Asian Orange Chicken

I found this keeper recipe on Allrecipes and as my grandmother would say, "I'll tell you what, this as some good!" If you like Orange Chicken at your local Chinese restaurant, chances are you'll really like this too. This recipe is so adaptable and flexible that most changes will work perfectly. Add vegetables (such as peppers and onions, though broccoli would have been a terrific addition), increase the heat by adding dried chili peppers instead of dried red pepper flakes), substitute pineapple juice for some of the water (I've used chicken broth in the past). Add chopsticks and enjoy!

Asian Orange Chicken

Sauce

1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (I used powdered ginger)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Vegetables, if desired, such as pepper, onions, broccoli, baby corn

Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, , cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used cornstarch)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the first nine sauce ingredients into a medium-sized sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let it gently boil for a couple of minutes and then remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Once the sauce has cooled, pour 1 cup (reserving remainder of marinade in separate container) over cut up chicken and allow to marinate for at least two hours. Turn chicken a couple of times while it's marinating.

In a separate bowl (or plastic, resealable bag), combine the flour, salt and pepper. Drain marinade from chicken and discard. Dredge or shake the chicken pieces in flour mixture.

In a hot pan, add the oil oil and stir fry the chicken until browned and cooked through. Remove cooked chicken to a plate and keep warm. Wipe out pan, add a little more oil and quickly stir fry any vegetables that you are using.

Add back the chicken to the vegetables and pour in reserved sauce. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and water and add to the mixture. If sauce is too thin for your tastes, make a little more slurry; if it's too thick, add a little more water. Allow to gently simmer a couple of minutes, stirring, to ensure that the cornstarch has reached its full thickening potential and that it's cooked.

Either serve Asian Orange Chicken on the side, or serve over rice. This is good either way. One cup of sauce is not a lot, you may want to increase the sauce ingredients (still using only 1 cup for the marinade).