no more than 60 minutes.
- Bring remaining mixture to boil in saucepan over high heat. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch and flour until combined. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat, then strain again until egg mixture has drained away; transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, then gently pat to allow excess cornstarch mixture to fall off, leaving a thin layer. Place dredged chicken pieces on plate.
- Heat rimmed baking sheet in oven for five minutes. Add oil and return baking sheet to oven until oil is just smoking, about 5 minutes. Add chicken pieces, evenly spaced in single layer, and cook 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, turn chicken, and cook on second side until light brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.
for the marinade and sauce
for the coating
to cook the chicken
to serve
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes marinatingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Coating and Frying Medium
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Coating and Frying Medium
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Coating and Frying Medium
Why This Recipe Works
For our version of orange-flavored chicken, we marinated the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar, fresh orange juice, and chicken broth, reserving some marinade to become the base for the final sauce. We created a tender-crisp coating for our orange chicken recipe by dunking the marinated chicken first in egg white, then cornstarch. The egg white created a thin sheath of protein beneath the cornstarch that kept the chicken dry, helping it brown perfectly in the oven every time.
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of thigh meat for this recipe, though an equal amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used. It is easiest to grate the orange zest and remove the strips of orange peel before juicing the oranges; use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the strips. For a bit of extra spice, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to 1/2 teaspoon. The whole dried chiles are added for appearance, not for flavor, and can be omitted. White rice and steamed broccoli are good accompaniments.
Instructions
- Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 30 but no more than 60 minutes.
- Bring remaining mixture to boil in saucepan over high heat. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch and flour until combined. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat, then strain again until egg mixture has drained away; transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, then gently pat to allow excess cornstarch mixture to fall off, leaving a thin layer. Place dredged chicken pieces on plate.
- Heat rimmed baking sheet in oven for five minutes. Add oil and return baking sheet to oven until oil is just smoking, about 5 minutes. Add chicken pieces, evenly spaced in single layer, and cook 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, turn chicken, and cook on second side until light brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.
for the marinade and sauce
for the coating
to cook the chicken
to serve
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