Orange Hen – WellPlated.com

Be careful, takeout! This selfmade Orange Hen has the identical candy, tangy, and savory flavors you’re keen on, but it surely’s sooner and extra budget-friendly than ordering out.

Why You’ll Love This Orange Hen Recipe

• A More healthy Model. This can be a basic orange rooster recipe with that signature sticky-sweet sauce, but it surely’s nonetheless a lot lighter than restaurant-style. No brown sugar or corn syrup right here—easy elements like orange juice and honey present all of the sweetness you want!
• It’s Sooner Than Supply. From begin to end, you’ll be able to have this on the desk sooner than it takes to order Panda Specific orange rooster from DoorDash.
• The Sauce Is a Reader Favourite. Love my Crockpot Orange Hen and Common Tso Hen recipes? Properly, you’ll love this recipe too as a result of it’s primarily based on these dishes!

About This Straightforward Orange Hen Recipe

My baked Wholesome Orange Hen is in heavy rotation in our kitchen, however I made a decision that I wished to do a extra conventional tackle orange rooster cooked on the range.

Nonetheless lighter than takeout! Nonetheless ridiculously simple! And nonetheless scrumptious, too!

The distinction is that as an alternative of baking the rooster, I stir fry it in a wok.

• Cooking the rooster on the stovetop means this recipe comes collectively lickety-split.
• It nonetheless solely requires a tablespoon of oil, making it a lot more healthy than the Chinese language takeout deep-fried model.
• It additionally means there’s no dredging the rooster in eggs and flour, no cooking it in batches, and no draining it on paper towels. Win!

In case you love different sticky-sweet dishes like Candy and Bitter Hen, this orange rooster is destined to be a brand new favourite!

Methods to Make Orange Hen

The Elements

For the Hen:

• Boneless Skinless Hen Breasts or Tenders. Tenders, or tenderloins, are a small minimize that comes from the world between the breast and breast bone. You can also use boneless skinless rooster thighs.
• Honey or Pure Maple Syrup. This helps infuse the rooster with sweetness.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. You’ll use soy sauce to infuse the rooster with umami taste to steadiness the sweetness.
• Baking Soda. A secret ingredient that helps tenderize rooster whereas it marinates.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch will assist your rooster obtain most crispiness and mimics the deep-fried model.
• Canola Oil. Or one other excessive smoke level oil you wish to prepare dinner with, like vegetable oil or peanut oil.
• Inexperienced Onions. These add a little bit of shade and pungent taste to your orange rooster.

For the Orange Hen Sauce:

• Orange. You’ll want each the orange zest and the juice; zest the orange first, then juice it. Creates the right orange taste.

• Honey. No want for something fancy right here; the runny honey that is available in a bear-shaped bottle is simply positive.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. You need to use common soy sauce if that’s what you could have readily available, however I all the time want low-sodium to maintain the flavour (and salt stage) in verify.

• Contemporary Ginger. You’ll want about an inch of ginger root to yield a tablespoon grated.
• Garlic. Garlic is vital for that sweet-and-savory steadiness.
• Water. For making a cornstarch slurry.
• Cornstarch. The opposite element of your slurry. This can thicken the sauce and assist it cling to the rooster.
• Crimson Pepper Flakes. Add roughly, in line with your style preferences.
• Ready Brown Rice. I exploit my On the spot Pot Brown Rice. Right here’s Methods to Make Brown Rice on the stovetop too.
• Sautéed Veggies. Broccoli is a standard pairing with orange rooster, however bell peppers, onions, carrots, snow peas, and different stir fry greens work too.

The Instructions

1. Marinate. Toss the rooster items with the soy sauce, honey, and baking soda and marinate whilst you get the sauce prepared.

2. Make the Sauce. Zest the orange proper over the pot to seize the flavorful oils.

3. Coat the Hen. Toss the rooster with the cornstarch.

4. Prepare dinner the Hen. Prepare dinner on each side till golden brown.

5. Add the Sauce. Prepare dinner till the rooster is coated and sticky.

6. Serve. Stir the inexperienced onions into the orange rooster. Divide the rooster into bowls of rice and veggies and ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• Orange Tofu. Prepare dinner the tofu as described in my Common Tso Tofu recipe, however use the orange sauce from this recipe as an alternative.
• Orange Cauliflower. One other plant-based possibility is to easily change the rooster with an equal quantity of small cauliflower florets. Marinate them, mud them with the cornstarch, and comply with the remainder of the recipe as written.

Storage Ideas

• To Retailer. Refrigerate leftover orange rooster in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
• To Reheat. Reheat orange rooster in a skillet set over medium warmth or within the microwave.
• To Freeze. Freeze orange rooster in an hermetic container or freezer bag for as much as 3 months. Let it thaw within the fridge, then reheat in line with the directions above.

What to Serve with Orange Hen

• Small Whisk. A big whisk in a small saucepan is a recipe for catastrophe! I like this smaller dimension for almost all the things.
• Nonslip Slicing Board. This set comes with three completely different dimension boards for all of your slicing and dicing wants.
• Wok. Whereas you should use a skillet, in case you stir fry typically, a wok is a worthwhile funding.

Recipe Ideas and Methods

• Use a Large Skillet. Or, even higher, a wok. It’s vital for the rooster to have ample house within the pan so it will get crispy as an alternative of steaming.
• Zest the Orange within the Saucepan. Not solely will this provide help to catch the oils from the orange, it is going to additionally make much less of a large number!
• Don’t Skip Whisking the Slurry. Though it’s tempting to have one much less bowl to wash up, in case you don’t whisk the water and cornstarch individually, you’ll find yourself with lumps in your sauce—and it received’t be as sticky.
• Stir Fry Some Veggies. You may sauté some veggies in your orange rooster by including them to the skillet or wok after the rooster is finished and cooking them in a tablespoon of oil with soy sauce, then including the rooster and sauce again to the pan to complete.