Recipe courtesy of Everyday Eats by Jasmin Weston, published by Plum, RRP $44.95, photography by Ben Dearnley
This orange chicken is the perfect balance of sweet, salty and zesty. It’s saucy, tender, rich and incredibly crispy and will absolutely put your local takeout to shame. You’re going to love this.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2.5 cm dice
- 1 1/2 cups rice, basmati or jasmine
- 250ml (1 cup) neutral oil e.g. grapeseed, vegetable, canola.
BATTER
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (shhhh … This is the secret ingredient that your favourite takeout uses to tenderise the meat. It’s a game changer but totally optional!)
- 50g (1⁄3 cup) plain flour
- 30 g (1/4 cup) cornflour
- 1 egg
ORANGE SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- zest of 1 orange and juice of 2 oranges
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons runny honey
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
TO SERVE
- 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
- sprinkling of sesame seeds
Method
1. Mise en place (get all your ingredients and equipment ready before you start, see page 28).
2. Place the diced chicken in a bowl together with the ingredients for the batter. Use your hands to ensure each piece of meat is evenly coated and all of the ingredients are well combined with no lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the orange sauce. Taste it to ensure you’re happy with the balance of acidity, sweetness and salt – Rule #6: Season, Taste, Season, Taste.
4. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Add the rice to a pot with 3 cups (750 ml) of water and bring to the boil over high heat with the lid on (this should take approximately 5 minutes). Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let it cook for another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off completely and allow the residual heat to steam the rice for an additional 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid until you’re ready to serve. Trust the process.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium–high heat and fry the chicken for 4–5 minutes, flipping every minute or so until golden. I recommend doing this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. This can cause the temperature of the oil to drop resulting in a soft and soggy coating. Smaller batches will ensure the chicken is cooked evenly and is golden and crispy.
6. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a wire rack set over a tray, or a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Increase the heat to ensure the oil is hot and carefully place the chicken back in the pan for a second fry for 60 seconds until golden and crispy. Transfer the chicken to the same tray or a new plate lined with fresh paper towel to drain any excess oil. This second fry is totally optional. If you’re not bothered about having superrrr crispy chicken, a single fry will be fine.
7. Discard the majority of the oil from the pan and reduce the heat to medium–low. Add the orange sauce to the pan and bring it to a low simmer. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce has started to slightly thicken, then return the chicken to the pan and toss until the chicken is evenly coated in the sauce. Do this right before serving. You don’t want the chicken to sit in the sauce too long or the batter will go soggy.
8. Serve the orange chicken on a bed of rice, topped with the grated orange zest and sesame seeds. Tuck in!
Leftovers
This dish is best eaten fresh. The batter will become soggy when reheated but, if that doesn’t faze you, store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.