Orange Rooster – WellPlated.com

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

Why You’ll Love This Orange Rooster Recipe

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

About This Simple Orange Rooster Recipe

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

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

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

• Cooking the hen 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 hen in eggs and flour, no cooking it in batches, and no draining it on paper towels. Win!

Should you love different sticky-sweet dishes like Candy and Bitter Rooster, this orange hen is destined to be a brand new favourite!

Make Orange Rooster

The Components

For the Rooster:

• Boneless Skinless Rooster Breasts or Tenders. Tenders, or tenderloins, are a small lower that comes from the realm between the breast and breast bone. You can also use boneless skinless hen thighs.
• Honey or Pure Maple Syrup. This helps infuse the hen with sweetness.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. You’ll use soy sauce to infuse the hen with umami taste to steadiness the sweetness.
• Baking Soda. A secret ingredient that helps tenderize hen whereas it marinates.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch will assist your hen obtain most crispiness and mimics the deep-fried model.
• Canola Oil. Or one other excessive smoke level oil you prefer 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 hen.

For the Orange Rooster 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 high quality.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. You should utilize common soy sauce if that’s what you’ve readily available, however I all the time favor low-sodium to maintain the flavour (and salt degree) 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 may thicken the sauce and assist it cling to the hen.
• Pink Pepper Flakes. Add kind of, in keeping with your style preferences.
• Ready Brown Rice. I exploit my Instantaneous Pot Brown Rice. Right here’s Make Brown Rice on the stovetop too.
• Sautéed Veggies. Broccoli is a typical pairing with orange hen, however bell peppers, onions, carrots, snow peas, and different stir fry greens work too.

The Instructions

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

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

3. Coat the Rooster. Toss the hen with the cornstarch.

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

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

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

Recipe Variations

• Orange Tofu. Prepare dinner the tofu as described in my Normal Tso Tofu recipe, however use the orange sauce from this recipe as an alternative.
• Orange Cauliflower. One other plant-based choice is to easily substitute the hen 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 hen in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
• To Reheat. Reheat orange hen in a skillet set over medium warmth or within the microwave.
• To Freeze. Freeze orange hen in an hermetic container or freezer bag for as much as 3 months. Let it thaw within the fridge, then reheat in keeping with the directions above.

What to Serve with Orange Rooster

• Small Whisk. A big whisk in a small saucepan is a recipe for catastrophe! I really like this smaller dimension for nearly all the pieces.
• Nonslip Reducing Board. This set comes with three completely different dimension boards for all of your slicing and dicing wants.
• Wok. Whereas you should utilize a skillet, for those who stir fry usually, a wok is a worthwhile funding.

Recipe Ideas and Methods

• Use a Massive Skillet. Or, even higher, a wok. It’s essential for the hen to have ample area within the pan so it will get crispy as an alternative of steaming.
• Zest the Orange within the Saucepan. Not solely will this aid you catch the oils from the orange, it is going to additionally make much less of a multitude!
• Don’t Skip Whisking the Slurry. Though it’s tempting to have one much less bowl to scrub up, for those who 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 hen by including them to the skillet or wok after the hen is completed and cooking them in a tablespoon of oil with soy sauce, then including the hen and sauce again to the pan to complete.