Whole Orange Fried Chicken

Orange chicken may seem like the ultimate example of cuisine adapting to fit the American palate, so it may come as a surprise the the Panda Express classic recipe actually has roots in an authentic recipe.

30 minutes prep

30 minutes cook

Serves 2

Hugh Woodward
IMG_2750.jpg

Ingredients

    The marinade:
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tspsoy sauce
  • 50mlShaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 3 tbspcornflour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 smallpoussin or v small chicken
    • Dredge + frying:
  • 150gplain flour
  • 100gcorn flour
  • 1 tspbaking powder
  • 1 tspfine sea salt
  • 2 litresfrying oil
    • Orange chicken sauce:
  • 1 tbspvegetable oil
  • 3 clovesminced garlic
  • the same amountminced ginger
  • 1 tsppul biber or other chilli flakes
  • 1 wholeorange, juice and zest
  • 2 tspcorn flour
  • 3 tbspshaoxing wine vinegar
  • 1 tspsoy sauce
  • 2 tbspsugar
    • To garnish:
  • a handfulfinely sliced spring onions
  • a sprinklewhite and black sesame seeds

It's based on a Northern Chinese dish that uses dried citrus peel to flavour chicken. Since then it's travelled to the states, become deep fried while fresh orange has been added. We thought we'd continue it down the path ito its logical conclusion - a whole deep fried bird, drizzled in orange sauce on a bed of rice.

Method

  • Whisk together the egg white, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornflour and baking powder. Add the poussin and refrigerate, turning over every now and then to coat the whole bird.
  • Whisk the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  • Heat a large saucepan (with deep sides) full of frying out. Make sure you factor in how big the chicken is - we don't want any oil spillages. You want it to be around 160°C.
  • Gently place the chicken in the oil, giving it a good splash with a spoon if any bits remain uncovered. Fry for around 15 mins, turning over carefully once or twice. It helps if you have a meat thermometer at this point to ensure the chicken is cooked to the safe 70°C.
  • While this is happening, get the sauce on the go - fry the garlic and ginger in the vegetable oil along with the red pepper flakes, then squeeze in the orange juice and grate in the zest. In a small bowl mix the cornflour with the wine and soy sauce to make a slurry. Add this to the sauce along with the sugar and bring to a simmer.
  • Serve the sauce over the chicken with the spring onion greens and the toasted sesame seeds.

    • What do you think of the recipe?

    save recipe
    Hugh Woodward

    Hugh Woodward

    follow

    Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.

    read more

    More recipes from Hugh Woodward...

    nav icon
    saved! saved!