Orange Chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 ½ cup canola or vegetable oil for shallow frying the chicken

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

6 dried red chili peppers

3 to 4 pieces dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)

2 star anise

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed into slurry with 2 tablespoons water

1 scallion sliced on an angle into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Toss the chicken in the sesame oil, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, and Shaoxing wine; set aside for 20 minutes. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, and heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches 350 degrees F. Dredge the chicken pieces in cornstarch and fry until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Heat a wok over medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the dried chili peppers, tangerine peel, and star anise, and toast for about 20 seconds, being careful not to burn the aromatics. Add the orange juice, chicken stock, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and gradually add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. When the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon (you don't have to use all of the slurry if the sauce is thick enough), add the chicken and scallions. Toss quickly, and serve!

CHINESE BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

3 slices ginger, julienned

1 ¼ lbs chicken drumettes

10 (large) to 15 (small) dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and soaked in 2 cups of warm water for 2-4 hours until soft (reserve soaking liquid)

¾ cup dried wood ear mushrooms, rinsed and soaked

¼ cup cooking wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon of dark soy sauce

1 – 1 ¼ cups mushroom soaking liquid

1 scallion, sliced

Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn up the heat to high and add the chicken. Keep stirring until the chicken is browned, and add the soaked shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. Keep stirring for another couple minutes.

Then add cooking wine, sugar, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce; mix everything well. Lastly, add 1 to 1 ¼ cup of the water you used to soak the mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and gooey. Make sure to stir occasionally, and remember to keep the heat low and add more water if you like a lot of sauce.

Finally, stir in the scallions until they're wilted. Serve!