Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken - This bright-colored citrus chicken dish fuses Asian flavors to an American dish. The sweetness of the orange, married with all the flavors of the soy sauce, rice win, garlic and ginger yields a harmonious combination of flavor that is sweet, tangy, a bit brackish, and with a faint bittersweet aftertaste at the end to bind everything together.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fried Chicken – See Mom's Fried Chicken Recipes

GLAZE:

• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ tbsp orange zest
• A sprinkle of orange juice powder*
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin or sake/rice wine
• ½ tsp grated ginger
• ½ tsp grated garlic
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• Water
• Salt and pepper
• Roux –room temp water (1/4 cup) + cornstarch (1 tsp) | or mix in melted butter and flour
• Optional: Red and Green bell peppers cut into 1/8” strips (Julienned) for garnish

PROCEDURE:

1. In a sauce pan, mix together all the ingredients, except for the roux.
2. Place the sauce pan over low heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. You will notice bubbles appearing on the edges of the pan.
3. Once the mixture is reduced and almost all of the water and alcohol (from the sake/mirin) are evaporated, incorporate the roux to thicken. Let simmer again in low heat.
4. The texture we are looking for should be like that of a light syrup. One way to test is to dip a spoon and see if the sauce drips too fast when you lift up the spoon.
5. Once the desired viscosity of the mixture is reached, transfer the contents into a microwavable container big enough for both the glaze and the fried chicken pieces. Cover the container with the accompanying top and shake to evenly coat the surface of the chicken.
6. Serve and consume immediately. You can sprinkle some dried pepper flakes (for a subtle hint of spiciness) on the glazed chicken and garnish the whole thing with some julienned red and green bell peppers for color.

NOTE:

• The orange juice powder is used to give the dish a little more orange color and sweetness.