Y’all know how I love a good food-themed night. Especially ones that include multiple dishes so that everyone eats! (I kid, everyone always eats, but lately with 3 [almost 4] teenagers in the house everyone needs to eat, so I have taken to doing more than one protein to make sure everyone’s needs are met).

This orange chicken plays in perfectly if we are doing a chinese takeout dinner at home. And let’s not kid ourselves… 4 out of 4 will eat it. Also, a perfect win-win.

It’s definitely more time consuming than the premade freezer variety, or than dialing up your fav take out spot… but sometimes, it’s just worth it.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

3 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tsp black pepper

juice of 3 oranges

zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1/2 tsp sriracha (1/2 - 1 tsp more if you like more spice)

1/8 cup rice wine vinegar

1/8 cup mirin

3 eggs whisked

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup flour

sesame oil

1/2 cup sliced dark green part of scallions

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Place in a ziploc bag with 1 cup orange juice. Let marinade 1 hour before cooking.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together ginger, garlic, pepper, juice of 3 oranges, orange zest, honey, coconut aminos, sriracha, vinegar, and mirin. Refrigerate to allow flavors to combine.

Whisk together 1 tsp salt, cornstarch, and flour. Dump mixture in a large ziploc bag.

Remove chicken from orange juice and pat dry.

Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with sesame oil. Heat to medium.

Toss chicken pieces in eggs to coat, and then drop in flour mixture. Seal and shake bag to coat chicken.

Without overcrowding the pan, place pieces of chicken in oil and let cook. Turning as needed until crispy and chicken is cooked through. Cook in batches if needed, removing to paper towel after cooked.

Add all chicken back to pan. Lower heat to medium-low. Pour orange sauce over chicken and stir to coat all pieces.

Let sauté for 3 -5 minutes, until sauce is thickened, making sure to stir to avoid burning.

Remove chicken to a plate, and top with scallions and sesame seeds.