One of my favorite Panda Express items is their orange chicken! It is crispy, sweet, and savory. Something that is hard however, is that it is not gluten free. Enough is enough, we want to enjoy it too! This is my gluten friendly version that utilizes fresh orange juice and zest for that perfect balance of flavor. The magic is in the sauce!
First, in a small sauce pan, add minced garlic and sauté in 1 tsp of sesame oil. Then add tamari or (GF Soy Sauce), juice of 2 oranges, and zest of 1 orange, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and a cornstarch slurry. Heat on medium heat and stir until sauce has thicken. Remove from heat and let cool some.
For the chicken, dice your chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. In a mixing bowl, add gluten free flour, cornstarch, eggs, oil, and water. Stir until it is a batter, about the thickness of pancake batter. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add your chicken and coat well. You can let this marinate up to 6 hours in the fridge.
In medium to high heat, fry your chicken in oil. Remove once it is golden brown and chicken is cooked about 7-10 minutes per batch. Do not over crowd the pot. In a wok, or skillet, add your friend chicken pieces and toss with your orange sauce! Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with optional sesame seeds and green onions.
Best Homemade Fresh Orange Chicken (Gluten Friendly)
Ingredients
- 2 Diced Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cups Frying Oil (Canola or Vegetable Oil)
Batter
- 2 Cups GF Flour
- 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/2-3/4 Cup Water (add 1 tbsp at a time if more is needed)
- 1 Tsp Salt and Pepper
Orange Sauce
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 Cup Tamari or GF Soy Sauce
- Juice Of 2 Oranges
- Zest 1 Orange
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Cornstarch Slurry (1 Tsp Cornstarch Mixed in Water)
Optional
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onion
Instructions
- In a small pot, sauté garlic with sesame oil. Then add the remaining of the sauce ingredients to the pot and stir. Mix a little cornstarch and water and pour into the pot. This will thicken the sauce.
- When the sauce thickens, remove from heat and set aside.
- Add batter ingredients to a bowl and mix. It should be about the thickness of a pancake batter.
- Dice chicken into 1 inch cubes and toss in the batter.
- Fry the battered chicken in medium to high heat until golden brown and crispy 7-10 minutes.
- In a skillet. Toss chicken in the sauce. Serve over a bed of rice.
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