Zesty Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken looks great through the steamy window at the take out Chinese place but once you take a bite you may find yourself biting into something that resembles a spongey, soggy nugget of chicken. Nothing beats the homemade version with the sticky, zesty, spicy, sweet, orange glaze and crispy coating. Also, you know exactly what you're eating if you know what I mean. Trust me, this one will not disappoint you...

Servings: 4
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Orange Glaze:

1 cups of water
1/4 cup lemon juice
grated orange zest from 2 oranges
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce/shoyu
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)

Add later: 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water

Chicken:

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces
corn starch for dipping
vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Garnish:

5 stalks green onion, chopped
sesame seeds

Directions

1. Fill up wok or pan with oil so that chicken will be covered half way. Heat up oil on medium high.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan mix together all the orange glaze ingredients except for the cornstarch and bring to a boil. 
3. Turn the sauce down to a simmer, we will finish this after the chicken is done cooking.
4. Now let's move on to the chicken. Coat the chicken in cornstarch and fry both sides until golden brown. Drain excess oil in a tray lined with paper towels.
5. Reheat the orange glaze to medium high.
6. In a small bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of water with 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
7. Add the cornstarch mixture to the orange glaze and turn heat off when your glaze starts to thicken.
8. Pour fried chicken into orange glaze and give it a gentle stir.
9. Serve on rice and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Eat it fresh! YUM!