Orange Chicken

Yet another freezer meal.  This is a most requested meal at our house.  The girls love orange chicken and I am way too frugal to take them out for Chinese food as often as they would like.  We found this recipe on a copycat bulletin board but I was unable to locate the exact recipe again.  There are a few changes from the original, I increased the sauce quite a bit.  You can't tell from the picture because unfortunately in this batch we also added A LOT of chicken since the girls love it so much.  They surprised us and ate it all AGAIN, leaving no lunch leftovers for dad today.

If you choose to freeze this meal, we make the whole recipe, start to finish.  One of the reasons I like to make this as a freezer meal is because the frying of the chicken can be a little time consuming.  If you do it in batches, making three or four meals at a time, on cooking night, you have dinner on the table in the time it makes to cook your rice.  That is a winner in my book.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

oil (for frying)

1/2 c cornstarch

1/4 c flour

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper

1/4 c green onion, chopped

1 Tbl rice wine

1/2 cup water
2 Tbs cornstarch 

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c water 
1 Tbs ground ginger

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c white vinegar

zest of 1 orange 

Whisk egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well in a large bowl
Place chicken pieces in the bowl and stir to coat.

Stir cornstarch and flour together, and the flour mixture to the chicken, stir to coat.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. (We use a regular frying pan and turn the chicken)

Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook chicken. (If you can't cover the chicken with the oil you will need to cook it a little longer)

Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds.

Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.

Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken.

Heat until sauce is thickned. Stir in sesame oil and orange zest.

Serve over rice.

**Note - I did not add the crushed red pepper the first time we made this recipe and EVERYONE loved it.  The second time I made it, I used the red pepper and it had a bit too much heat for my little ones.  It may be wise to omit the pepper if you are nervous about the heat, and allow those who like a spicier dish to add it at the table. 


To freeze this meal: Allow the chicken to cool completely then place the chicken in a labeled gallon size or quart size freezer bags according to your family size.  Lay flat in the freezer.  

On cooking day: Thaw completely.  Reheat the chicken in a covered frying pan on low until warm through, stirring frequently.  I usually start my rice the same time I reheat the chicken and they are typically ready about the same time.


I think the next time I freeze I may try using half the sauce while cooking and freezing half...I'll let you know how that goes!