Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken

posted by virtual chef on Feb 1, 2009 | Appetizers |

Recipe #6 in our Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration series is a dish that deserves a spot at your SuperBowl party buffet table! Great as appetizers…and even as main dish. Added chili peppers for a little bit of a kick. This recipe was adapted from recipe #129598 at Recipezaar and as always, tweaked to suit our taste buds. In addition to the chilies, I also added orange juice.

Ingredients:

3 pieces boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
oil for frying
sesame seeds for garnish

Marinade

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tbs grated orange peel
1 tbs sambal oelek or crushed chili peppers

Sauce

1/2 cup orange juice or the juice of 2 large oranges
1 cup chicken broth or water
4 tbs sweet mirin sauce
3 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs of water
1 /4 cup sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 garlic clove , minced
2 tbs grated orange peel

Directions:

Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sauce by mixing together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour in a small pan and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm.
In a separate pan or wok, heat oil enough for deep frying.
Add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels then place on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve with hot steamed rice or by itself as appetizers.