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Note that the CDKitchen link suggests the orange zest is optional. The zest is what gives the chicken its orange flavor, and is by no means an optional ingredient in orange chicken.
I used a little more orange juice, and the grated rind of a whole orange, and a bit less sugar.
Flouring the chicken pieces was no good. Next time I'll try the egg white & cornstarch instead. Read the comments. One of them was from a fellow who's worked in Chinese restaurants and it seemed helpful.
I fried the chicken pieces, a few at a time and kept them warm in the oven, then tossed them with the sauce just before serving.
Last edited by 2cold; 02-12-2010 at 05:11 PM..
Reason: fixing link address
I have had trouble getting the right recipe for Orange Chicken -and then,I cheated.
I heard about the Orange Chicken in the frozen food section of "Trader Joes".
If you have one in your area, its worth a try.
You bake the chicken in the oven and when its crispy, just mix the ready made sauce with it.
Add what you like (scallions etc).
Like it better then any I made from scratch.
Note that the CDKitchen link suggests the orange zest is optional. The zest is what gives the chicken its orange flavor, and is by no means an optional ingredient in orange chicken.
Here's an example of someone talking about the "micro" level, not the "macro"...
You're right, the most intense orange flavor comes from the rinds oils...However, there's orange flavor in the juice and even some restaurants actually use frozen concentrate as they keep it in the freezer and scoop it out when needed. If you're sole goal is to mimic the Panda express, I assume they do not zest...
OP...Wish there was a magic recipe but there's items you might not be able to replicate...You have to keep experimenting until you're happy.
According to Panda Express's website, they use 100% soybean oil to fry. Keep in mind that they probably only change their oil on a monthly basis although it's filtered. I'm sure day 1 oil tastes different than day 30 oil. When you buy chicken at the supermarket, it's injected with a brine which primary increases the weight therefore cost. You need to look at their supplier to get the chicken exact. Also bare in mind that Panda Express dumps their chicken into the warmer 10:30am for the lunch. Usually they simply dump in more chicken throughout the day...When you eat it at dinner, there's still some 1030am chicken/sauce in there.
My advice since the chicken is simply tossed in sauce is make a bunch of chicken, find a sauce, go low on the sugar and orange and toss one chicken morsel, taste, analyize, and add what you think is missing to the sauce. If you're interested, I have a great orange chicken recipe I can share, but I don't think it's that close to Panda Express's version.
Well, speaking for myself, there's, "Oh, this tastes good, reminds me of that orange chicken we had at Panda Express" or "it's ok, I guess".
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