Orange Chicken

I’ve never ordered orange chicken in a restaurant before, so I don’t have anything to compare this to – but WOW!  I don’t think any take-away food could ever be better than this!

The chicken was moist yet crispy and the sauce was a little sweet and a little spicy.  The orange flavor was not obnoxiously orangey, which was great.

Orangey…is that even a word?  Well, it is now!

Recipe from What’s Cookin, Chicago?.

INGREDIENTS
Marinade & Sauce:
1 1/2lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3/4C. Low sodium chicken broth
3/4C. Fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2t. Orange zest
6T. Distilled white vinegar
1/4C. Low sodium soy sauce
1/2C. Dark brown sugar
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1T. Grated fresh ginger
1/4t. Cayenne pepper
1T. plus 2t. Cornstarch
2T. Cold water

Coating & Frying oil:
3 Egg whites
1C. Cornstarch
1/2t. Baking soda
1/4t. Cayenne pepper
3C. Frying oil (I used vegetable oil)

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside.

Combine the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan; whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all the pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.

Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold waterl which the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simjmer, stirrig occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a pie plate, using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second pie plate, which the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined. Drain the chicken; thoroughly pat the dry. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat; transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on a clean plate.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or staight sided saute pan over high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350 degrees and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “Loved the chicken…thought the sauce was just a little too sweet…but I could totally eat those fried chicken pieces all day long!“

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Orange Creamsicle Cake

My first cake that wasn’t frosted with frosting out of a can!  Yay!

Might not seem like much of an accomplishment to you fabulous bakers out there, but this is a big deal for me.  I’m a terrible baker.  The only thing I’m good at is brownies out of a box.  So, even though this cake mix came from a box, I’m still considering it a win because the frosting wasn’t the overly-sweet canned stuff.

And, the cake actually tasted good!  In my book, that’s huge!

I’ll definitely be making this recipe again…I think lemon/lime or strawberry would be awesome.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box cake mix (I couldn’t find the orange cake recommended by the original recipe, so I used lemon)
1 3oz. Box orange Jell-o
1C. Boiling water
1 3.5oz. Box instant vanilla pudding
1C. Milk
1t. Vanilla extract
1t. Orange extract
1 8oz. Container Cool Whip
Orange candy segments to decorate

DIRECTIONS:
Set out Cool Whip to thaw.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9×13 pan.

Once the cake is done, poke with multiple holes (I used the thick end of chopsticks).

Prepare orange jell-o with boiling water, stir until completely dissolved and pour over cake.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together pudding and milk.  Stir in extracts and mix well.

Fold in Cool Whip and spread over the cake.  Allow to chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Decorate however you please and serve.

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