Cook With Brooke: Orange Chicken

Someone once said that Chinese food is the best comfort meal, and I could not agree more. After perfecting my orange chicken recipe, I always find myself heading to the grocery store for the needed ingredients at any minor inconvenience. Between the soft breading and the sweet, sticky sauce, it never fails to bring a smile to my face and a nice long sigh of relief.

Ingredients:

• ½ C cornstarch
• ½ flour
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup seltzer
• 1 lb chicken thigh
• Vegetable oil for frying 
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• Juice of 1 large orange 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 10 tbsp brown sugar
• 10 tbsp white vinegar

Directions:

1. Add cornstarch, flour, egg whites and seltzer to a large bowl. Mix until the batter is smooth.
2. Let the chicken soak in the batter while you heat three inches of foil in a pot. Once it reaches 350 degrees, place them in the oil and fry until golden brown.
3. While the chicken is cooking, add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet. Then add ginger and garlic.
4. Once they become fragrant (one to two minutes), add the cornstarch, rice wine, the juice of an orange, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and white vinegar. Bring to a boil, which will allow it to thicken.
5. When the chicken is done, dry off any remaining oil and turn the saucepan on low. Add the chicken to the sauce.
6. Before serving, add the zest of the orange for flavor and presentation.

There are a lot of ingredients that go into making this delicious meal, but you get two dinners out of each cooking session, and you will get countless more with the leftover ingredients in the future. 

I like to serve my chicken with broccoli and rice, which are super easy and cheap pairings. For the broccoli, I usually buy one head, wash it, cut it, add a dash of olive oil and garlic and then broil it in my oven for 20 minutes. 

As for a side of rice, my mini DASH rice cooker is a lifesaver. Before cooking the main part of my meal, I place ½ cup of rice and 1 cup of water in my cooker for a quick carb load. 

It may be time-consuming, but it’s so worth it! I’ll happily spend an hour creating my comfort meal and I think you should try it sometime too.