Extra Crispy Takeout Orange Chicken

This extra crispy takeout orange chicken by Brian Lagerstrom is on another level! It’s incredibly delicious – the best I have ever tried. It’s seriously better than the ones you can find in restaurants.

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 lb of boneless chicken breasts (large diced)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of mirin
• 1 teaspoon of corn starch
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

Breading:

• 3 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour (plus 3 cups)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda
• 3 1/4 cups of cornstarch
• water
• neutral oil

Orange chicken sauce:

• 2 tablespoons of neutral, high smoke point oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (grated)
• 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger (grated)
• 4 tablespoons of scallions (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of mirin
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• juice of 1 large orange
• 1 teaspoon of orange zest
• 2 teaspoons of corn starch
• chili flake
• corn starch slurry

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Instructions

Step 1:

Make the marinade. Add soy, mirin, cornstarch, and baking soda in a bowl and whisk everything together. Add chicken chunks and stir everything to coat. Set it aside and let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Step 2:

In a second bowl, mix 3 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Get a third bowl, and add about 1/4 of the dry breading mixture. To this small portion of the mixture, whisk in water, a little at a time, until it becomes a loose pancake batter texture. In the remaining dry breading mixture (bowl 2), add about 1/4 cup of the wet breading slurry you just made. Mix until you create a dry crumbly texture.

Step 3:

Get a 4th bowl and add 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Add marinated chicken pieces, and coat on all sides. Shake off as much as you can, then add the chicken to the wet batter in bowl 3. Toss them to coat.

Step 4:

Transfer the wet battered chicken into the bowl 2. Mix to coat well, then transfer them to a tray.

Step 5:

Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add about 2 qt of neutral oil. Make sure to leave plenty of room at the top of your pot so the oil doesn’t boil over when you add the chicken. Heat for about 10 minutes or until it reaches a temp of 300F. Gently add breaded chicken to the oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes at 300F. Once done, transfer to a wire rack to drain.

Step 6:

Increase heat to medium-high to increase oil temperature to 350F. Carefully add once-cooked nuggets back to the hot oil and cook for 90 seconds or until nicely golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and keep it warm in a low oven while making the orange sauce.

Step 7:

Make the sauce. In a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add a generous squeeze of neutral oil. Once hot, add ginger, garlic, and scallions. Cook for a minute until fragrant while stirring often.

Step 8:

Mix chicken stock, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, orange zest and juice, and cornstarch into a bowl. Add sauce to a pan, followed by a pinch of chili flakes. Let it come to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half for about 2 minutes. If it’s not too thick enough to leave a trail when you run a spoon, stir in a splash of the slurry. Let it come to a boil again and check the consistency.

Step 9:

Toss the cooked nuggets into the pan with the sauce to coat. Do not overwork. Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes.

Extra Crispy Takeout Orange Chicken