Orange Chicken from My Friend, Jenny

My good friend Jenny shared this recipe with me. She has lived all over the world, but now is living in Canada. While her father was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army, they traveled the world wide, primarily in the Far East. This was after WWII, and there were many activities going on since her father was a Mechanical Engineer.   I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. It probably tastes as good as the best Chinese restaurant.

Orange Chicken

MARINADE and SAUCE:

1 1/2 pound chicken; boneless, skinless

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

8 strips orange peel

6 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic cloves; minced

1 tablespoon ginger; grated

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoon cold water

8 small whole red chilies; dried

COATING AND FRYING:

3 large egg whites

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cup peanut oil

FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE: Place chicken in 1 gallon zip lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken stock, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic , ginger and cayenne in large saucepan; whisk until completely dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken, press out as much air as possible and seal bag, Refrigerate 60 minutes.

Bring remaining mixture in saucepan to boil over high heat. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water, whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce until thick, about 1 minutes. Stir in orange peel and chilies. Set aside.

FOR THE COATING: Place egg whites in pie plate, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch cayenne and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in colander, pat dry. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat. transfer to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on wire rack.

TO FRY THE CHICKEN; Heat oil to 350F. Place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown about 5 minutes, turning each piece half way through cooking. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm while cooking remaining chicken.

Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings