Chinese-American Orange Chicken

           Marinade

1lb                 Boneless, skinless, chicken thighs cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces

1ea               Large egg white

3T                 Soy sauce

4T                 Dry sherry

2T                 Vodka

1/4t               Baking soda

3/4C              Corn starch

1/2C              Flour

1/2t               Baking powder

1/2t               Kosher salt

2T                 Rice vinegar

3T                 Chicken stock

4T                 Sugar

1t                  Roasted sesame oil

2t                  Grated orange zest

1/4C              Orange juice

4ea               2-inch strips of dried orange peel (wire rack on baking sheet and bake at 275F for 45 minutes)

2qts + 2t        Peanut or vegetable oil

2t                  Minced garlic

2t                  Minced fresh ginger

2t                  Thinly slice scallion bottoms

Process

                     For the marinade

Beat the egg white in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy

Add 2T of soy sauce, 2T of dry sherry, and 2T of vodka

Whisk to combine

Set aside 1/2 of the marinade in a small bowl

Add 1/4 of baking soda, and 3T of cornstarch to the large bowl and whisk to combine

Add chicken to the large bowl and toss to coat thoroughly

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside

           For the dry coat

Combine 1/2C flour, 1/2C cornstarch, 1/2t baking powder, and 1/2t Kosher salt and in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed

Add the reserved marinade and whisk until the mixture has coarse, mealy, clumps

Set aside

           For the sauce

Combine 1T soy sauce, 2T dry sherry, 2T rice vinegar, 3T chicken stock, 4T sugar. 1t sesame seed oil, 2t orange zest, 1/4C orange juice, 1T cornstarch, in a small bowl and mix until the cornstarch has dissolved, and there are no lumps

Add the dried orange peel

Set aside

Combine 2t sesame oil, 2t minced garlic, 2t fresh ginger, and 2t minced scallions in a large skillet, and place over medium heat.

Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are aromatic and soft but not browned (about 3 minutes)

Stir the sauce mixture and add to the skillet making sure to scrape anything stuck to the bottom or sides of the skillet

Cook, stirring until the sauce boils and thickens (about 1 minute)

Transfer the sauce to a bowl to stop the cooking, take the skillet off the heat, but do not clean the skillet

           For the finish

Heat 1-1/2qts of peanut or vegetable oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350F and adjust the heat to maintain this temperature

Working one piece at a time, add the chicken to the dry coat mixture, tossing between each addition to coat the chicken

When all of the chicken has been added to the dry coat, toss and press the dry coat into the chicken so that it adheres and making sure that all of  the chicken is coated thoroughly.

Lift the chicken a piece at a time, shake off the excess coating, and carefully lower it into the hot oil

Once all of the chicken has been added, cook, agitating with a long chopstick or spider until the chicken is cooked through and very crispy (about 4 minutes)

It is VERY IMPORTANT to maintain an oil temperature at 350F. You may need to cook your chicken in smaller batches to achieve this.

Transfer the chicken to a paper towel and drain

Add the chicken to the empty skillet, and return the sauce to the skillet

Toss or stir the chicken until folding it with a spatula until all pieces are thoroughly coated with sauce

Serve immediately with white rice