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January 7, 2009

Orange Chicken With Scallions -- Dinner Together

Orange Chicken with ScallionsThe economy is so bad that even pretty cheap Chinese takeout food has become a luxury. And since January is the month when we all look at the scale and gasp, it's also not a great time to indulge in delicious but fattening crispy Orange Chicken.

The good news about this recipe from the latest annual cookbook from Fine Cooking is that it replicates the takeout version really well. Serve it over rice and you've got a quick, affordable family meal...

(Photo courtesy of Fine Cooking Annual, Vol. 3, by the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking. Taunton Press, 2008. Photographer: Scott Phillips.)

OK, it was a little too adventurous for my kids. But still... 

Orange Chicken with Scallions

Serves 4

1 large navel orange

1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1⁄8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 pounds chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes (skin removed)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 extra-large egg whites

1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch

4 tablespoons canola or peanut oil

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (keep whites and greens separate)

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zest from the orange in long, wide strips. If necessary, remove any large patches of bitter white pith from the zest strips with a paring knife. Juice the orange into a small bowl and mix with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt. In a mini chopper or food processor, process the egg whites, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until smooth. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch batter.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or large stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Using tongs, transfer about half the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, flipping every minute or so, until the chicken browns and crisps all over and is firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. With clean tongs, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken; transfer to the plate.

Put the orange zest strips in the skillet and cook, stirring, until they darken in spots, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir the orange juice mixture and add it to the pan. Let it boil for about 10 seconds and then add the chicken and the scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce reduces to a glaze and the chicken is just cooked through—check by cutting into a thicker piece—1 to 2 minutes. If the chicken isn’t cooked through but the glaze is cooking away, add a couple tablespoons of water and continue cooking. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens.    

Adapted from Fine Cooking Annual, Vol. 3, by the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking.  

Per serving: 614 calories, 39 grams protein, 31 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 44 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 237 milligrams cholesterol, 1,013 milligrams sodium

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:55 AM | | Comments (5)
Categories: Dinner Together, Food and Recipes
        

Comments

I admire your persistence! :-)

I've never thought to try making this family favorite at home, but that recipe looks pretty simple.

Maybe I'll give it a try this weekend (need oranges).

Really eager to try this, and I have one lone navel orange in our fruit bowl. Looks like Thursday night's dinner is figured out, thanks!

We made this tonight and it was terriffic! Better than the local dive's by far! Thanks.

I made this last night--a few suggestions... Omit the red pepper flakes if you're making it for kids. Double the sauce if you don't like it dry. Put 1" oil in the pan to fry the chicken instead of 2 Tbsp of oil. It will stick really bad if you have stainless steel pans and don't put more oil in the pan. It works really well with the extra oil, though. I did like it though! =) Just a few ideas.

Super; thank you! We love hearing feedback from readers who try the recipes.

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About Kate Shatzkin
Kate Shatzkin is the parenting and families content editor at The Baltimore Sun and, before that, was its family beat reporter. But her most challenging and rewarding job is being mother to Leah, 8, and Sam, 6.

In her 14 years at The Baltimore Sun, Kate also has covered nonprofit organizations, prisons and courts, and has written several investigative series. She was previously a Knight journalism fellow at Yale Law School and a reporter at the Seattle Times and at the Patriot-Ledger of Quincy, Mass. She lives in Baltimore with her family.

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