Asian Orange Chicken

If I am inside a food court and if I spot a word pizza anywhere through the corner of my eye, some form of mental bond forms...next minute I will be moving straight to that corner. The other day at the airport food court...after gobbling up an entire (reasonably big) pizza I directed my concentration to M's plate and saw the juicy chicken dish on his plate. I took my fork and ate the last piece before he could take it and it was toooo good.

For a second I even thought of having a second lunch from the Chinese corner. But my brain was putting some sense to me - "See Ann your stomach is well fed. No need to eat anymore...". Yea sometimes brain makes more sense than heart...:).

Through out the journey I was talking about that orange chicken...

After reaching home I looked up for a recipe and found this one. The recipe was so perfect that when I tasted, it was exactly like the orange chicken I had...A perfect balance between sweetness and sourness of orange...

Recipe:

---------

Source : HARRY WETZEL posted here

For the Sauce:
----------------

1. Water                   -  1 1/2 cups
2. Orange juice          -  2 tablespoons
3. Lemon juice           -  1/4 cup
4. Rice vinegar           -  1/3 cup
5. Soy sauce              -  2 1/2 tablespoons
6. Grated orange zest  -  1 tablespoon  
7. Brown sugar           -  1 cup packed
8. Fresh ginger root     -  1/2 teaspoon minced
9. Garlic                     -  1/2 teaspoon minced
10. Green onion            -  2 tablespoons chopped  
11. Red pepper flakes    -  1/4 teaspoon
12. Cornstarch              -  3 tablespoons
13. Water                    -  2 tablespoons

 For Chicken:
--------------

1. Chicken breasts      -  2 boneless, skinless cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2. All-purpose flour     -  1 cup
3. Salt                      -  1/4 teaspoon
4. Pepper                  -  1/4 teaspoon
5. Olive oil                -  3 tablespoons

Directions:

-------------

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from heat, and let it cool completely.
4. Place the chicken pieces into a container.
5. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour some (1 cup) of the sauce into container till all the chicken is immersed in it.
6. Reserve the remaining sauce. Cover the container, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. ( I refrigerated overnight. I also refrigerated the remaining sauce.)
7. In another container, mix the flour, salt, and pepper.
8. Coat each of the marinated chicken with the flour mix.
9. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides.
10. Remove the excess oil by draining with paper towels.
11. In a saucepan and add the reserved sauce. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
12. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce.(This is to thicken the sauce. I omitted this step.)
13. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
14. Serve hot and enjoy...:)